Vice President of Legislative Advocacy

National Multifamily Housing Council; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC) seeks a strategic government affairs leader to serve as Vice President of Legislative Advocacy. You will oversee federal legislative advocacy plans, reporting to the SVP & Head of Legislative and Political Affairs, and shape NMHC's policy agenda before policymakers and stakeholders.

The role involves building influential relationships with Members of Congress, staff, Executive Branch officials, and industry partners to advance multifamily housing

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree preferred.
• 8–10 years of federal government affairs, legislative advocacy or lobbying experience.
• Experience with Capitol Hill, the Executive Branch, or trade associations.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute federal legislative advocacy strategies.
• Cultivate bipartisan relationships with Members of Congress and federal agencies.
• Represent NMHC before Congress, agencies, coalitions and external audiences.
• Monitor and analyze legislative developments affecting the rental housing industry.
• Collaborate with leadership to advance NMHC's policy priorities.

Skills

Executive presence

Relationship-building

Public speaking

Policy analysis

Coalition management

Negotiation

Project management

Strategic thinking

Education

Bachelor's degree

Advanced degree in Public Policy/Political Science/Law/Business

Job description

The National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC) is seeking a skilled, strategic government affairs leader to serve as its Vice President of Legislative Advocacy. Reporting directly to the SVP & Head of Legislative and Political Affairs, this person will oversee the creation and implementation of federal legislative advocacy plans that promote NMHC's objectives and policy goals.

The Vice President will develop and sustain influential relationships with Members of Congress, congressional staff, Executive Branch officials, coalition partners, and industry stakeholders to advance policies supporting the multifamily housing industry. This role functions as a trusted advisor to senior leadership, helping shape NMHC's legislative agenda while representing the organization before policymakers, members, and external audiences.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Develop and execute comprehensive federal legislative advocacy strategies that advance NMHC's policy objectives and strategic priorities.
• Collaborate with the President and senior leadership to identify, prioritize, and advance NMHC's federal legislative agenda.
• Cultivate and maintain strong bipartisan relationships with Members of Congress, congressional committees, Executive Branch officials, and federal agencies.
• Represent NMHC before Congress, federal agencies, coalition partners, and other external organizations on issues impacting the multifamily housing industry.
• Monitor, analyze, and communicate legislative, regulatory, and political developments affecting the rental housing industry, providing timely strategic recommendations to leadership and members.
• Lead advocacy initiatives that strengthen NMHC's position as the leading voice for the multifamily housing industry in Washington.
• Support and advance the mission and activities of NMHC PAC by participating in political events, assisting with fundraising initiatives, contributing to political strategy, and fostering engagement among NMHC members.
• Develop policy briefs, congressional testimony, comment letters, white papers, position statements, talking points, and other advocacy materials.
• Coordinate advocacy efforts across NMHC departments to ensure alignment of legislative, regulatory, communications, and member engagement strategies.
• Develop opportunities for NMHC members to engage directly with federal policymakers through meetings, events, Capitol Hill advocacy activities, and coalition efforts.
• Build and maintain productive relationships with industry partners, trade associations, coalition organizations, and external stakeholders to advance shared policy objectives.
• Serve as an internal subject matter expert on federal housing policy, tax policy, capital markets, financial services, regulatory affairs, and other issues affecting the multifamily housing industry.
• Represent NMHC at conferences, industry meetings, political events, and other speaking engagements.
• Perform other duties and special projects as assigned.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree in Public Policy, Political Science, Law, Business, or a related field preferred.
• Minimum of 8–10 years of progressively responsible experience in federal government affairs, legislative advocacy, public policy, congressional affairs, or lobbying.
• Experience working on Capitol Hill, within the Executive Branch, at a trade association, or in a government relations consulting or advocacy organization.
• Demonstrated success in developing and implementing federal legislative strategies.
• Established relationships with Members of Congress, congressional staff, federal agencies, and key policy stakeholders.
• Experience representing complex policy issues before elected officials and senior government leaders.
• Knowledge of federal housing, tax, financial services, regulatory, and business policy issues affecting multifamily housing is strongly preferred.
• Experience working with or supporting a political action committee (PAC) is preferred.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

The successful candidate will demonstrate:

• Exceptional strategic thinking and political judgment.
• Outstanding relationship-building and networking abilities.
• Strong executive presence with the ability to represent NMHC before senior policymakers and industry leaders.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including public speaking and presentation abilities.
• Ability to synthesize complex legislative and regulatory issues into clear, actionable recommendations.
• Strong negotiation, consensus-building, and coalition management skills.
• Superior organizational and project management abilities, with the capacity to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• High level of professionalism, discretion, integrity, and sound judgment.
• Ability to work collaboratively across departments while also operating independently with minimal supervision.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and the ability to quickly learn new technology platforms.