Legislative Affairs Director

InvestedintheMission; Arlington (VA); On-site; USD 145,000 - 221,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision

401K with company matching

9/80 work schedule

Paid holiday shutdown

Job summary

AeroVironment, a premier defense technology company, seeks a Legislative Affairs Director to craft and implement an autonomous and high-impact legislative strategy. You will shape engagement with Congress and the U.S.

Government, collaborating with senior leadership to advance AV priorities and capture opportunities while protecting critical programs. In this role, you will lead cross-functional teams, manage consultants, and ensure compliance with lobby laws.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required or equivalent combination of education, training and experience.
• 12+ years in aerospace/national defense activities.
• 5+ years experience working congressional activities.
• Understanding of DoD resource allocation process.
• Understanding of congressional oversight process.
• Understanding of regulatory requirements for US government programs and international sales.

Responsibilities

• Represent AV to the Legislative Branch of the U.S. Government.
• Coordinate and support AV U.S. Government customer interaction in Washington, D.C.
• Develop and maintain relationships with Members of Congress and staff; identify opportunities for AV leadership interaction.
• Lead execution of AV’s congressional advocacy and engagement strategies; manage lobbyist relationships and PAC filings.
• Monitor funding requests and program budgets; secure and protect funding through Congress.

Skills

Legislative affairs

Congress liaison

Policy strategy

Stakeholder management

Regulatory compliance

Education

Bachelor's degree

MBA/MS preferred

Job description

Worker Type: Regular

Job Description

Summary: Develop, coordinate and implement legislative affairs strategy for AeroVironment (AV). The Legislative Affairs Director will shape and execute comprehensive legislative affairs strategies that support AV priorities with Congress and the U.S. Government. This high-visibility role offers significant autonomy and direct impact on business outcomes, collaborating with senior leadership and cross-functional teams to growth goals through strategic capture of new opportunities and protection of existing programs.

Position Responsibilities

• Represents AV to the Legislative Branch of the U.S. Government
• Coordinates and supports AV U.S. Government customer interaction in Washington D.C.
• Develops and maintains relationships with Members of Congress, congressional committees and personal staff members; identifies and coordinates opportunities for AV leadership interaction with Congress
• Develops and leads execution of AV’s congressional advocacy and engagement strategies; manages consultant lobbyist relationships and resources, and fully complies with lobby laws, lobby disclosure and assists with Political Action Committee management (filing PAC reports and statements, depositing & dispersing funds, authorizing expenditures, advocating for contributions)
• Monitors and assures AV awareness of annual U.S. Government funding requests and Department of Defense reprogramming requests
• Provides annual U.S. Government Program and Budget Justification documents to AV leadership and Business Development team
• Monitors and provides AeroVironment with Congressional Mark Up results of annual U.S. Government Budget Requests; secures and protects U.S. Government funding for AV programs through Congress; drives additional congressional funding for strategic AV programs
• Represents AV interests to Aerospace, National Defense and International professional organizations
• Regularly interacts with senior management or executive levels
• Travel to support senior official visits to AV facilities and other customer engagements
• Other duties as assigned

Basic Qualifications (Required Skills & Experience)

• Bachelor’s degree is required in a related field or equivalent combination of education, training, and experience
• 12+ years of relevant experience in aerospace, national defense activities
• 5+ years experience working congressional activities
• Demonstrated understanding of the Department of Defense resource allocation process
• Demonstrated understanding of congressional oversight process
• Demonstrated expert knowledge of government proposal and program requirements
• Demonstrated knowledge of international procurements
• Demonstrated understanding of regulatory requirements for US government programs, as well as international sales

Other Qualifications & Desired Competencies

• Advanced degree, MBA or MS is preferred
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Demonstrated experience working with cross-functional teams; ability to develop and maintain internal and external trusting, professional relationships
• Able to perform in a rapidly growing organization with rapidly changing requirements and sales targets
• Displays strong initiative and drive to accomplish goals and meet company objectives
• Uses vision to think beyond the immediate situation, explore multiple potential paths, and adapt decision‑making style based on the situational circumstances
• Inspires, motivates, and empowers people to deliver organizational goals, while also delivering value back to employees
• Brings organizational values to life using personality, uniqueness, and the creation of a shared vision
• Champions the process of change and promotes a culture of quick adaptation while helping others deal with the effects of change
• Takes ownership and responsibility for assigned tasks
• Is committed to learning from mistakes and driven to improve and enhance performance of oneself, others, and the company
• Focuses on teamwork and puts the success of the team above one's own interests

Physical Demands

• Ability to work in an office environment (Constant)
• Required to sit and stand for long periods; talk, hear, and use hands and fingers to operate a computer and telephone keyboard (Frequent) Occasional or frequent travel may be required

Clearance Level

TS/SCI

Salary

$145,000 - $221,250

Benefits

AV offers an excellent benefits package including medical, dental vision, 401K with company matching, a 9/80 work schedule and a paid holiday shutdown.

ITAR Requirement

This position requires access to information that is subject to compliance with the International Traffic Arms Regulations (“ITAR”) and/or the Export Administration Regulations (“EAR”). In order to comply with the requirements of the ITAR and/or the EAR, applicants must qualify as a U.S. person under the ITAR and the EAR, or a person to be approved for an export license by the governing agency whose technology comes under its jurisdiction. Please understand that any job offer that requires approval of an export license will be conditional on AeroVironment’s determination that it will be able to obtain an export license in a time frame consistent with AeroVironment’s business requirements. A “U.S. person” according to the ITAR definition is a U.S. citizen, U.S. lawful permanent resident (green card holder), or protected individual such as a refugee or asylee. See 22 CFR § 120.15. Some positions will require current U.S. Citizenship due to contract requirements.

Company Website

http://www.avinc.com/myavbenefits

http://www.avinc.com

About AV:

AV isn’t for everyone. We hire the curious, the relentless, the mission-obsessed. The best of the best.

We don’t just build defense technology—we redefine what’s possible. As the premier autonomous systems company in the U.S., AV delivers breakthrough capabilities across air, land, sea, space, and cyber. From AI-powered drones and loitering munitions to integrated autonomy and space resilience, our technologies shape the future of warfare and protect those who serve.

Founded by legendary innovator Dr. Paul MacCready, AV has spent over 50 years pushing the boundaries of what unmanned systems can do. Our heritage includes seven platforms in the Smithsonian—but we’re not building history, we’re building what’s next.

If you're ready to build technology that matters—with speed, scale, and purpose—there’s no better place to do it than AV.

EEO Statement

We are proud to be an EEO/AA Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability/veterans. AeroVironment, Inc. is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer and welcomes all qualified applicants. Qualified applicants will receive fair and impartial consideration without regard to race, sex, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, genetic data, sexual orientation, gender identity or other legally protected status.

Citizenship & Clearance

U.S. Citizenship is required. Secret or Top Secret clearance, or the ability obtain a clearance is desired.