Description Location: Arlington, Virginia Position Type: Full-Time Travel: Some travel is required for industry conferences and other stakeholder engagements. Reports To: Executive Director RISE (Responsible Industry for a Sound Environment), a trade association representing the specialty (non-agricultural) pesticide and fertilizer industry, is seeking a full-time Federal Government Affairs Manager based in Arlington, Virginia, near our nation’s capital. The successful candidate must register as a federal lobbyist. As a member of the public affairs team, this position will strengthen RISE’s federal advocacy presence on Capitol Hill and help ensure the association is a force multiplier for the industry. This role offers direct exposure to congressional policymaking and the opportunity to help shape advocacy outcomes for an industry with a broad national footprint. Responsibilities include supporting federal advocacy strategies that integrate grassroots engagement and communications to engage members, allies, congressional offices, policymakers, and other stakeholders. Responsibilities: • Coordinate with the RISE team to develop and implement effective grassroots engagement strategies that mobilize members and allies on federal issues. • With the Executive Director, help lead RISE’s congressional advocacy initiatives by cultivating relationships with national partner associations, key congressional offices, and committee staff, and positioning RISE as a subject matter expert on issues affecting its membership. • Help lead educational meetings with congressional staff on behalf of the Pesticide Policy Coalition, focusing on foundational pesticide regulation education and the benefits of specialty pesticides and fertilizers. • Support the development and execution of RISE’s federal appropriations strategy, including building congressional resource materials, identifying key House and Senate targets, and supporting a national campaign. • Track congressional developments, hearings, markups, member priorities, committee activity, and relevant political dynamics to help inform RISE’s advocacy strategy. • Assist in the development and delivery of public policy presentations and updates on behalf of RISE at industry conferences. • Assist in composing and distributing informative and compelling correspondence, testimony, policy positions, grassroots alerts, congressional briefing materials, meeting notes, follow-up summaries, reports, toolkits, and background materials to support engagement on priority issues. • Prepare for, participate in, and follow up on meetings with Members of Congress, congressional staff, committee staff, coalition partners, and member company representatives. • Assist with planning and execution of RISE fly-ins, including member preparation, scheduling, materials development, congressional meeting logistics, and follow-up. • Collaborate closely with RISE colleagues and members to advance federal advocacy, grassroots engagement, and communications initiatives. • Participate in political fundraisers, industry events, coalition meetings, and other stakeholder engagements outside normal business hours, as needed. • Other responsibilities as assigned. Requirements Education and Work Experience: • Minimum of a BA/BS degree in political science, communications, public relations, environmental science, or a similar field. • Minimum of 3 years of experience in public policy, legislative affairs, government affairs, or advocacy is required; at least 1 year of experience working in Congress, with a congressional committee, or in a congressional-facing advocacy role is preferred Additional Qualifications: • Ability to self-start projects and independently manage assignments while meeting established timelines. • Drive to become a subject matter expert on legislation and regulations broadly impacting the specialty pesticide and fertilizer industry. • Ability to monitor federal legislative activity, identify emerging congressional trends, and summarize implications for members and internal stakeholders. • Ability to proactively develop and maintain key relationships with congressional offices, committee staff, members, allies, RISE contract lobbyists, coalitions, grassroots stakeholders, teammates, and other stakeholders. • Ability to build trust and work effectively with congressional offices, committee staff, coalition partners, and stakeholders across the political spectrum. • Ability to exercise political acumen in assessing congressional dynamics, stakeholder interests, and opportunities for effective Hill engagement. • Embodies flexibility, sound judgment, and discretion. • Excellent written and oral communication skills, including strong writing, proofreading, editing, and the ability to distill complex or technical information into concise, effective, and influential materials. • Experience tracking legislation and summarizing policy proposals. • Familiarity with the U.S. pesticide regulatory system and current policy issues is preferred but not required. • Proficiency in Microsoft Office and legislative tracking tools.