Chief Government Relations Officer; Washington, DC​/Hybrid

Description

The Opportunity

The Chief Government Relations Officer (CGRO) will oversee and lead Feeding America's public policy and government relations efforts to advance its mission of ending hunger. The CGRO is responsible for developing and executing strategies to increase food resources and funds available to food banks, advocating for anti-hunger policies, and ensuring Feeding America is positioned as a leader in hunger-related public policy.

Please direct all inquiries and expressions of interest to: [email protected]

Compensation

Here at Feeding America national organization, equality is central to our mission and is an integral part of our compensation policies and structures. As such, we maintain transparent salary ranges and clearly defined practices for how our team, including new hire salary offers, moves through these ranges. You can expect us to offer the best salary up front based on these clearly defined pay practices with little room for negotiation.

We make exceptions for highly experienced (multiple years of at-level experience) new hires in accordance with our pay practices. Once hired, employees have the opportunity to progress through salary ranges via regular merit increases and step promotions.

Salary Range: $250,000 - $300,000 Based on Experience.

Benefits: A comprehensive list of benefits available to full-time employees can be found
here.

Responsibilities:

Reporting directly to the CEO, the CGRO will act as a strategic advisor on legislative and policy issues while leading a team of 17 staff in the Washington, DC office, alongside food bank CEOs and other network leaders. This role requires building and maintaining strong relationships with policymakers, federal agencies, and external stakeholders, including legislators and USDA officials, to shape and defend critical hunger-related programs such as SNAP and the Emergency Food Assistance Program.

The CGRO will play a pivotal role in mobilizing Feeding America's network and community constituencies to advocate for impactful policies, ensuring alignment with organizational goals as they move from developing their 2030 strategy to operationalizing it.

Critical responsibilities will include:

• Oversee and lead Feeding America's public policy and government relations functions to advance the organization's mission of ending hunger.
• Develop and execute comprehensive strategies to increase food resources and funding available to food banks, including promotion of federal and state anti-hunger policies.
• Serve as a strategic advisor to the CEO on legislative, regulatory, and policy issues impacting Feeding America and its network.
• Build and maintain strong, influential relationships with policymakers, federal agencies (including USDA), legislators, and other external stakeholders to shape and defend critical hunger-relief programs such as SNAP and TEFAP.
• Lead, manage, and mentor a team of 17 staff in Washington, DC, fostering a culture of high performance, collaboration, and accountability.
• Partner with the Advocacy team to mobilize and engage Feeding America's network, including food bank CEOs and community leaders, to advocate for impactful anti-hunger policies and increase the network's advocacy capacity.
• Guide the transition from strategy development to operationalization of Feeding America's 2030 goals, ensuring policy and advocacy efforts are aligned with organizational priorities.
• Collaborate with internal departments (Advocacy & Community Partnerships, Marketing & Communications, Development, Supply Chain, Research) to integrate policy and advocacy work across the organization.
• Represent Feeding America and its network at governmental hearings, legislative forums, coalition meetings, and with key partners to advance the organization's policy agenda.
• Provide regular policy communications and technical assistance to network members, ensuring alignment and effective engagement on federal hunger-related initiatives. Engage regularly with the PEAC and other relevant committees within the Feeding America Network to ensure strategic alignment and transparency in decision making.
• Oversee the planning and execution of the annual Lobby Day and other events that catalyze stakeholders to lobby for anti-hunger policies.
• Manage department budget and prioritize resources to maximize advocacy impact.
• Lead special projects and pursue innovative approaches to advancing Feeding America's public policy agenda.

The ideal candidate is a highly experienced and respected leader in government relations with deep connections and established relationships on Capitol Hill and within federal agencies. They should possess exceptional gravitas, credibility, and influence to navigate complex legislative and regulatory processes. The candidate should have a proven ability to advocate persuasively, negotiate effectively, and build strategic alliances with policymakers, stakeholders, and Feeding America's network leaders.

The candidate must also bring robust policy…