Director, Government and External Affairs

Description: Reporting directly to the President, the Director of Government and External Affairs leads the Danforth Centers engagement with government at the local, regional, and national levels and ensures that engagement is strategic, coordinated, and aligned with the Centers mission, values, and strategic plan. Because the Centers science is largely grant funded, this role focuses on how public policy, appropriations, and agency priorities shape the Centers funding environment, and on positioning the Center to anticipate change, compete effectively, and leverage public-sector partnerships.

The Director also serves as a core member of the Office of the President. Working in partnership with the Executive Assistant, the Director helps the President focus time on the highest-value priorities, manages key projects and strategic initiatives and initiatives on the Presidents behalf, and ensures commitments and action items are carried through to completion.

Responsibilities:

Government affairs: local, regional, and national

- Lead the Centers relationships with elected officials, staff, and agencies at the local, state and federal levels.

- Build visibility for the Center with federal agencies (such as USDA, NSF, and DOE) and congressional liaisons and appointed officials.

- Engage regional government and economic development partners to position the Center within the St. Louis innovation and agtech ecosystem.

- Monitor legislative, regulatory, budget, and appropriations developments and assess their impact on the Centers research, funding, workforce, and operations.

- Coordinate institutional responses to government inquiries, requests, site visits, and collaboration opportunities.

- Ensure all government relations activity complies with federal and state lobbying, disclosure, and nonprofit requirements, including restrictions on the use of grant funds for lobbying.

Leveraging government relations for research funding

- Track federal and state research funding trends, agency priorities, and emerging programs, and translate them into actionable intelligence for the President and scientific leadership.

- Partner with Sponsored Research and Finance to identify how policy and appropriations changes affect current awards, pipeline proposals, and the Centers budget.

- Identify and help pursue public funding opportunities, including large-scale, multi-institution, and economic development initiatives.

- Advocate, directly and through coalitions and peer institutions, for sustained public investment in plant science and agricultural research.

- Brief leadership on policy shifts that may affect their programs.

Partnerships and external representation

- Serve as a senior representative of the President in meetings with public-sector leaders and strategic partners.

- Develop and sustain relationships with peer institutions, universities, coalitions, industry, and cross-sector collaborators.

- Represent the Center in coalitions, advisory bodies, and external forums.

- Partner with the Communications team to ensure consistent, accurate, and mission-aligned messaging to government and external audiences.

- Support executive thought leadership, testimony, public statements, and external presentations.

Office of the President

- Partner with the Executive Assistant to manage the Presidents priorities, calendar strategy, and time allocation so effort is focused where it has the greatest impact.

- Lead or coordinate special projects and strategic initiatives on behalf of the President, ensuring clear ownership, timelines, and completion.

- Track decisions, commitments, and action items from the Presidents meetings and follow through with internal and external stakeholders.

- Prepare or coordinate briefing materials for the Presidents meetings, events, and travel, including government and board-facing engagements.

- Synthesize and brief the President on emerging trends, opportunities, and sensitive or high-profile external matters.

- Coordinate cross-functional input for engagements led by the President.

- Support the President in board-facing external matters, including preparation for meetings with board members and external stakeholders.

- Performs other duties assigned

Required knowledge, skills, and abilities:

- Leadership experience in nonprofit, public sector, or mission-driven organizations

- Demonstrated success engaging with government officials and senior external stakeholders

- Familiarity with public policy and government processes relevant to the Center's work

- Strong strategic judgment and ability to represent executive leadership with credibility and discretion

- Experience working closely with boards and executive leadership

- Experience in complex, multi-stakeholder environments

- Excellent written and verbal communication skills

- Live the Danforth Center values: Collaboration, Diversity & Inclusion, Innovation, Integrity & Respect, Environmental Sustainability, and Stewardship ​​​​

Qualifications

Qualifications:

- Bachelors degree in public policy, public administration, business or a related field, or relevant professional experience.

- Typically requires 4+ years of progressively responsible experience in external affairs, public-sector engagement, government relations, or similar fields.

Submission:

- Cover letter clearly describing interest and career goals

- Resume

- Contact information for three (3) professional references