Vice President, Public Policy & Affairs

Position description

UNICEF USA (“UUSA” or “We”) relentlessly pursues a more equitable world for every child, upholding the rights of all children and empowering every child, everywhere. We also support the fundamental belief that children should have a voice and role in shaping their futures and the futures of their communities.
Over eight decades, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has built an unprecedented global support system for the world’s children, and has boldly taken on the biggest, seemingly impossible challenges facing children. UNICEF relentlessly works day in and day out to deliver the essentials that give every child an equitable chance in life: health care and immunizations, safe water and sanitation, nutrition, education, emergency relief and more. UNICEF USA advances the global mission of UNICEF by rallying the American public to support the world’s most vulnerable children.
We know that sustainable change is attainable, but it can’t be achieved alone. It takes a committed team – individuals, governments, corporations, volunteers and staff – who demonstrate a relentless commitment to working tirelessly, day in and day out in some of the toughest, hardest to reach places. Big problems need big solutions, and we harness our collective, global voice and energy to do more good, in more places for children.  We will never stop supporting UNICEF to develop smarter, more cost-effective solutions; scaling up proven, data-driven programs; and harnessing new technologies to create measurable change for children.
UUSA is organized under the laws of New York State as a not-for-profit corporation. As such, UUSA is a tax-exempt organization as defined under Section 501C(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and is governed by an independent, non-salaried Board of Directors.

Position:   Vice President, Public Policy & Affairs

Location: Washington, D.C.  

FLSA Status:  Exempt

Salary: The estimated salary range for this role is $184,000 – $230,000. The midpoint for this salary range is $230,000. Actual pay will vary based on varying factors, including but not limited to relevant experience. 

Position Overview

The Vice President of Public Policy & Affairs leads a team that drives the organization’s efforts to influence and advance federal and state policies that positively impact children and to secure flexible funding from the U.S. Government in support of UNICEF’s global work. The team leads outreach to U.S. policymakers [in Congress and at the state level] and mobilizes support through coalitions and with UNICEF USA partners, volunteers, and influencers. The team also supports UNICEF’s efforts to advance its global policy priorities and funding requests [involving the Executive Branch] at the direction of UNICEF USA’s CEO, UNICEF Public Partnerships Division and UNICEF’s Executive Director. The Vice President reports to and works closely with UUSA’s Executive Vice President to develop a strategy that delivers on this objective with close involvement from UUSA’s CEO.

The Vice President leads, guides and inspires the Policy and Advocacy team to implement this strategy and actively manage government relations and public affairs plans. The Vice President will lead engagement with internal stakeholders to develop effective marketing activations, mobilize supporters and key influencers. 

Responsibilities

• Lead a Government Relations strategy with Congress, staffers, and Beltway influencers to advance UNICEF USA foreign assistance and policy objectives, short and long-term.
• Lead the process to secure core resources for UNICEF, among other funding, through U.S. Government appropriations.
• Develop and implement a supporting public affairs and constituent engagement strategy with input from the Philanthropy, Program, and Marketing teams and any other internal stakeholders across UUSA and UNICEF. 
• Lead the process to define and implement UNICEF USA’s policy and advocacy priorities. 
• Lead a team of policy and advocacy experts to implement public policy and affairs strategies through: 
  1. Identification of key officials and staffers, 
  2. Targeted briefings
  3. Media placement and thought leadership opportunities
  4. NGO and sector coalition leadership and participation 
• Manage external government relations and public affairs firms. 

Qualifications

• Minimum of 15 years of advocacy, policy or political experience required; preferred experience with congressional budget and appropriations, international development, and / or foreign policy preferred. 
• Bachelor’s degree required; MA/MS degree in Public Policy, Political Science, Government, or Law degree strongly preferred 
• Direct experience with and strong working knowledge of the U.S. Government and the political landscape in Washington.
• Experience working with Congress preferred.
• Commitment to advancing UNICEF USA’s and UNICEF’s non-partisan mission on behalf of the world’s children.
• Experience leading large teams. 
• Exemplary writing, public speaking, and coalition-building skills.
• Focused determination with the ability to recognize incremental progress for long-range advocacy objectives.
• Comfort meeting directly with legislators and staffers to convey UNICEF’s interests.

Application instructions

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