Legislative Assistant – Health, Agriculture & Rural Affairs

About the Position

The Legislative Assistant – Health, Agriculture & Rural Affairs supports NACo’s advocacy and policy initiatives by analyzing federal legislation and regulatory actions, preparing policy materials, and assisting with committee meetings and educational sessions held during NACo conferences. This role offers valuable exposure to federal advocacy strategies and the legislative process while providing essential administrative and communications support. Key responsibilities include drafting and distributing timely legislative updates, assisting with membership engagement, and tracking and responding to member inquiries on legislative and policy issues.

Key Responsibilities

• Support the Senior Legislative Director and Associate Legislative Director in advancing NACo’s advocacy priorities through written materials, research and meeting coordination
• Contribute to department-wide products, including policy analyses, legislative updates, blogs and other written communications
• Perform legislative and regulatory research on issues important to county governments and county elected officials as they relate to health, agriculture, and rural affairs policy
• Assist with the preparation and execution of major NACo conferences and meetings by drafting legislative fact sheets, developing policy materials and completing other related tasks as assigned
• Assist with scheduling, meeting coordination and other administrative tasks
• Represent NACo’s policy positions and priorities in interactions with federal agencies, congressional staff and NACo membership
• Help manage and maintain membership database
• Travel to conferences, caucus meetings and other events as needed
• Perform other duties as assigned to support the mission and operations of the Government Affairs Department

Liaison Role

Serve as secondary staff liaison to NACo’s Health Policy Steering Committee and Agriculture & Rural Affairs Policy Steering Committee as well as the Large Urban County Caucus (LUCC) and Rural Action Caucus (RAC). Work closely with supervisors to coordinate the activities of these groups, including meetings, fly-ins, NACo conferences, stakeholder briefings and other events. 

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in political science, public policy, government, social science or a related field
• Strong written and verbal communications skills    
• Solid understanding of the federal government and legislative process 
• Interest or previous experience in health, behavioral health, agriculture, rural affairs, nutrition or a related policy area
• Detail oriented, organized and able to multi-task while meeting several deadlines 
• Able to work well under pressure 
• Self-motivated 
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office including Word, PowerPoint and Excel 

Preferred Attributes

Prior internship or professional experience on Capitol Hill, within a federal agency, local government or related policy organization

Location and Travel

This position is eligible for hybrid work based in Washington, D.C., with travel for NACo conferences, meetings and partner engagements.

Annual Base Salary

$65,000