Director of Policy, Advocacy and Government Affairs, Feeding Illinois

Job DetailsJob Location: Greater Chicago Food Depository - Chicago, IL 60632Position Type: Full TimeEducation Level: NoneSalary Range: $115,000.00 - $125,000.00 SalaryJob Shift: DayGeneral Description:  

The Director of Policy, Government Affairs & Advocacy leads Feeding Illinois’s legislative, regulatory, and public policy strategy at the state and federal levels. This role serves as the chief lobbyist and policy strategist, advancing a proactive agenda that strengthens anti-hunger programs, protects critical nutrition program funding, and promotes equitable policies that address food insecurity across Illinois. 

The Director builds and maintains strong relationships with lawmakers, state agencies, coalition partners, and community stakeholders, and works closely with member food banks to align advocacy priorities and mobilize collective action. 

This hire will be paid by the Greater Chicago Food Depository but will be a remote staff person of Feeding Illinois, providing support to any food bank interested in delegating on or collaborating around responsibilities aligned with the duties below.  Cover letter submission required for application consideration.

About Feeding Illinois  

Feeding Illinois is the Partner State Association of Feeding America food banks that serve Illinois. Together, they provide food and other services to every county in Illinois through a vast network of member agencies and specialized feeding programs. The number of residents who are hungry in Illinois is staggering and saddening - yet solvable. But only together, with collective support across public and private sectors.  

As the state association for food banks serving Illinois we work with our members to strengthen and support their efforts to eliminate hunger. Each food bank has identified the specific needs of their communities and has developed a comprehensive array of programs and services to combat hunger in their region.  

Key Responsibilities and Essential Functions: 

Government Relations & Lobbying 

Develop and execute a comprehensive government affairs strategy aligned with organizational and network member priorities. Serve as the primary liaison to state legislators, legislative staff, and relevant state agencies for Feeding Illinois. 

Bolster the capacity of the Feeding Illinois network for pro-active, strategic elected official relationship building and engagement at the federal, state and local levels. 

Create templates (call scripts; meeting templates; draft emails and letters; sign-on letters, etc.) for network member engagement of elected officials on policy priorities 

Coordinate/schedule and help prepare food banks for in-district, virtual and in-Capitol engagement.  

Manage data-entry on all elected official engagements for network visibility and impact metrics  

Monitor, analyze, and influence legislation, budget proposals, and regulatory actions impacting hunger relief and public benefits programs (e.g., SNAP, WIC, The Emergency Food Assistance Program, senior and child nutrition programs, and more). 

Represent the organization in hearings, briefings, and stakeholder meetings 

Coordinate federal advocacy efforts in partnership with national network partners. 

Manage all lobbying compliance and reporting activities, and provide guidance to food banks around lobbying registration and reporting. 

Help plan and execute food bank special events, such as legislator breakfasts, press conferences, service events with elected officials, and more.  

Policy Development & Analysis 

Define a process for determining the legislative and advocacy priorities and vetting requests for policy positions and endorsements of Feeding IL with consultation from member food banks 

Conduct policy research and draft legislative proposals, position papers, testimony, and budget recommendations. 

Analyze the impact of proposed legislation on the emergency food system and the communities served by pantries and food banks. 

Provide timely updates and strategic guidance to leadership and member food banks. 

Coalition Building & Stakeholder Engagement 

Enhance the impact and reach of statewide coalitions focused on hunger, poverty, and related social policy issues, such as the Save Our SNAP statewide advocacy coalition 

Support the engagement of any partner food banks and their pantry networks who opt- in around SNAP advocacy at the Federal and State level 

Build relationships with advocacy organizations, state associations, community-based groups, and bipartisan stakeholders that drive partnerships with food banks and enhance our collective anti-hunger work. Engage member food banks in coordinated advocacy campaigns and grassroots mobilization efforts. 

Provide technical assistance and capacity to food banks who want to start or expand efforts to engage their pantries and the neighbors they serve in advocacy through actions such as email listservs, action alerts and their own lobby days.  

