Assistant Director of Government Relations (State & Federal
Listed on 2026-08-05
-
Government
PR / Communications
Assistant Director of Government Relations (State & Federal)
Work Arrangement:
Hybrid (On-Site and Remote mix)
Location:
Durham, NC, US, 27710
Occupational
Summary:
The Assistant Director of Government Relations supports Duke University's advocacy and engagement efforts with state and federal government officials and agencies. The Assistant Director will play a key role in advancing Duke's legislative and regulatory priorities by monitoring policy developments, supporting strategic outreach, and strengthening relationships with policymakers and stakeholders.
Responsibilities:
- Government Engagement & Advocacy (20%)
- Support Duke's engagement with state and federal elected officials, legislative staff, and executive branch agencies.
- Assist in the development and execution of advocacy strategies aligned with Duke's institutional priorities.
- Help prepare leaders for meetings with policymakers, including briefings, talking points, and background materials.
- Represent Duke at meetings, briefings, hearings, and coalition events as appropriate.
- Policy Monitoring & Analysis (25%)
- Track and analyze state and federal legislation, regulations, and policy developments affecting higher education, research, health care, and other university priorities.
- Prepare written summaries, issue briefs, and impact analyses for internal audiences.
- Identify emerging policy issues and opportunities for engagement.
- Communications & Outreach (25%)
- Develop and write text for printed publications, newsletters, electronic messaging, and social media necessary to achieve the mission and goals of the office.
- Prepare reports, position papers, and talking points.
- Contribute to reports and updates for university leadership on government relations activities.
- Assist with website updates and content management.
- Identify avenues for faculty and staff to share areas of their clinical, teaching and research expertise with state and federal officials.
- Work with faculty and staff on appropriate ways to advocate and interact with government officials.
- Plan, communicate and participate in internal legislative presentations and briefings for employees and, when appropriate, student organizations.
- Relationship Management & Coordination (15%)
- Expand productive working relationships with government offices, higher education associations, and peer institutions.
- Support increased coalition-building efforts with external organizations and associations.
- Event & Visit Support (15%)
- Help plan and execute campus visits for elected officials and staff.
- Support Duke's presence at legislative events, advocacy days, and briefings at the state and federal levels.
Education/Training:
Work requires communication, writing, analytical and organizational skills acquired through the completion of a bachelor's degree program.
Experience:
Work requires a minimum of four years of experience in state or federal government relations, advocacy, policy analysis, public relations or a related field in order to coordinate and support a comprehensive government relations program.
Anticipated Pay Range: USD $70,349.00 to USD $.
Equal Opportunity
Employer:
Duke is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing employment opportunity without regard to an individual's age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy and pregnancy- related conditions), sexual orientation, or military status.
Essential Physical
Job Functions:
Certain jobs at Duke University and Duke University Health System may include essential job functions that require specific physical and/or mental abilities. Additional information and reasonable accommodation(s) can be requested with Duke Access and Accommodations Services.
(If this job is in fact in your jurisdiction, then you may be using a Proxy or VPN to access this site, and to progress further, you should change your connectivity to another mobile device or PC).