Government Relations Specialist Jobs

Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

This hybrid position will be based in our Minneapolis office and the Minnesota State Capitol. Our Minneapolis office provides free onsite parking, overlooks the Mississippi river, is across from the Gold Medal Park, and within distance to trails and other conveniences.

#PDN

The mission of The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is to conserve the lands and waters upon which all life depends. As a science-based organization, we develop innovative, on-the-ground solutions to the world’s toughest environmental challenges so that people and nature can thrive. Our work is guided by our values, which include a commitment to diversity and respect for people, communities, and cultures. From a rewarding mission to career development and flexible schedules, there are many reasons to love life #insideTNC. Want to know more? Check out our TNC Talent playlist on YouTube to hear stories from staff or visit Glassdoor.

One of TNC’s primary goals is to cultivate an inclusive work environment so that employees around the globe have a sense of belonging and feel that their unique contributions are valued. We know we’ll only achieve our mission by hiring and engaging a diverse staff that reflects the communities in which we work. Recognizing that people bring talent and skills that have been developed outside the scope of a job, we take a holistic approach to recruitment that considers life experience in addition to the professional requirements listed in our postings. Please apply – we’d love to hear from you. To quote a popular saying at TNC, “you’ll join for the mission, and you’ll stay for the people.”

The Government Relations Specialist plays a key role on the External Affairs team for the Tri-State Chapter of TNC (supporting Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota). In coordination with the Government Relations Director for Minnesota, you will help drive forward our policy work at the Minnesota State Capitol in support of The Nature Conservancy’s conservation priorities and goals.

Additionally, the Government Relations Specialist advances TNC’s policy and public funding goals and provides research, policy analysis and strategy development for policies related to the Conservancy’s land, water, climate, and agriculture objectives. In this role, you will:

• Ensures program compliance with internal policies and external requirements.
• Collaborates with team members to prepare lobbying materials, memos, and other communications for elected officials, members of the executive branch, internal staff and the Chapter Board of Trustees.
• May supervise temporary/seasonal staff or interns, support External Affairs team projects, administrative functions, or similar duties.
• Track hearings, policies and decisions directly related to TNC’s priorities and goals, while also providing additional internal and external coordination, research, meeting and communications coordination as needed.
• Represents TNC’s policy positions and influences the outcome of policy initiatives at the state and local levels in coordination with Government Relations Director for Minnesota.
• Provides research and policy analysis in support of legislative, corporate and/or policy priorities.
• Works within scope of chapter’s policy agenda and strategic priorities.
• Develops strategic partnerships with relevant agencies, conservation organizations, and/or industry.

• Experience with strategy development for legislative and policy initiatives at the state and local level.
• Experience researching information from divergent sources and compiling research into cohesive reports, preparing written materials such as but not limited to memos, research documents, policy summaries, and official correspondence.
• Fluency in English.
• Bachelor’s degree and 3 years related experience, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Experience advocating to decisionmakers to advance policies or funding, presenting to and communicating with government or corporate staff and/or program leadership, and working with partners including government agencies and the corporate sector.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience, coursework, or other training in policy related to conservation, environment, energy, agriculture, or climate.
• Experience coordinating complex projects in a decentralized organization, working across teams, operating units and functions to achieve optimal results.
• Experience building networks or organizational capacity, facilitating informational sessions, increasing internal knowledge and capacity, and identifying key stakeholders.
• Self-starting, independent worker who can thrive in a complex organization with multiple priorities.

• Hiring Range: $65,000 – 75,000 dependent on location, qualifications, and experience
• An environment supportive of empowering our employees, amplifying an equitable workforce, and creating opportunities to participate Employee Resource Groups.
• We provide a competitive benefits package which includes: comprehensive health care plans (3 options to fit your needs,) flexible spending accounts (medical and dependent care,) a 401(k) plan including employer match (8% after 1 year!) 8 weeks paid parental leave, up to 10 days of accrued paid time off in the first year, life insurance (2x salary,) short and long-term disability coverage, employee assistance program, and other life and work wellbeing benefits. Learn more about our benefits at in the Culture Tab on nature.org/careers.
• We offer a 35-hour work week that is supportive of the health, wellbeing, and flexibility needs of the people we employ.

Creating a community of inclusivity and belonging through collaboration and feedback is an intentional effort in the Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota Chapter this is in alignment with the broader organization and chapters of The Nature Conservancy. We’re committed to building a culture based on trust, transparency, empathy, and accountability. We value individuality and difference of backgrounds and ideas, and we encourage candidates of all backgrounds to apply.

Auto Policy:

This position requires a valid driver's license and compliance with TNC’s Auto Safety Program. Employees may not drive Conservancy-owned/leased vehicles, rental cars, or personal vehicles on behalf of the Conservancy if considered "high risk drivers." To learn more about the Auto Safety Program, visit https://www.nature.org/en-us/about-us/careers/recruitment/ under the FAQ section.

Employment in this position will be contingent upon completion of a Vehicle Use Agreement, which may include a review of the prospective employee's motor vehicle record.

This description is not designed to be a complete list of all duties and responsibilities required for this job.

This position requires a valid driver's license and compliance with TNC’s Auto Safety Program. Employees may not drive Conservancy-owned/leased vehicles, rental cars, or personal vehicles on behalf of the Conservancy if considered "high risk drivers." To learn more about the Auto Safety Program, visit https://www.nature.org/en-us/about-us/careers/recruitment/ under the FAQ section.

Employment in this position will be contingent upon completion of a Vehicle Use Agreement, which may include a review of the prospective employee's motor vehicle record.

To apply for job ID 53810, submit your materials online by using the Apply Now button at https://careers.nature.org/. Need help applying? Visit our recruitment page or contact [email protected].

The Nature Conservancy is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Our commitment to diversity includes the recognition that our conservation mission is best advanced by the leadership and contributions of people of diverse backgrounds, beliefs and culture. Recruiting and mentoring staff to create an inclusive organization that reflects our global character is a priority and we encourage applicants from all cultures, races, colors, religions, sexes, national or regional origins, ages, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity, military, protected veteran status or other status protected by law.

The successful applicant must meet the requirements of The Nature Conservancy's background screening process.

Do you have military experience? Visit our U.S. Military Skills Translator to match your military experience with our current job openings!

TNC is committed to offering accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in our job application process. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please send a note to [email protected] with Request for Accommodation in the subject line.

An attractive salary and benefits package is part of TNC’s value proposition to our employees. TNC strives to provide competitive pay and bases salaries on the geographic location of the role committing to being equitable across groups and providing hiring salary ranges when possible.

Since we support flexible and remote work for our employees, many positions have a flexible location within countries where we’re registered as a Non-government Organization and established as an employer. This may mean we’re unable to provide a hiring salary range in the posting for some of our positions. However, candidates invited to be part of our interview process will be provided their location specific range upon request.