Director, Government Relations

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) is a national nonprofit organization advocating healthier lifestyles by creating a nationwide network of public trails from former rail lines and connecting corridors.

Founded in 1986, RTC is one of the most respected trail advocacy organizations in the nation with more than 150,000 members and supporters. After helping create more than 20,000 miles of rail-trail over the last 27 years, RTC has an ambitious goal for the future: by 2020, 90 percent of Americans will live within three miles of a trail system.

RTC is headquartered in Washington, D.C., with regional offices in the Northeast, the Midwest, the West and Florida.

Position Overview

The Director of Government Relations will be responsible for expanding RTC's presence on Capitol Hill and directing new state and local policy efforts. The position will focus on both direct interactions with decision-makers as well as movement building across America. National, state and local partner organizations, as well as both grassroots and "grasstops" (influential individuals) will be critical to movement building activities.

This position is located in our national office in downtown Washington, D.C., and is easily accessible from Metro's red, orange, and blue lines. 

Responsibilities

Duties Include:

• Cultivate a broad set of relationships with Congressional members and staff of both parties and both chambers, and advocate for RTC's policy agenda on Capitol Hill;
• Represent RTC on key national transportation coalitions;
• Direct efforts of Manager of Policy Outreach and collaborate with RTC regional staff to establish an effective national network of partner organizations, advocate for state and local active transportation policies, and oversee effort to establish a support center to enable successful state and local advocacy campaigns;
• Work with the Senior Strategist for Policy Advocacy (and development staff, where appropriate) to create and implement a comprehensive strategy to deploy influential individual supporters to engage key decision-makers;
• Work with the communications staff to refine RTC's strategy for cultivating grassroots supporters and create systems to ensure that communications reflect dynamic program needs and opportunities;
• Work with the communications staff to develop and implement policy-oriented organization-wide campaigns;
• Represent RTC at state and local events and conferences in strategically important places; and
• Directly supervise two staff and coordinate closely with the rest of RTC's policy and field teams.

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will have: 

• Graduate degree in a relevant discipline;
• Three or more years experience working on Capitol Hill;
• Experience with electoral campaigns;
• Three or more years experience at state or local policy level; 
• Experience with electronic advocacy;
• Three or more years track record of successful staff supervision; and
• A sophisticated understanding of transportation policies. 

To Apply

Please email (or mail) your cover letter and resume. No phone calls please.

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy
Duke Ellington Building

Attn: Elton Clark, Human Resources Office
2121 Ward Court, 5th Floor
Washington, DC 20037

Note: Position is open until filled.

~ RTC is an equal opportunity employer and seeks qualified candidates regardless of race, color, gender, disability, or national origin. Women and diverse applicants are encouraged to apply. ~