ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT, US GOVERNMENT ADVOCACY

The Associate Vice President for U.S. government advocacy leads CARE’s efforts to influence U.S. government (USG) policy and practice in support of CARE’s mission and impact goals through engagement with USG policymakers including Members of Congress, Congressional staff and Administration officials. The AVP works with the VP to develop overall vision and strategy for CARE’s USG advocacy.

The AVP works closely with the VP to set policy goals for the USG advocacy agenda and to develop and implement plans to achieve goals through direct engagement with USG policymakers. S/he also works in close coordination with the Deputy Director of Learning Tours, Director of Government Relations, Deputy Director of Strategic Initiatives, Director of Citizen Engagement and Mobilization to lead the team in executing advocacy strategies. S/he also works with the Office of the President, Institutional Funding and Strategy (IFS), Humanitarian Affairs, and Program, Strategy and Impact teams, among others, to ensure a coordinated approach to USG officials.

The AVP oversees all major functional teams and workstreams in USG advocacy, including the Government Relations (GR), Learning Tours (LT), Citizen Engagement and Mobilization, and digital advocacy teams. S/he serves as a member of the USPPA senior management team (SMT) and USPPA senior leadership team (SLT). S/he directly manages the Deputy Directors and Directors of each functional team and provides indirect management support for their teams.

The AVP serves as a senior representative of CARE in Washington, DC, with external audiences, including Congress and the Administration, the NGO community and the media, donors and celebrities, and helps to manage and strengthen these critical relationships.

In addition, the AVP manages the USG advocacy budget, supports the VP in major budget decisions, manages key donor relationships and grants, and works closely with the VP on fundraising for the department.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

1.Vision, Strategy, Planning, Execution & Departmental Leadership

• The AVP is the primary leader responsible and accountable for CARE USA’s engagement with all branches of the United States Government on all topics.
• The AVP works closely with the VP/USPPA and other stakeholders across the department, organization, and federation to set clear policy goals for USG advocacy that will have the greatest chance of impacting the lives of millions of people around the world.
• Once clear goals are set, the AVP works closely with his/her teams to develop strategies and tactics to achieve policy goals.
• As needed, the AVP consults with the VP/USPPA on changing goals, making strategic pivots, adjusting tactics, assessing progress, and measuring the impact of policy wins.
• The AVP works with his/her Deputy Directors and Directors to develop and oversee tactical management of advocacy to achieve the goals through the work of all functional teams. This includes:
  • Government Relations
  • Citizen Advocacy Network offline engagement
  • Digital advocacy campaigns and activations
  • Learning Tour trip development to ensure maximum alignment, including leading/support all actual Learning Tours and leading planning trips as necessary.
• The AVP partners with the VP/USPPA to ensure alignment between CARE and CARE Action Now strategies and activities to further shared advocacy priorities.
• The AVP also works with Executive Director of Global Advocacy Team as well as GAT members and program teams to ensure that USG advocacy goals and activities further CI Impact Area goals and targets.
• The AVP works with the VP and other SMT members to implement quick responses to humanitarian emergencies or other unexpected events or policy developments, realigning priorities if necessary.
• The AVP ensures information on all interactions with policymakers is captured in a timely manner and works with the monitoring and evaluation teams to monitor, report on and improve performance, as well as quantify the impacts of policy wins over time.
• The AVP serves as a member of the departmental SLT and SMT and contributes to the overall achievement of the broad strategic goals of the department. S/he helps to develop and implement the department’s multi-year and annual operating goal and plans, including tactical related to USG engagement, and also helps to represent the team in broader organizational planning processes and joint activities.
• S/he helps develop and represent the USG advocacy team and work in high-level relationships across CARE including OOP, EMT, Innovation, MEAL, fundraising, marketing programmatic teams and the CARE C3 Board of Directors.

