Director of Government Affairs and Public Policy

Sick Cells is hiring a Director of Government Affairs and Public Policy. This is a leadership role and will work closely with the Co-Founder and President to develop and implement government affairs public policy work. 

Organization Overview: Sick Cells is an advocacy nonprofit. The organization focuses on storytelling and policy initiatives to eliminate stigma associated with sickle cell disease (SCD) while empowering the community to share their stories for change. 

Duration: The position is a full-time position, hybrid role. This position requires, at minimum, two days of in-person work at the DC office. The DC office is located at 1012 14th Street NW, STE 500. 

Travel: This role requires work travel. Travel includes conferences, offsite meetings, and meetings with remote staff. There is about 30% travel. 

Benefits:

• $119-123k annually  
• 403(b) matching 
• Dental and vision insurance 
• Health insurance 
• 4-day work week, hybrid role
• Continuing education stipend 
• Paid leave
• Parental leave 

Job Role: The Director of Government Affairs and Public Policy role will focus overseeing the management of Sick Cells government affairs and policy work. 

Government Affairs: This role will develop government affairs engagement strategy - identifying key stakeholders, developing talking points, maintaining an understanding of relevant policy and progress to inform engagements. The Director will work with federal and state governments, other policy organizations, contractors, coalitions, and the SCD community. This role will develop and implement government affairs strategy. This role requires previous experience in government affairs as the Director will be engaging with a range of stakeholders including federal agencies, coalitions, contractors, and the SCD community. 

Policy: The Director is responsible for understanding current and emerging policy around SCD across federal, state, and commercial payers. The Director should have a strong understanding of the payer landscape, with a focus on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), state Medicaid programs, and payer policy.

Community Learnings and Dissemination: The Director is responsible for communicating government affairs and policy agenda priorities to the SCD Community in partnership with the current program staff. They are responsible for the SCD Policy Forum and Coverage for SCD Summit. They will oversee and lead development of briefings, educational series, toolkits and one-pagers, etc to support ongoing learning and dissemination across the SCD community. 

 Other Responsibilities:

• Plan and execute advocacy and community outreach strategies including grassroots and community activation
• Lead education efforts for community members around relevant program or function activities, i.e., preparation for DURB meetings, townhalls, congressional briefings, etc
• Contribute to monthly newsletters, fundraising campaigns, and general organizational activities 
• Identify and participate in research opportunities
• Author White Papers on relevant topics

Business Development

• Serve as an internal resource by identifying proposal opportunities to support the government affairs work
• Participate in business development for the organization, i.e., grant writing and reviewing and partnership building 

Management

• Grow a team for government affairs
• Oversee project-specific contractors
• Track staff project work, deliverables, and professional development

Education and Work Experience:

• Bachelor's Degree plus 12-15 years of related work experience 
• Experience working in policy and government affairs. Capitol Hill or Federal experience preferred
• Experience in working with Medicaid, Medicare, and regulatory guidance
• Demonstrated record of sound political judgment and bipartisanship
• Experience supervising staff, building a team, and providing cross departmental leadership
• Significant experience in public speaking to large audiences, research, and analytical skills
• Experience writing in multiple formats including presentations, lay summaries, and reports
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to provide analysis and explanations of technical policies in written and oral format
• Strong organizational and time management skills
• Exemplary relationship management, interpersonal and communication abilities
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment, strong willingness to initiate deadlines and time frames for assignments and to follow up on all delegated activities
• Strong computer/technology skills; proficient in Microsoft Office, Gsuite, and the ability to learn new software
• Self-motivated and possess the ability to work well both independently and within a team
• Advanced knowledge of sickle cell disease (SCD), rare disease, and/or healthcare policy

To apply, send CV, cover letter, and written example of work to info@sickcells.org.