Director, Government Affairs

Association of State and Territorial Health Officials

Government affairs director advancing federal legislative and appropriations priorities for ASTHO, the U.S. public health agencies association.

Posted 8/5/2026full-timeWashington, DC • District of Columbia, Virginia, Washington • 🇺🇸 United StatesLead💰 $110,000 per yearWebsite

Core Competencies

Role fit

Core Competencies

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Demonstrates expertise in federal legislative advocacy, including the development of advocacy materials and strategic messaging. Proficient in managing relationships with congressional members and stakeholders while providing policy analysis and updates.

Highest-signal resume keywords

Federal Legislative AdvocacyGovernment Affairs ExperienceAdvocacy Material DevelopmentCongressional Appropriations ProcessStrong Writing and Oral Communication Skills

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills

Policy AnalysisLegislative AnalysisAdvocacy Strategy DevelopmentBudget TrackingReport Production

Soft Skills

Interpersonal SkillsPriority ManagementCollaboration

Tools & Technologies

Microsoft Office SuiteVirtual Meeting PlatformsCollaboration Platforms

Certifications & Qualifications

Registered Federal Lobbyist

Industry Keywords

Public HealthCongressional Staff EngagementHealth AgenciesCoalition EngagementGovernmental Public Health Systems

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Advance ASTHO’s federal legislative and regulatory advocacy strategies in collaboration with the vice president of government affairs
Cultivate relationships with members of Congress, congressional staff, federal agencies, and external stakeholders
Lead development, coordination, and dissemination of ASTHO’s annual Governmental Public Health Appropriations book and advocacy materials
Track and analyze federal budget proposals, appropriations legislation, authorizing legislation, and administrative actions affecting public health funding
Draft legislative alerts, policy briefs, advocacy materials, and member communications
Support member participation in congressional hearings, federal briefings, and policymaker engagement opportunities
Plan and execute ASTHO’s annual Hill Day and related federal advocacy events
Develop advocacy tools and resources, including toolkits, talking points, and legislative engagement guides
Produce reports, summaries, environmental scans, and strategic analyses for leadership, staff, members, and stakeholders
Provide policy analysis and federal affairs updates to policy committees, peer networks, member groups, and organizational leadership
Represent ASTHO in coalition meetings, stakeholder convenings, congressional briefings, and partner discussions
Contribute policy-focused content, strategic messaging, publications, reports, issue briefs, external communications, and health policy blogs
Collaborate across ASTHO to align advocacy priorities, communications, member engagement, and programmatic initiatives

Requirements

What you’ll need

Master’s degree in political science, public policy, communications, or related field preferred
Minimum 5 years of related Government Affairs experience; Capitol Hill experience preferred
Computer skills, including Microsoft Office Suite, virtual meetings, and collaboration platforms
Knowledge of the congressional appropriations process and federal health agencies such as HHS, CDC, HRSA, SAMHSA, and FDA preferred
Experience developing advocacy materials, legislative analyses, appropriations requests, and coalition engagement strategies preferred
Familiarity with governmental public health systems highly desirable
Excellent interpersonal skills
Ability to manage multiple and diverse priorities with positive outcomes
Strong writing and oral communication skills
Must currently reside in the Washington, DC area
Registered or able to be registered as a federal lobbyist
Ability and willingness to travel

Benefits

Comp & perks

Vacation leave
Sick leave
Personal days
12 Holidays (with some floating options for personalization)
Medical, Dental, and Vision
Retirement Plans 403B and Roth 403B, eligible employees can receive a company contribution up to 11.75%
Electronic communication stipend
Life and AD&D Insurance
Short and Long-term disability insurance
Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
Pet Insurance
Legal Resources
Health & Wellness reimbursement
Flexible Spending accounts
Tuition Reimbursement
Professional Development Assistance