Senior Manager, Advocacy & Coalitions

Position description

The Senior Manager, Advocacy and Coalitions helps implement WFP USA's congressional advocacy and coalition strategy, with a primary focus on building and strengthening relationships on Capitol Hill and expanding bipartisan support for international food assistance, global food security, humanitarian response, and the work of the United Nations World Food Programme. Reporting to the Senior Director, Advocacy & Coalitions, the Manager will manage a portfolio of congressional relationships, monitor and analyze legislative and political developments, develop tailored advocacy strategies and materials, represent WFP USA in relevant coalitions and external forums, and help identify opportunities to cultivate new congressional champions and stakeholder partners.

The role requires strong political judgment, relationship-building skills, and the ability to communicate effectively with policymakers and stakeholders across diverse ideological and political perspectives. The Senior Manager works collaboratively across WFP USA and with external partners to translate organizational priorities into credible, audience-appropriate advocacy and engagement strategies.

GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES

• Manage a portfolio of priority congressional offices and committees and help implement WFP USA's congressional advocacy strategy, including developing engagement plans, conducting regular outreach, identifying opportunities for relationship-building, and ensuring timely follow-up.
• Build and maintain productive bipartisan relationships with congressional offices and staff, identify opportunities to cultivate new congressional champions, and expand engagement with offices and constituencies not traditionally associated with international humanitarian and food assistance.
• Maintain an active presence on Capitol Hill through meetings, briefings, events, and other engagement opportunities with congressional offices and relevant stakeholders.
• Monitor and analyze congressional, political, and policy developments, including appropriations, authorizations, hearings, markups, legislation, funding decisions, and emerging debates within both parties that may affect U.S. support for international food assistance; provide timely analysis of risks, opportunities, and implications for WFP USA's advocacy strategy.
• Develop and contribute to congressional briefing materials, stakeholder profiles, talking points, meeting memoranda, policy summaries, outreach communications, advocacy materials, presentations, and other internal and external products; prepare organizational leadership for congressional and external engagements.
• Represent WFP USA in advocacy coalitions, working groups, partner meetings, and external convenings, and lead selected coalition initiatives and collaborative advocacy efforts in coordination with the Senior Director, Advocacy & Coalitions.
• Build relationships with coalition partners and external validators, including humanitarian, agriculture, faith, national security, logistics, private-sector, nonprofit, and other relevant stakeholder communities that can advance WFP USA's advocacy objectives.
• Plan and execute congressional briefings, policy discussions, learning opportunities, and other engagement activities, including congressional participation, agendas, materials, outreach, and follow-up.
• Maintain accurate congressional and stakeholder information in Quorum and related systems and help track advocacy outcomes.
• Exercise sound judgment and discretion when representing WFP USA and handling sensitive political, policy, stakeholder, or organizational information, and perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

A Well-Qualified Candidate Will Possess the Following:

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
• Six or more years of progressively responsible experience in congressional affairs, government relations, legislative affairs, public policy, advocacy, government service, coalition engagement, or a related field.
• Strong interest in humanitarian assistance, international development, global food security, foreign policy, agriculture policy, national security, or related issues; experience with advocacy coalitions or stakeholder-engagement platforms such as Quorum is a plus.
• Strong understanding of the U.S. Congress, the federal legislative and appropriations processes, and the political and policy environment in which congressional advocacy occurs.
• Demonstrated experience building and maintaining productive professional relationships with congressional staff, policymakers, coalition partners, stakeholder organizations, or other relevant audiences.
• Prior experience working on Capitol Hill, with a congressional committee, or in a government-relations role with significant responsibility for congressional engagement is strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively in a nonpartisan environment and engage professionally across diverse political perspectives. Experience building relationships and communicating effectively with center-right and conservative policymakers, staff, or policy audiences is preferred.
• Strong research, political analysis, writing, and verbal communication skills, including the ability to identify implications for organizational priorities and develop concise, audience-appropriate materials.
• Strong interpersonal, relationship-management, organizational, and project-management skills, with the ability to build trust, manage multiple priorities, meet deadlines, and work collaboratively in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to independently manage assigned responsibilities within established priorities and guidelines, assess the implications of potential approaches, and recognize when consultation or escalation is needed
• Demonstrated professionalism, discretion, responsiveness, integrity, and commitment to high-quality work.

Physical Requirements & Work Environment:

• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
• Occasional flexibility in schedule may be needed to support time-sensitive departmental priorities or established deadlines.
• This position is a hybrid role based in Washington, DC and requires working in the office for a minimum of two days per week.

Application instructions

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