Associate Vice President, Government Affairs

Position Overview

Be The Difference Begins with Great People.

Are you looking for a new opportunity where you can make the difference in the lives of students and faculty? We’re always looking for highly talented individuals to join our team – people who think big, care deeply, and believe in being the difference in their work and community.

We prioritize student success, access to education, and service in our work to educate well‑rounded servant leaders who transform their fields, our society and the world. Our Catholic, Jesuit approach emphasizes student engagement with the world around them and formation of the heart and mind.

We believe in our mission:
The search for truth, the discovery and sharing of knowledge, the fostering of personal and professional excellence, the promotion of a life of faith, and the development of leadership expressed in service to others. These core values guide our relationships with our students, each other, and our community.

Marquette University offers a rich and competitive Total Rewards package including medical, dental, vision, 403(b) with up to 8% university match, generous time off package, and tuition benefits for employees, spouses, and dependents with no payback requirement!

This is your next opportunity to join an organization that invests in their employees’ career journey by diversifying their skills, deepening their expert knowledge, encouraging a healthy work‑life balance, focusing on personal wellbeing, providing leadership training, and sustaining a culture of respect and inclusion.

• Understand how Marquette’s students, faculty, staff, researchers, alumni, and friends contribute to its communities and communicate these insights to key decision‑makers as part of advocacy and engagement efforts.
• Analyze how higher education is perceived by diverse constituencies and use these insights to position and communicate Marquette’s mission, value, and societal contributions as needed to adjust those perceptions.
• Anticipate, monitor, analyze, and summarize on an ongoing basis federal, state, and local legislation’s impacts on higher education and Marquette and help determine university responses to shape or mitigate this legislation.
• Develop, recommend, and execute advocacy strategies to advance institutional priorities.
• Represent the university in policy discussions, hearings, and coalitions.

• Cultivate and maintain strong relationships with elected officials, government agencies, community and thought leaders to advance the university’s interests.
• Build a statewide network of business and other leaders, in collaboration with University Advancement, to support key university initiatives.
• Serve as the primary liaison between the university and government entities.

• Assess trends in public opinion and policy toward higher education.
• Build internal relationships to educate and advise Marquette colleagues on emerging opportunities and risks as well as the immediate and long‑term effects of proposed legislation. Work collaboratively to determine how best to achieve favorable outcomes.
• Establish metrics and evaluation frameworks to assess the effectiveness of public affairs efforts.

• Offer leadership and partnership to various Wisconsin and national higher education organizations to amplify shared interests.
• In collaboration with University Advancement and the Office of Marketing and Communications, engage alumni and stakeholders in efforts to raise Marquette’s brand profile among elected, community, and thought leaders.

• In furtherance of Marquette’s Strategic Plan, “Guided by Mission, Inspired to Change,” and in collaboration with Marquette colleagues, expand strategic partnerships to maximize Marquette ability to contribute to the world.
• Lead initiatives to assess how best to invest the university’s resources in ways that meaningfully advance economic growth and social well‑being.
• Engage community groups as part of efforts to strengthen university advocacy.
• Provide appropriate access to unique resources through Marquette’s…