State Affairs Manager

Are you a state affairs professional looking for the next step in your career? Do you have experience in state advocacy and policy landscape? Interested in nonprofit organizations and the healthcare industry? If so, ASPS has the perfect position for you!

The State Affairs Manager works with the Director of Government Relations, Political Affairs and Health & Payment Policy to (1) determine strategic and operational objectives across the state advocacy and policy landscape and (2) manage the execution of those objectives.

In executing key responsibilities, the State Affairs Manager will develop and manage the budgetary centers related to state policy tracking and advocacy; manage efforts to:

• Analyze and influence policy proposals
• Engage with policymakers and their staff through direct lobbying
• Execute grassroots advocacy
• Identify and enact needed process refinement in those areas
• Identify and work with stakeholder groups that share ASPS policy goals
• Communicate opportunities to the Director for any areas where strategic programmatic development may be initiated to further support ASPS's political and governmental advocacy
• Manage production of reports and resources that serve to educate state policymakers and thought leaders, ASPS physician members and ASPS staff on key issues
• Supporting the ASPS Advocacy Summit and ASPS political action committee, PlastyPAC

This position requires 5-7% travel and evening conference calls.

What You Will Do

Lead State Advocacy Efforts

• Manage process for tracking state policy issues and responding in all states
• Create processes for the regular identification of political and legislative trends affecting ASPS priorities
  • Identify and recommend potential areas for strategic development to address emerging and ongoing high-priority state issues
  • Develop positive relationships and useful lines of communication with key government staff
  • Manage processes supporting ASPS coordination with state advocacy partners
• Lead ASPS's direct and grassroots state advocacy initiatives
  • Work closely with local, state and regional society representation to drive ASPS-led advocacy initiatives
  • Manage the work of Advocacy and Government Affairs staff executing direct engagement and grassroots advocacy initiatives at the state level
  • Execute, manage and refine protocol for the deployment of ASPS advocacy resources, such as ASPS comment letters, grassroots action alerts, grassroots letter sign-on campaigns and ASPS member time
    • Ensure departmental adherence to the protocol
• Respond to state regulatory developments impacting plastic surgery through contacts with state agencies, state medical boards and likeminded medical societies and coalitions.
• With the Director, serve as ASPS's primary state lobbyists
  • Engage with key stakeholders across state political and medical communities to enhance ASPS's role in related activities
  • Engage in direct lobbying of state policymaking bodies on priority issues through formal meetings and testimony as needed.

Manage Local, State and Regional Plastic Surgery Society Relations

• Manage the ASPS State Partnership Program
  • Identify and execute strategies to further develop relationships with plastic surgery societies
  • Act as main point of contact at ASPS for local, state and regional plastic surgery societies
  • Oversee Associate and Assistant execution of State Partnership Program deliverables and program offerings
• Provide counsel to Vice President of Business Development and Affiliate Relations on government affairs activities for Affiliate organizations
  • Recommend opportunities for local advocacy and develop strategies to facilitate engagement
  • Lead and advise on government affairs-related contracts, including state lobbyists, as well as review of new and existing contracts

Staff the Legislative Advocacy Committee

• In balance with the Federal Affairs Manager, serve as staff liaison of the ASPS Legislative Advocacy Committee
  • Plan, organize and execute committee meetings
  • Manage and support committee-led projects and initiatives

Support the PlastyPAC Board of Governors

• In balance with the Federal Affairs Manager, prepare and disseminate committee minutes

Manage the ASPS Government Affairs Associate

• Ensure that the ASPS Government Affairs Associate is sufficiently supporting positional objectives:
  • Conduct regular one-on-one meetings
  • Plan and manage work-flow
  • Provide review of work product, identify challenges and opportunities and offer coaching
  • Execute a "developmental" management approach, wherein you accept that you have a responsibility to help your colleague grow professionally. Under this approach, you view your time working with a direct report as an opportunity to support skill building and talent maximization that will help your teammate maximize their career long after they move on to a new opportunity

Manage Budgets for State Cost Centers

• Lead the budget planning and management process for the State Advocacy and State Policy Tracking ASPS cost centers
  • Analyze and report on areas where programming is reduced, expanded, eliminated or created
  • Develop an operational plan for activities in each cost center and translate that plan to a budget
  • Work across ASPS departments and divisions to ensure that stakeholders impacted by the plan are aware of and able to meet the demands created for them
• Conduct ongoing financial management
  • Monitor spending and accounting on a monthly basis to ensure that all expenses are correctly classified and described
  • rack expenses-to-budget and adjust operational plans to overcome budget deficits and capitalize on unanticipated savings through new programming or offsetting expected shortfalls.

Contribute to ASPS Communications

• Help develop story ideas related to state activities for ASPS's advocacy publications and contributions. As needed, prepare background materials for use by a freelance writer in writing long-form articles.
• Lead weekly development of state activity-related submissions for ASPS Focus
• Develop social media content to advertise ASPS's state activity and advance ASPS advocacy initiatives.
• Write weekly Activity Updates to ASPS leadership and monthly Activity Updates to the Legislative Advocacy Committee on key developments in the states
• Develop summary reports of ASPS state advocacy work to be shared with ASPS physician leadership

What You Will Need

• Bachelor's degree in political science, health administration or related field preferred. Advanced degree a plus.
• Understanding of advocacy and legislative process. At least five years previous experience in government relations and state legislative/regulatory issues.
• Experience in health/medical association management and knowledge of health care delivery and third-party reimbursement helpful.
• Excellent oral/written communication, research, interpersonal and project management skills.
• Ability to simultaneously coordinate a variety of projects and work within activity program deadlines.
• Capacity to work independently as well as collaboratively in a team environment.
• Computer skills, including familiarity with Microsoft Office, Excel, Access, Oracle, PowerPoint and Internet technology. Previous PAC software experience a plus.