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Job Title: National Legislative Director
Classification: Exempt / Full-Time
Reports To: National Executive Director

 

General Statement of Job

Acting under the general supervision of the National Executive Director (NED), the National Legislative Director (NLD) supports the NED in developing the organization’s legislative programs; coordinating and monitoring advocacy and public policy activities; preparing and presenting congressional testimony, position statements, and legislative proposals. This position represents the interests of BVA and serves as a liaison between BVA and other organizations including the Department of Veterans Affairs; federal agencies; Veterans Service Organizations; and other organizations of and for the blind.

Essential Job Functions

  • Identifies and analyzes legislative and regulatory issues affecting blind and low vision veterans, their families, and caregivers promoting BVA’s mission.
  • Reviews, maintains, and provides recommendations to the NED and national board of directors on BVA’s resolutions.
  • Develops and implements relevant legislative strategies and programs.
  • Prepares and presents congressional testimony, position statements, and legislative proposals.
  • Coordinates advocacy and public policy activities with colleagues, members of congress, veterans service organizations, and other stakeholders.
  • Develops and implements public education campaigns raising awareness of issues affecting stakeholders.
  • Prepares clear, concise, and persuasive written materials.
  • Represents BVA at meetings and conferences as assigned or directed.
  • Develops and maintains relationships with key external stakeholders.
  • Prepares relevant articles for the organization’s publications and outside news and advertising mediums.
  • Develops and maintains webpages, MS Teams channels, and other digital assets.
  • Maintains the confidentiality and maintenance of all records.

 

Additional Job Functions

  • Performs other related work as required.

*This job description is not intended to be and should not be construed as an all-inclusive list of all the responsibilities, skills, or working conditions associated with the position. While it is intended to accurately reflect the position activities and requirements, management reserves the right to modify, add or remove duties and assign other duties as necessary that are a logical assignment to the position.

Minimum Training and Experience

Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited four-year college or university with a degree in political science, public administration, communications, social work, or related field and a minimum of two (2) years’ experience in veteran service work. An equivalent combination of training & experience may be considered. Excellent management, decision-making, leadership, oral and written communication skills. Able to work and travel independently with little supervision or assistance.

Minimum Qualifications or Standards Required to Perform Essential Job Functions

  • Physical Requirements: Must be physically able to operate a variety of machinery and equipment including computers, keyboards, calculators, copiers, facsimile machines, camera, projector, smart phones, etc. Must be able to exert up to 20 pounds of force occasionally, and/or up to 10 pounds of force frequently, and/or a negligible amount of force constantly to move objects. Physical demand requirements are for those for light work.
  • Data Conception: Requires the ability to compare and/or judge the readily observable, functional, structural, or compositional characteristics (whether similar to divergent from obvious standards) of data, people, or things).
  • Interpersonal Communication: Requires the ability of speaking and/or signaling people to convey or exchange information. Includes giving instructions, assignments, or directions to subordinates or assistants.
  • Language Ability: Requires the ability to read a variety of technical reports, correspondence, specifications, contracts, manuals, etc. Requires the ability to prepare correspondence, technical reports, etc., using prescribed formats and conforming to all rules of punctuation, grammar, diction, and style. Requires the ability to speak before groups of people with poise, voice control, and confidence.
  • Intelligence: Requires the ability to apply principles of logical or scientific thinking to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions; to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions in mathematical or diagrammatic form; and to deal with several abstract and concrete variables.
  • Verbal Aptitude: Requires the ability to record and deliver information, to explain procedures, to follow oral and written instructions. Must be able to communicate effectively and efficiently in a variety of technical or professional languages.
  • Numerical Aptitude: Requires the ability to utilize mathematical formulas; to add and subtract; multiply and divide; utilize decimals and percentages; understand and apply the theories of statistics and statistical inference.
  • Manual Dexterity: Requires the ability to handle a variety of items such as office equipment. Must have minimal levels of hand/foot coordination.
  • Color Discrimination: Does not require the ability to differentiate between colors.
  • Interpersonal Temperament: Requires the ability to deal with people beyond giving and receiving instructions. Must be adaptable to performing under stress and when confronted with persons acting under stress.
  • Physical Communication: Requires the ability to talk and hear: (Talking: expressing or exchanging ideas by means of spoken words. Hearing: perceiving nature of sounds by ear). Must be able to communicate via a telephone with or without adaptive technologies.

