Executive Vice President, Government Affairs - United States - Feeding America

Description

Work. Serve. Thrive.
Imagine a place where your talent can make a meaningful difference in peoples' lives. Working at Feeding America is a uniquely rewarding experience in which our employees work together as vital parts of a much larger mission. We are innovative, mission-focused, diverse, collaborative, values-driven and focused on results.
Feeding America is the nation's largest charity and the leading domestic hunger-relief charity in the United States. Our mission is to feed America's hungry through a nationwide network of member food banks and engage our country in the fight to end hunger.
Learn more about Feeding America here.
This position is based out of Feeding America's Washington, DC office. At Feeding America, we believe in offering a flexible work environment. Employees can be in the office an average of 2 days a week (when not travelling for work) and work from home on other days. Employees also have access to a 30-day "work anywhere" program during the course of each calendar year that can be combined with PTO and/or holidays.
The Opportunity
The EVP, Government Affairs & Policy will lead the development and implementation of integrated strategies across federal nutrition programs, federal and state level policy and advocacy aligned with Feeding America's priorities working closely with network members to inform the development and execution of these strategies. Ensure deep understanding of network member needs and leverage those insights to strengthen network capacity and coordinate advocacy actions in support of nutrition program and policy priorities. Integrate stakeholder engagement and coalition building in support of Feeding America's policy and advocacy priorities across the national organization, with network partners and with external partners.
Compensation
Here at Feeding America national organization, equity is central to our mission and is an integral part of our compensation policies and structures. Historically, systemic racism and sexism in all aspects of our society, including compensation practices, has led to pay inequities that negatively impact people of color, women, and especially women of color. These practices include basing salary offers on previous compensation and negotiating salary offers. As such, we maintain transparent salary ranges and clearly defined practices for how our team, including new hire salary offers, moves through these ranges. You can expect us to offer the best salary up front based on these clearly defined pay practices with little room for negotiation. The salary range listed below represents the starting to mid-point salaries for positions and comparable roles at this level at our organization and candidates should expect to be offered a salary near the starting point of the range that is listed on the job posting. We make exceptions for highly experienced (multiple years of at-level experience) new hires in accordance with our pay practices. Once hired, employees have the opportunity to progress through salary ranges via regular merit increases and step promotions.
Salary Range: $230,000 - $242,000 Based on ExperienceResponsibilities:

• Lead the develop and execution of integrated strategies that support Feeding America's policy priorities including federal nutrition programs focused on increasing food resources and funding available to food banks and promotion of federal and state anti-hunger policies. Ensure that these efforts are aligned with Feeding America's 2030 Strategy, leverage connections and relationships with lawmakers, federal agencies and the administration. Also ensure they are responsive to the evolving political and policy landscape and informed by holistic policy analysis and assessment.
• In partnership with the Advocacy team, co-lead efforts to mobilize and engage Feeding America's network, including food bank CEOs, partner state associations and community leaders, to advocate for impactful anti-hunger policies and increase the network's advocacy capacity.
• Inform national office decisions building deep network engagement into the development of policy priorities and advocacy strategies. Engage regularly with the PEAC, partner state associations and other relevant bodies within the Feeding America Network to ensure strategic alignment and transparency in decision making. Deepen understanding among executive leadership and Government Relations and Advocacy staff of network needs, challenges and realities. Lead efforts to ensure there is alignment of outreach to members and coherence in the way in which our resources are deployed to support advocacy engagement and state level policy work.
• Integrate and coordinate the delivery of core and customized capacity building and technical assistance to network members that supports federal and state level policy and advocacy engagement. Build capacity to understand nutrition policy and programs, how they operate and identify learning network partners need to build acumen. Provide regular policy communications to network members, ensuring alignment and effective engagement on federal hunger-related initiatives.
• Develop resources to support the network. Ensure effective coordination with network members in these efforts in both the execution of strategy and in response to evolving issues. Guide catalytic capacity building by fostering culture, and defining process, that identifies and engages partners that can effectively support network members and promotes clear decisions regarding where FANO should engage partners rather than develop internal expertise and solutions.
• Integrate functional support that involves multiple departments including Government Relations, Advocacy & Community Partnerships, Marketing & Communications, Network, Health, Research & Evaluation, Supply Chain and Development. Provide integrated services and solutions that build capacity, optimize functionality, and promote engagement and collaboration. Represent Government Relations on critical execution bodies (i.e. strategic priority execution groups) focused on the implementation of the 2030 Strategy.
• Lead, manage, and mentor the Government Affairs and Policy teams fostering a culture of high performance, collaboration, and accountability.
• Integrate Feeding America's thought leadership positioning and efforts to engage broad coalitions including community organizations, non-profits and industry groups to influence policy decisions that support neighbor well-being and shape and defend critical hunger-relief programs such as SNAP and TEFAP. Work across FANO and with network members to ensure these efforts are aligned and fully leverage Feeding America's broad network of relationships.
• Integrate efforts to build, sustain and leverage effective relationships across the political spectrum with policy makers, Hill / Administration staff, federal agencies (including USDA) and with key external organizations and partners.
• Support the planning and execution of the annual Lobby Day and other events that catalyze stakeholders to lobby for anti-hunger policies working with the Advocacy Team and key network leadership bodies like the PEAC as well as network members including partner food banks and state associations.
• Represent Feeding America and its network as needed at governmental hearings, legislative forums, coalition meetings, and with key partners to advance the organization's policy agenda.
• Support fund development for Government Relations related priorities or generally for Feeding America and actively collaborate with the development team members on donor cultivation conversations and funding proposal development and direct required support for impact/progress reporting on funded projects.

Required Experience and Qualifications:

• 10+ years' experience in issue/policy advocacy and/or federal and state legislative and regulatory processes.
• Deep understanding of food bank operations and how food banks and the communities in which they serve are impacted by federal and state policy decisions and federal nutrition programs. Leadership experience in a partner food bank or state association is considered a strong plus.
• Proven track record of successfully seeking and translating input from a variety of sources to align stakeholders on a common strategy and activate resources through a coordinated, non-partisan approach.
• Successful experience in leadership positions in large, cross-functionally matrixed organizations, preferably serving franchise, affiliate, or other decentralized network environments.
• Outstanding communication, listening, public speaking and executive level presentation skills. Ease with and effectiveness at public speaking and making presentations to large audiences or facilitating small group discussions among stakeholders at various organization levels.

Required Leadership Competencies:

• Fosters an Enterprise Mindset
• Fosters an Open and Supportive Environment
• Leads with Accountability
• Collaborates Internally and Externally
• Focuses on People and Teams
• Manages Organization and Business Complexity
• Communicates with Impact and Influence

Feeding America's goal is to attract, develop, retain, and promote a talented diverse workforce where all employees feel a sense of belonging and contribute to a culture that values differences, ideas, and experiences. We intentionally seek out diverse perspectives and skills on our teams, knowing that it makes us stronger as an organization and better equipped to serve our neighbors in need. We encourage all individuals, including those from historically under-represented communities and individuals with lived experience of hunger, to apply.