Government Relations Assistant

At the American Public Power Association (APPA), we serve as the voice of not-for-profit, community-owned utilities that power 2,000 towns and cities nationwide. We represent public power before the federal government to protect the interests of the more than 54 million people that public power utilities serve, and the 96,000 people they employ. We advocate and advise on electricity policy, technology, trends, training, and operations. Help us continue to achieve our mission for our members and the communities they serve!

At APPA, we strive to hire the very best and are committed to creating exceptional employee experiences where everyone is respected and feels valued.

We have an exciting opportunity for a Government Relations Assistant to provide variety of support services to the government relations and regulatory affairs staff.

This is a hybrid position which requires the incumbent to reside in the Washington, DC metropolitan area and come into the office a minimum of two to three days each week (with Tuesdays being a mandatory day).

Responsibilities:

• Assists with the development, processing, and dissemination of various documents including correspondence, reports, and congressional testimony.
• Assists with coordination of Legislative Rally and other legislative meetings throughout the year, including the Policy Makers Council fly-in, Advisory Committee summer meeting, and the portion of the national conference related to legislative and PAC activities.
• Assists in maintaining the government relations list serves and committee lists, including that of the Legislative and Resolutions Committee.
• Sends out listserv messages from lobbyists and reviews text for formatting and grammatical issues before sending.
• Performs research on issues of interest for APPA membership and staff as assigned.
• Covers congressional hearings and meetings for lobbyists when needed.
• Assists government relations professional staff in development and implementation of Education Department courses, workshops, and seminars for APPA members and others.
• Working with Government Relations Specialist, updates legislative portion of the APPA web site (publicpower.org).
• Working with Government Relations Specialist, inputs PAC invitations/events into PAC management database and assists with other PAC-related matters.
• Provides weekly lists of hearings/mark-ups in Congress.
• Assists lobbyists in scheduling congressional meetings when necessary.
• Monitors press and provides relevant stories to staff internally.
• Monitors Federal Register and generates and distributes internal Federal Register Daily Digest using knowledge of the industry to highlight relevant issuances.
• Assists regulatory affairs staff with projects as assigned, including tracking electric vehicle and energy storage projects.
• Supports Environmental Director with editing and formatting for monthly Environmental Update released to members.
• Updates and maintains the Environmental Services, Public Power Forward, Regulation, EPA, FERC, NERC, OSHA, CFTC, and Other Filings web pages of the Association website.
• Formats and edits speeches, presentations, and other materials from rough drafts as needed, and distributes electronic and/or paper copies of regulatory affairs staff reports and filings as directed, coordinating their release/publication with other APPA departments (e.g., member services, communications, library).
• Other duties as assigned, including receptionist duties, coordinating staff group meetings, providing logistical support for departmental and organizational events, and office overflow work.

Requirements:

• Degree from 4-year college or university.
• One to three years of experience in area of mid-level administrative or technical support.
• Ability to follow verbal or written instructions and work independently to carry out assigned duties.
• Tact and courtesy in dealing with co-workers, the public, and members.
• Ability to organize and handle a variety of tasks.
• Accuracy and strong attention to detail.
• Knowledge of grammar, spelling and punctuation, and writing skills.
• Knowledge or practical experience in general office procedures.
• Knowledge of the federal legislative process.
• Knowledge of FERC, EPA, and judicial filing processes and procedures.
• Interest in public policy strongly desired.
• Basic understanding of online content management systems and HTML coding.
• Proficiency in use of online services and Microsoft Office applications, including Word, Excel, Access, and PowerPoint.
• Must be able to lift up to 20 lbs.
• Travels out of town up to 5% of the year to support APPAs conferences, events, and meetings.

In addition to a highly competitive salary and bonus program, APPA offers a robust benefits package to include a comprehensive health and wellness package, 20 days of PTO accrued in the first year, 401(k) match and additional contributions, and more!

APPA is committed to fostering an environment of diversity, equity and inclusion. This commitment pertains to our internal policies and staff expectations, but also extends out to the wider public power community. As part of our strategic plan, we aim to assist members in meeting workforce challengesincluding attracting and retaining a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace culturethrough offering educational programs, developing resources, and serving as a platform for the public power community to exchange ideas and best practices.