Performance Indicators

  • Knowledge of Job: Is skilled in the collection, analysis and presentation of technical data and recommendations. Is able to establish and maintain effective working relationships with coworkers, managers, members, volunteers, public officials, community leaders, and professional groups. Is able to express ideas effectively orally and in writing. Is able to exercise considerable tact and courtesy in frequent contacts with clients, members, volunteers, municipal, state, and federal officials and private citizens. Is able to establish and maintain effective working relationships as necessitated by work assignments, including the ability to work with other staff or other agencies to facilitate project development within the organizational framework.
  • Quality of Work: Maintains high standards of accuracy in exercising duties and responsibilities. Exercises immediate remedial action to correct any quality deficiencies that occur in areas of responsibility. Maintains high quality communication and interacts with all departments, coworkers, members, and the public.
  • Quantity of Work: Maintains effective and efficient output of all duties and responsibilities as described under “Specific Duties and Responsibilities.”
  • Dependability: Assumes responsibility for doing assigned work and meeting deadlines. Completes assigned work on or before deadlines in accordance with directives, policy, standards, and prescribed procedures. Accepts accountability for meeting assigned responsibilities in the technical, human and conceptual areas.
  • Attendance: Attends work regularly and adheres to policies and procedures regarding absences and tardiness. Attends meetings and events on weekends and evenings as needed. Provides adequate notice to higher management with respect to vacation time and time-off requests.
  • Initiative and Enthusiasm: Maintains an enthusiastic, self-reliant and self-starting approach to meet job responsibilities and accountability. Strives to anticipate work to be done and initiates proper and acceptable direction for completion of work with a minimum of supervision and instruction.
  • Judgment: Exercises analytical judgment in areas of responsibility. Identifies problems or situations as they occur and specifies decision objectives. Identifies or assists in identifying alternative solutions to problems or situations. Implements decisions in accordance with prescribed and effective policies and procedures and with a minimum of errors. Seeks expert or experienced advice and researches problems, situations and alternatives before exercising judgment.
  • Cooperation: Accepts supervisory instruction and direction and strives to meet the goals and objectives of same. Questions such instruction and direction when clarification of results or consequences are justified, i.e., poor communications, variance with organizational policy or procedures, etc. Offers suggestions and recommendations to encourage and improve cooperation between all staff and departments within the organization.
  • Relationships with Others: Shares knowledge with supervisors, staff and members for mutual and organizational benefit. Contributes to maintaining high morale among all employees. Develops and maintains cooperative and courteous relationships with members, staff, and managers in other departments, representatives from organizations, and the general public so as to maintain good will toward the organization and project a good image. Tactfully and effectively handles requests, suggestions, and complaints from other departments and persons in order to maintain good will within the organization. Interacts effectively with fellow employees, clients, members, supervisors, professionals, and the general public.
  • Coordination of Work: Plans and organizes daily work routine. Establishes priorities for the completion of work in accordance with sound time management methodology. Avoids duplication of effort. Estimates expected time of completion of elements of work and establishes a personal schedule accordingly. Attends meetings, planning sessions, and discussions on time. Implements work activity in accordance with priorities and estimated schedules. Maintains a calendar for meetings, deadlines, and events.
  • Safety and Housekeeping: Adheres to all safety and housekeeping standards established by the organization and various regulatory agencies. Sees that the standards are not violated. Maintains a clean and orderly workplace.

 

Work Station Location

The National Legislative Director position is located at the Alexandria, VA BVA National Office. Local and national travel required.

Administrative Notes

This job description does not list all duties of the job. You may be asked to perform other instructions and duties. You will be evaluated in part based upon your performance of the tasks listed in this job description. Management has the right to revise this job description at any time. The job description is not a contract for employment. This position is at-will. Either you or BVA may terminate employment at any time, for any reason.

To be considered for this position, please submit resume, cover letter and 1-page writing sample in Microsoft Word format no later than November 15, 2024 via email to:

Donald Overton
National Executive Director
Email: doverton@bva.org
Subject: National Legislative Director Position

The Blinded Veterans Association Is an Equal Opportunity Employer.