Legislative Director

The Washington, D.C. Office of Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee and Co-Chair of the Black Maternal Health Caucus, is hiring a Legislative Director.

The Legislative Director works with the Member and other senior staff to lead development and implementation of her policy, legislative, and appropriations strategy, managing a legislative team of 6-8 staff, fellows, and interns while also covering a small individual portfolio of legislative issues. Primary responsibilities for this role include: - Developing and advancing the Member’s policy priorities through the legislative and appropriations processes; - Overseeing operations of the legislative team; - Developing high-quality memos, remarks, committee materials, and other briefing materials for the Member/office; - Supporting the press team on policy-related communications; - Working with the district team to support their work and address constituents’ policy concerns; - Monitoring activity on the House Floor and the Member’s committee(s) and working with the legislative team to develop vote recommendations; - Building and maintaining positive and effective relationships with district, D.C., and national stakeholders and advocacy organizations; - Proactively tracking relevant state and local policy changes and working with local officials; - Overseeing the office’s constituent correspondence program; and - Other duties and special projects as assigned.

This is not an entry-level role. Candidates should have deep expertise in policy, legislative drafting and procedure, and congressional appropriations, as well as at least one year of professional experience managing direct reports. Essential skills include an expert-level working knowledge of Congress; strong oral and written communication skills, including rigorous editing and fact-checking; excellent attention to detail; the ability to execute on multiple deadlines and tasks in a fast-paced environment; strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills; the ability to make quick decisions when advising a principal; a proven track record navigating complex constituent and political situations; and the responsiveness and professional demeanor to represent the office well to a wide range of communities. Candidates with a background in health policy are encouraged to apply. Please note that candidates must be available for occasional weekend and evening work to support the Member when the congressional schedule requires.

To apply, please email Underwood.DCJobs@mail.house.gov with “Legislative Director” in the subject line and the following application materials attached as one combined PDF: (1) Résumé (2) Cover letter (3) 2-3 professional references including name, current title and organization, phone number, email, and a one-sentence description of your relationship to the reference. We will not reach out to these references without your permission.