Director of District Affairs, Office of Senator Bill Ferguson, Maryland Senate District 46

Maryland's 46th Legislative District covers South and Southeast Baltimore, from Cherry Hill and Westport through Federal Hill, Locust Point, Downtown, Fells Point, Canton, Highlandtown, Curtis Bay, and Brooklyn. Dozens of neighborhoods, each with its own history, its own leadership, and its own relationship to state government.

The Office of Senator Bill Ferguson is seeking a Director of District Affairs to be a consistent presence across the district's neighborhoods.

The Director of District Affairs is a connection between Senator Ferguson, the office, and the communities he represents. What that looks like in practice: regular attendance at community meetings, working relationships with neighborhood leaders in every part of the district, and strategizing with the Senator and senior staff about ways to further assist the district.

What this role is

This role's primary responsibility is presence, relationships, and understanding district needs. This person will be out in the district regularly, will build relationships in every neighborhood, and will keep the Senator and senior staff informed about what is happening across the district.

District presence and relationships

• Build and maintain relationships with neighborhood associations, community leaders, schools, faith institutions, nonprofits, businesses, civic organizations, and other stakeholders across the 46th Legislative District.
• Conduct proactive outreach across the district, including attending neighborhood association meetings, dropping in on businesses and community institutions, and building relationships with organizations that have not previously worked with the office.
• Represent Senator Ferguson at community meetings, events, and other district engagements when appropriate.
• Maintain current records of key community relationships, contacts, organizations, and other district assets like faith institutions or senior centers.

Understanding communities in the district

• Maintain a working understanding of community priorities, emerging issues, and relationship needs across the district.
• Provide regular district information and recommendations to Senator Ferguson and senior staff.
• Recommend where and how the Senator and the office should engage, including community meetings, neighborhood visits, office hours, and other forms of constituent access.
• Identify recurring concerns and broader patterns that may require additional attention or policy response from the office.

Community and constituent matters

• Handle constituent matters that arrive through requests from community associations, issues raised directly with this person because of who they are in the district, and neighborhood or community-wide concerns.
• Take on complex, longer-term, or multi-agency constituent service matters that require sustained engagement.
• Work directly with constituents, State and local agencies, and community partners to resolve neighborhood-level issues.

Programs and district operations

• Manage the Senatorial Scholarship Program from application through award.
• Help plan and execute mobile district office events and other constituent-access activities.
• Coordinate with District 46 delegation offices on appropriate community events and district initiatives.

We are looking for someone who:

• Has an organizer’s instinct and an impeccable follow-through.
• Takes initiative and is comfortable developing recommendations.
• Thinks critically and creatively about district engagement and regularly looks for ways to strengthen how the office reaches, listens to, and builds relationships with constituents.
• Builds trust and relationships easily with people from different backgrounds and communities.
• Uses good judgment, works independently, and recognizes when an issue needs broader discussion or senior-level attention.
• Is comfortable offering and receiving candid advice.
• Can manage multiple relationships, cases, projects, and commitments at the same time.
• Communicates clearly and professionally in writing and in person.
• Handles difficult conversations and competing priorities with steadiness and good judgment.
• Believes that government should be present and accessible in the communities it serves, and wants to be the person making that true.

Experience in community organizing, constituent services, government, labor, nonprofit or civic engagement, political field organizing, neighborhood-based work, social work, or a related field is particularly relevant. Familiarity with Baltimore City and its neighborhoods is strongly preferred. A bachelor’s degree is preferred but not required. We will weigh lived and professional experience in Baltimore communities alongside formal credentials.

Bill Ferguson has represented the 46th Legislative District since 2011 and has served as President of the Maryland Senate since 2020. Before that, he taught in Baltimore City public schools. The office takes district presence seriously and expects the person in this role to help shape how it shows up in the community.

Position Details

This position reports to the Senior Advisor for Strategy and External Affairs. It is a full time, year round role.

Based primarily out of the district office and working throughout the district in Baltimore City, the role requires regular attendance at community meetings and events, including evenings and weekends.

A valid driver’s license and reliable access to a vehicle are required.

Salary: Beginning at $75,000, commensurate with experience.

This position is eligible for full State benefits, which include:

• Twelve paid holidays a year;
• Paid leave;
• Health insurance, including vision, prescription, and dental coverage;
• Retirement;
• Pre-tax Flexible Spending Accounts;
• Group Term Life Insurance;
• Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance; and
• Tax-deferred supplemental retirement savings plans.