Senior State Government Relations Manager (Southern Region)

The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 110,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance options

Dental and vision plans

401(k) plan with employer contribution

Flexible spending accounts

Life and disability insurance

Vacation days and well-being time

Flexible work environment

Discretionary bonus opportunities

Job summary

The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research in Austin, TX seeks a Senior State Government Relations Manager for the Southern Region. You will shape and communicate policy positions to state legislators and agencies, building strategic relationships across the region.

Responsibilities include managing a multi-state portfolio, drafting testimony and briefs, and monitoring state legislation. The role requires travel (~20%), collaboration with the Advocacy team, and ensuring compliance

Qualifications

• Experience in state government affairs or public policy roles.
• Direct experience with state lawmakers is preferred.
• Ability to register as a state lobbyist in multiple states.
• Strong organizational, detail orientation, and MS Office proficiency.
• Ability to translate complex policy issues into clear messages.

Responsibilities

• Develop, communicate, and explain the Foundation’s position to state lawmakers and officials.
• Manage a portfolio of states within the Southern Region.
• Lead legislative priorities and identify key areas for advocacy.
• Build and maintain relationships with state lawmakers, staff, and agencies.
• Draft testimony, talking points, briefings, and presentations; provide testimony.
• Monitor and analyze state legislative and regulatory developments.
• Develop policy subject-matter expertise on Parkinson’s-related issues.
• Contribute to in-state policy events and webinars with Advocacy.
• Support coalition engagement and stakeholder collaboration.
• Attend meetings and ensure compliance with lobbying disclosures.

Skills

Strong organization skills

Time management

Attention to detail

Synthesize information

Interpersonal skills

Verbal and written communication

Team collaboration

Willingness to travel

Self-motivated

Tools

MS Office

Excel

PowerPoint

Word

SharePoint

Quorum

Salesforce

Job description

Senior State Government Relations Manager (Southern Region)

Austin, Texas

Job Title: Senior State Government Relations Manager

The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (“the Foundation”) is seeking top talent for its Senior State Government Relations Manager in the Southern Region of the United States. Reporting to the Director of State Government Relations, this position assists in developing, communicating, and clarifying the Foundation’s stance on legislation, regulations, and other proposals to state lawmakers, regulators, and government officials. This role monitors legislative and regulatory activities, identifies relevant areas for the Foundation, and maintains strategic relationships with state elected officials and agency staff.

This individual’s legislative portfolio will cover the Southern Region of the United States. Preference will be given to candidates based in AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, OK, SC, TN, TX, VA, and WV.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop, communicate, and explain the Foundation’sposition on legislation, regulations, and other proposals to state lawmakers, regulators, and other government officials, with oversight and supervision from manager
• Manage a portfolio of states within assigned territory in thecountry
• Lead legislative and regulatory priorities and identify areas of importance to the Foundation
• Build and maintain strategic relationships with state lawmakers, staff, and agencies
• Draft written testimony, talking points, briefings, and PowerPoint Presentations for various audiences. P rovide in-person and remote legislative testimony before legislative committees and external stakeholder organizations including but not limited to, other Parkinson’s organizations and non-Parkinson’s organizations
• Issue Monitoring and Analysis : Stay informed about legislative and regulatory developments at the state level that may impact the Foundation’s community . C onduct thorough analysis to assess potential implications and inform strategic advocacy efforts
• Develop subject matter expertise on a range of policy issues that impact the Parkinson’s community

Advocacy Efforts

• Work in a team environment in conjunction with the Foundation’s Advocacy team toward more “in‑state” policy‑oriented events such as Lobby Days and coordinated coalition efforts with the patient community
• Duties may include assistance with planning and logistics regarding policy‑related events and webinars

Coalition Engagement

• Support creating and maintaining strong relationships with other research, healthcare, and patient organizations . As assigned, serve as the Foundation’s representative in various coalitions and work groups
• Develop and build relationships for coalition engagement opportunities to support overall government relations priorities

Team Administration/Operations

• Attend staff meetings, internal and external coalition group meetings, support and/or manage other duties as they are assigned
• Compliance and Reporting : Ensure compliance with relevant lobbying and disclosure requirements, and accurately report on advocacy activities, expenditures, and outcomes

Qualifications and Skills

• Relevant experience working in state government affairs, public policy, public relations, political campaigns, trade association, nonprofit organization or a related role
• Relevant experience working directly with state lawmakers is preferred
• Ability to register as a state lobbyist in multiple states
• Strong organization and time management skills, acute attention to detail, and knowledge of MS Office (including Excel, PowerPoint and Word) are essential
• Ability to synthesize large amounts of information into compelling, actionable insights, and an understanding of the political landscape
• Demonstrated ability to research and grasp complex policy issues.History of effective interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills evidenced in part through successful presentations
• Resourceful, results oriented, team-player
• Working knowledge of SharePoint, Quorum, and Salesforce
• Ability to collaborate with team members to accomplish project goals and also be able to operate independently and take on projects proactively
• Approximately 20% day or overnight travel during peak legislative season to various states for legislative hearings, lobby days, press conferences, and other related events
• Occasional overnight or day travel to NYC office, Washington, D.C., local events, and events around the country. Minimal to occasional evening/weekend work

Compensation & Benefits

Individual compensation for this role is dependent on a variety of factors, including, but not limited to, qualifications, skillsets, and applicable laws. In addition to salary, the Foundation offers a comprehensive benefits package, including:

• 15+ options for medical insurance (with the Foundation paying 90 percent of the premiums)
• Competitive dental and vision plans
• 401(k) plan with 6 percent employer contribution
• Flexible spending accounts
• Employer paid life and disability insurance
• 18 Vacation Days; 12 Well-Being (Sick) Days; 2 Personal Days; summer Fridays (office closure at 2pm) and a summer holiday week over July 4
• Flexible work environment. We trust all employees to work closely with their manager and colleagues to determine when, where and how programs and projects get done.

Employees are also eligible for a discretionary bonus on an annual basis. The Foundation provides staff and leadership cultivation through regular training courses and events.

Salary Range

$110,000 - $130,000 USD

About Us

The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research was founded in 2000 with one clear objective: accelerating meaningful therapeutic advances and, ultimately, a cure for Parkinson’s disease (PD). The Foundation applies extraordinary scientific, business and media assets to this singular focus—thus creating a unique and dynamic organization. Since inception, MJFF has quickly grown into the largest nonprofit funder of Parkinson’s disease research, having funded over $2 billion in research projects in both academic and industry labs worldwide.

Visit www.michaeljfox.org for more information.

Research has shown that people from marginalized communities apply to roles only when they meet 100% of the job requirements. If you think that your skills are transferable and can add value to this role, and you are someone who will contribute to our efforts to build and support a diverse, equitable and inclusive workforce, we strongly encourage you to apply.