Drive statewide partner recruitment and engagement efforts for the Save Our SNAP advocacy coalition, and future efforts of the Illinois Commission to End Hunger such as statewide listening sessions or a SNAP Response Work Group.  

Advocacy Communications 

Develop advocacy messaging, action alerts, fact sheets, toolkits, and public education materials in support of policy priorities. 

Support media engagement related to policy priorities. 

Organize advocacy days like a Feeding Illinois advocacy event in Springfield, legislative briefings, and community engagement events. 

Provide staffing, volunteer coordination, and project management support to Feeding Illinois food banks who want to engage in non-partisan voter registration/education for elections, and/or special projects like for the U.S. Census.  

Support partner food banks to communicate about benefit program changes (e.g. SNAP, Medicaid, WIC, Summer EBT, school/summer meals, and more) with their partner networks, such as through newsletters, briefings and/or distribution of resources (i.e. flyers, posters).  

Leadership & Strategy 

Advise the Executive Director and Board on policy risks and opportunities. 

Develop annual policy priorities – and a process for approval on policy stances like endorsements and witness slips for the organization - and track outcomes and impact metrics. 

Manage advocacy, policy, research, communications or other consultants and external partners as needed. 

Gather and visualize data on the impact of Feeding Illinois food banks (food distributed, households served, purchasing power, etc.) and how they have been impacted by H.R. 1 cuts to SNAP overtime.  

Lead the monthly Feeding Illinois policy call as a strategy for food banks to align on priority policy, advocacy and government affairs initiatives, and elevate recent touch-points with statewide elected official targets.  

Define an advocacy, elected official engagement and communications approach that secures sustainable funding for the Illinois Farm to Food Bank program. Provide support to the Executive Director on the execution of the Illinois Farm to Food Bank program and any statewide advisory body to shape it. 

QualificationsQualifications: 

Bachelor’s degree recommended; Master’s Degree or graduate level work in public policy, social work, public health, urban planning, or a related field is preferred. 

Minimum of 7-10 years of work experience with at least 3 years of experience in lobbying, advocacy, public policy, community organizing, political campaign, or similar experience. 

Expert knowledge of federal and state legislative processes. Familiarity with Illinois legislative and regulatory processes preferred.  

Excellent written, oral, and presentation skills. 

Strong people skills including ability to establish and maintain effective, collaborative relationships with diverse stakeholders and influence others toward a common goal. 

Strong knowledge of the advocacy and political landscape in Chicagoland, including trusted relationships at the federal, state and local levels, and a track-record of collaboration with other civic, advocacy, or community organizing groups or coalitions.   

Proven record of generating buy-in from stakeholders and advancing legislative solutions. 

Ability to work in political environments requiring a high degree of tact, discretion, and political savvy with keen political and interpersonal judgment.  

Ability to effectively adjust communications for audience and situation. 

Strategic thinking with robust analytical/problem solving skills and organizational agility. 

Ability to advance multiple projects simultaneously and leverage opportunities to achieve multiple objectives. 

Ability to effectively manage complex projects and work with limited supervision. 

Action-oriented, entrepreneurial leader with significant creative capacity and flexibility. 

Proficiency in MS Office-Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and any client relationship management (CRM) database.  

Exposure: 

Normal office environment; some warehouse environment. 

Fully remote  

Location: Illinois ( Springfield presence during legislative session, and occasional travel to food banks statewide and Washington D.C.) 

Interacts with Feeding Illinois and network member staff; political and community leaders; federal, state, and local government staff; volunteers; network member agencies and general public. 

Benefits:

• Health, dental, and vision insurance coverage
• Employer-paid life and disability insurance
• Employee Assistance Program
• 403(b) retirement plan with employer contribution
• Generous paid time off
• Parental leave
• On-site gym
• $3,000 annual employer-paid ThrivePass lifestyle and wellness benefit program
• $250 employee referral bonus