2.Personnel Management

• The Associate Vice President directly manages the Director of Government Relations, the Deputy Director of Learning Tours, the Director of Citizen Engagement and Mobilization, and the Deputy Director of Strategic Initiatives while providing indirect management support of their teams, including 10-13 FTEs.
• The AVP supervises the strategic and tactical work of teams and ensures close coordination, collaboration and alignment.
• S/he is responsible for ensuring the GR, LT, CAN and digital teams are functioning at the highest level, working well with other parts of the organization, building strategic internal and external relationships, have the right staff configurations and people, and that all performance management activities are done in a timely manner including performance planning, monitoring and performance appraisals. S/he leads or works with Deputy Directors and Directors to lead disciplinary action when necessary based on staff performance, including developing and managing performance improvement plans and/or making final decisions on staff retention based on performance.
• S/he is responsible for the alignment and integration of all teams to ensure maximum impact of activities.
• S/he has responsibility and hiring authority for leadership of all US Advocacy teams and works closely with Deputy Directors and Directors on hiring for their teams.
• S/he leads in partnership with the VP efforts to promote diversity, equity, belonging and inclusion across department as well as professional development, retention and wellness of staff.
• Conduct frequent check-ins and co-create and implement development plans for direct reports.
• Partners with the VP and department SMT to create a positive culture that yields high performance, impact and retention, in line with USPPA’s cultural pillars and operating principles.

3.External Representation

• The AVP serves as a key and frequent external representative of CARE’s advocacy.
• S/he helps develop and represent the USG advocacy team and work in high-level external relationships and engagement, including advocacy events, donor cultivation, advocacy meetings, media interviews, etc.
• S/he seeks out opportunities to raise CARE’s visibility and credibility as a leader among NGOs, developing high-level relationships with key advocacy partners.
• S/he represents CARE on Learning Tours with VP/USPPA and/or Director of Government Relations.
• S/he represent CARE in advocacy coalitions and working groups, as needed.
• S/he ensures that all CARE external representatives such as the CEO, VPs, and country leaders, are utilized strategically to forward advocacy, and well prepared for meetings and events.
• S/he serves as a relationship manager for VIP and/or politically sensitive advocacy targets, with the VP/USPPA.

4.Budget and Resources

• Works with the VP and Senior Manager of Finance, Grants and Contracts to develop and manage the department budget in support of overall goals and deliverables.
• Works with Senior Manager of Finance to ensure excellent stewardship of available funds, that spending is timely, strategic, impactful, kept within the limits of the budget, and that restricted grant funds are spent in keeping with the terms of the grants.
• Approves regular updates and analysis of USG advocacy budget prepared by Senior Manager for Finance department.
• Provide leadership and significant input on grant and donor reporting. Ensure grant reports are excellent and excite donors.
• Work with the Deputy Directors, Directors and individual grant/budget holders to monitor spending, make projections and develop recommendations for big picture strategic budget management.
• Has budgetary authority over all restricted grants and UNR accounts related to USG advocacy, with approval of VP for major budgetary changes or uses (thresholds set on a collaborative basis).

5.Fundraising

• The AVP is responsible and accountable for working with the VP to set reasonable annual fundraising targets and for meeting those fundraising targets.
• The AVP will work closely with the VP and resource development team to prospect, cultivate, and solicit support from all types of donors.
• Collaborate with VP on strategic vision and goal-setting related to donor cultivation, prospecting and funding proposals. Leads the development of funding proposals and grant reporting for the department, engaging team members as needed. Serve as a lead manager of key donor relationships as determined in collaboration with VP.
• The AVP is responsible for ensuring that all donor reporting is completed on time (meeting both internal and donor deadlines) and that reports increase donor interest in supporting CARE USA’s USG advocacy

REQUIREMENTS:

• 8-10 years management experience of teams (not just managing 1 person, like an intern). This position will manage a complex team of 22-25 people with matrixed reporting.
• Can combine expert knowledge of topics, fluency in political dynamics, and relationships with timely insights on politics and policymaking to drive internal strategic planning and execution
• Can leverage extensive senior level existing relationships and networks for CARE’s advocacy.
• Can adeptly navigate complex and politically sensitive policy challenges and issues, and provide timely counsel to the organization on politically sensitive situations
• Significant experience working in the US Congress and/or executive branch agencies relevant to international development and humanitarian assistance. (Experience in both is not required, but experience in one is required)
• 12+ years advocacy experience influencing policy makers on international assistance policies and programs
• Some experience attracting and managing foundation grants, fluency in and comfort with donor relations, proposal and report writing is required
• Experience managing budgets of $2M+
• Outstanding persuasive communication skills, with the ability to adapt language and messaging for a variety of audiences, and coach others in doing so
• Success in influencing coalitions and other stakeholders
• Ability to represent CARE at the highest levels of government

DESIRED:

• Experience working with women-led organizations from the global south on advocacy initiatives
• · Spanish or French fluency