Congressional Affairs Advisor

Congressional Affairs Advisor

International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)

The Regional Delegation for the United States and Canada

Resident position based in Washington, D.C.

(Only US citizens or Green Card holders are eligible for the position)

The International Committee of the Red Cross is an impartial, neutral, and independent organization whose exclusively humanitarian mission is to protect the lives and dignity of victims of armed conflict and other situations of violence and to provide them with assistance. The ICRC also endeavors to prevent suffering by promoting and strengthening humanitarian law and universal humanitarian principles. The ICRC is non-partisan.

The ICRC Regional Delegation for the US & Canada, based in Washington, D.C., supports the organization’s global humanitarian work in a number of ways, including: humanitarian diplomacy and policy engagement; networking; donor engagement; media relations; and dialogue with U.S. and Canadian stakeholders on international humanitarian law (IHL).

The Policy Department leads the delegation’s humanitarian diplomacy and policy efforts, bringing a humanitarian perspective to key stakeholders and seeking to influence U.S. and Canadian foreign policy. The policy department is critical to the delegation’s external networking, advises ICRC leadership, and provides strategic advice and support to the organization more broadly. This position is based in the Washington, D.C. office; there is some international travel required to ICRC’s field delegations.

Purpose

The Congressional Affairs Advisors are key members of ICRC’s policy team in Washington, DC. They will co-lead the ICRC Washington delegation’s engagement with the U.S. Congress in close coordination with the delegation’s other congressional affairs advisor and the Head of Policy. The congressional affairs advisor’s job is to build/ maintain support for the ICRC in Congress and influence U.S. debates and policy on issues relevant to ICRC in Congress.

The position will: communicate ICRC messages to key congressional staff; maintain a robust network of influential staff in Congress; monitor and report on congressional action relevant to ICRC; support the donor dialogue with Congress; and provide strategic advice to ICRC principals and other staff engaging with Congress.

The Congressional Affairs Advisors report to the Head of Policy.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

• Maintain a robust bipartisan network with Congress (including key Members of Congress, key staff, relevant Committees, and the Congressional Research Service).
• Listen to and understand the main views and policy objectives of key congressional staff serving Members and Committees of relevance to ICRC (e.g. Foreign Affairs, Armed Services, Appropriations, Intelligence).
• Communicate institutional messages and materials to key audiences in Congress, including operational updates, ICRC reports and other materials relevant to ICRC’s field operations, humanitarian policy and law.
• Arrange meetings between ICRC staff and Members of Congress and/or staff, and support such meetings with staffing, as well as policy and communications advice.
• Assist in tracking and reporting on key political appointments through the nomination and confirmation process (to include analysis on confirmation, testimony, etc.).
• Plan and execute up to two congressional field trips per year, exposing key congressional staff to ICRC’s field operations, building support for the ICRC and humanitarian action in Congress.
• Regularly update ICRC’s congressional strategy and maintain a current mapping of key Members and staff relevant to ICRC.
• Plan and execute trainings, briefings and receptions for the ICRC in partnership with key congressional offices.
• Collaborate closely with delegation staff members responsible for U.S. donor engagement, supporting dialogue with appropriations staff and providing strategy advice internally.
• Provide timely and concise reporting and analysis on hearings, legislation, reports, events and trends in the US Government on issues of interest to ICRC.
• Represent the ICRC in key fora in coordination with the Head of Policy.

Minimum Required Knowledge & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in International Relations/Political Science or Related Field; Masters/ Law degree preferred.
• Typically, 6-9 years of overall professional experience;
• Minimum 5 years’ policy experience working in Congress and/or Congressional Affairs on foreign policy issues with other organizations (NGOs, think tanks, consultancies e.g.).
• Professional spoken and written fluency in English a must. French or other second language a plus.
• Excellent written communication, organizational, and presentation skills.
• Demonstrated ability to diplomatically coordinate policy initiatives with a variety of stakeholders, internally and externally.
• Strong policy analysis and strategy development skills.
• Self-starter with great interpersonal skills, ability to work both independently, and as guided within a small team.

What We Offer:

• Join a leading multi-disciplinary humanitarian organization – part of the world’s largest humanitarian network
• Rewarding work in a humanitarian and multicultural environment
• A full-time resident position based in D.C.
• Competitive salary
• Lucrative benefits package that includes:
• Robust health and dental insurance plan
• 20 paid vacation days (annually)
• 13 paid holidays + 1 floating holiday
• 7 paid sick/personal days (annually)
• 11.5% Employer contribution for our 403b retirement plan
• Exciting professional development program
• A hybrid working model with flexible scheduling and partial teleworking options

Compensation: The salary range for this role is between $90,000 – $115,000.