ABOUT OCEAN CONSERVANCY

Ocean Conservancy is working to create science-based solutions for a healthy ocean and the wildlife and communities that depend on it. Our work is focused on solving some of the greatest threats facing our ocean today. From the Arctic to the Gulf of Mexico, we bring people, science and policy together, to champion innovative solutions and fight for a sustainable ocean. Our organization is committed to working together with people and we celebrate diversity.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Legislative Assistant’s mission is to help Ocean Conservancy’s government relations team be the most organized and effective force for ocean conservation in the entire environmental community. This position provides policy, logistical and organizational support to the Government Relations team, with significant areas of responsibility and the opportunity to take on visible, high-profile projects. Notable areas of responsibility include managing an array of systems that keep the GR team and OC informed and organized, managing OC’s lobbying disclosure and tracking systems, developing policy and legislative analysis materials, making policy recommendations, and helping develop and manage significant OC events like fly-ins, hill briefings, receptions, Q&A sessions with members of congress, etc. Below is an overview of the key areas of responsibility.

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES

The Legislative Assistant will:

Lead project and logistics management for the Government Relations Team.

• Maintain a variety of GR team tracking systems, including the Congressional meetings database, calendar of hill and administration events, and the team’s legislation tracking database.
• Handle logistical support for an array of items including handling invoices, managing outside vendors and subscriptions, helping manage the GR budget and expense reconciliations, maintaining contracts for outside lobbyists, etc.
• Facilitate weekly GR team meetings, compile weekly notes, and write the GR weekly update to be sent across Ocean Conservancy.
• Manage Ocean Conservancy’s lobbying tracking and disclosure compliance across the entire organization.

Help the Government Relations Team (and OC) stay informed

• Attend legislative hearings, meetings, markups and press conferences and report back to GR team and OC programs.
  • Analyze legislation, performs legislative, legal and policy research, drafts legislative fact sheets and correspondence, prepares lobbying packets and briefing materials, and respond to requests for information.
  • Help proactively inform program staff across OC when legislation, administrative actions, hearings, etc. are happening that they might be interested in or need to be aware of.
• Track environmental community sign-on letters, including responsibility for making recommendations on whether to sign certain community letters.

   

  Help make big things happen

• Significant organizational and logistical support for high-profile GR events like stakeholder lobbying fly-ins, hill briefings, receptions, and OC-hosted events with Members of Congress.
• Occasionally assist by attending hill meetings and providing other lobbying support.
• Communications and digital products – Serve as a principle liaison for the communications and digital teams, helping develop or review digital action alerts, and write or review blogs and other public-facing communications materials. Help the GR team proactively come up with ideas for blogs and other communications materials.
• Be a source of new ideas! – Help develop and pitch new ideas on what Ocean Conservancy and the GR team can do to be more effective and make good progress for the ocean. Great ideas can come from anyone and anywhere.

REQUIRED SKILLS/QUALIFICATIONS/EXPERIENCE

• Basic knowledge of federal legislative process and the operations of not for profit advocacy organizations is required.
• Ability to meet deadlines and to complete work in a thorough and professional manner; attention to detail. Strong communication and organization skills and the ability to coordinate multiple tasks from a variety of staff simultaneously with minimum supervision.
• Working knowledge and understanding of Microsoft office suites.
• Previous political or public policy internship or work experience, especially on Capitol Hill, is preferred.

EDUCATION/TRAINING

Bachelor’s Degree in political science, environmental science, or another related field, or at least four years of professional administrative support experience