POSITION SUMMARY

The Chief of Government Affairs reports to the County Manager. Develops, directs, and manages a government relations program that includes staff involved in the preparation and implementation of legislative outcomes. Advises on legislative matters and leads the county’s annual effort to articulate legislative needs at state and federal levels. Develops, implements, and manages plans, programs, and policies. Initiates and maintains relationships and gains support for goals. Is responsible for key deliverables such as legislative resolutions, position papers, materials for legislators, and anything else to advance the County Manager’s mission. Oversees all planning aspects of the Capital Improvement Program (CIP), including legislative preparations, public outreach and information, strategic decision-making, and federal and state grant pursuit, implementation, and management that are handled by affected departments once grants are awarded.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Manages all aspects of Bernalillo County's legislative efforts, including coordinating with federal and state elected officials’ staff, county lobbyists, and city staff and writing position papers, resolutions, and other supporting documents for county, city, state, and federal legislative initiatives.
• Manages knowledge and content by identifying vital information from legislative issues and county operations; securing, analyzing, categorizing, retaining, and retrieving information; building records and directories, recommending, directing, and evaluating work of outside consultants; educating, informing, and disseminating legislative positions, maintaining current knowledge of legislative processes, researching new legislation and current events, understanding technological research methods and tools, networking with others, presenting information, seeking out self-education opportunities, seminars and conferences and reading program updates.
• Lobbies by identifying key decision makers, presenting, justifying and defending controversial positions, establishing credibility and access to key decision makers' offices and staff, providing interpretations of legislative issues and position statements, engaging in appropriate debate and consensus building, preparing testimony regarding county operations issues, coordinating and directing consultants in lobbying, participating in coalitions to provide a unified lobbying voice, drafting and introducing legislation and floor amendments for local resolutions and ordinances, entertaining and structuring formal and informal settings conducive to discussion and consensus building.
• Manages the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) and provides oversight of CIP initiatives including the biennial Bernalillo County Six-Year Capital Improvement Plan and general obligation bond approval effort, annual legislative capital outlay grants, and securing Commission approval of the ICIP and CIP by required deadlines.
• Manages and oversees the pursuit of federal grants by creating a centralized grants network, supervising the county grant writer, seeking out and disseminating information to departments regarding grant opportunities, establishing grant networks in departments, applying cost-effective and current technologies to create a grant database and records and assisting departments with the flow of information.
• Oversees the organization, facilitation, and coordination with nonprofit agencies on whose behalf Bernalillo County sponsors legislative requests, prepares third-party agreements for awarded appropriations, and receives, administers, and tracks capital outlay funding, including necessary coordination with county departments who assist in implementing capital outlay grants.
• Hosts public meetings and field inquiries associated with the biennial general obligation bond effort.
• Coordinating with bond counsel and the Clerk's office to get GO bond questions, from the approved CIP, on the biennial November general election ballot.
• Supports and is involved in various negotiation efforts, such as the UNMH Mill Levy and lease negotiations.
• Networks with other non-county entities on behalf of the County Manager to include New Mexico Counties on issues and information requests as directed by the County Manager.
• Conducts presentations and public speaking on behalf of the County.
• Perform other job-related duties as required or assigned.

• The above information on this job description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties and responsibilities required of all employees assigned to this job.

1. Master’s Degree in Business Administration, Public Administration or related discipline, plus twelve (12) years' related experience. Any equivalent combination of related education and/or experience may be considered for the above requirements.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

The offer of this Bernalillo County position requires compliance with the following:

• Employee must successfully complete the post-offer employment medical examination and background investigation.
• Employee must comply with the safety guidelines of the County.

WORKING CONDITIONS

• Essential job duties are performed indoors in climate controlled environment.
• Primary work surface is even, dry, carpeted or tiled floor.
• Works alone primarily, with or without directions. Works with a group at times and with a select team at times.

EQUIPMENT, TOOLS AND MATERIALS

• Telephone, typewriter, calculator, computer, fax machine, and copy machine are used in performance of essential job duties.

Bernalillo County is an equal opportunity employer.