Senior Advisor

Summary

Join American Oversight as a Senior Advisor for Federal Oversight and play a key role in protecting democratic institutions and government transparency. Reporting to the Executive Director, you will serve as the primary contact for congressional partners, setting strategy for congressional engagement and advising senior leadership on FOIA requests and litigation. You will monitor congressional actions, participate in coalitions, and develop communications materials. This is a term position ending December 2028, with potential renewal. The ideal candidate possesses extensive Capitol Hill experience, strong relationship-building skills, and exceptional communication and project management abilities. American Oversight offers a comprehensive benefits package.

Requirements

• 8+ years of relevant experience, including, but not limited to, extensive knowledge of and well-established relationships on Capitol Hill, or service as a senior political appointee or senior official within a federal agency headquarters
• Excellent interpersonal skills, including the ability to initiate, build, and maintain productive relationships with congressional staff and civil society partners
• A keen interest in American Oversight’s mission of government accountability and transparency; commitment to public interest advocacy
• Extraordinarily high level of attention to detail and follow through
• Exceptionally strong skills in the following areas: Relationship Management : effectively communicates, builds relationships, and works collaboratively with others; actively works to understand and respect the perspectives and motivations of others
• Project Management : understands who the key stakeholders are; tracks, drives, reports, and engages the necessary stakeholders, tools, resources, and information to produce desired results; moves nimbly among a variety of projects with varying timelines; manages expectations; asks questions early; anticipates and prepares next steps and outcomes
• Communication : Oral : conveys information and ideas in a clear, concise, and engaging manner; uses language that is understandable and can skillfully adapt for different audiences
• Written : effectively conveys information and ideas in a clear, concise, and compelling manner; ensures written content is free from grammatical errors, typos, or inconsistencies
• Judgment and Decision Making : carefully assesses information and weighs competing priorities before making sound and timely decisions; predicts likely results based on patterns, experiences, and logical inferences; considers potential consequences and ensures alignment with American Oversight’s values and objectives; makes thoughtful recommendations or decisions that lead to effective outcomes
• Problem Solving : identifies issues and surfaces creative solutions to achieve desired outcomes
• Collaboration: is an inclusive, highly engaged team player, proactively seeks and provides thought partnership, assistance, and/or resources with/to colleagues
• Strategic Thinking : obtains information and identifies key issues and relationships relevant to achieving a goal or vision; evaluates potential risks and benefits to potential plans of action before recommending courses of action; adjusts plans as needed to achieve key objectives
• Exercises a high degree of confidentiality and discretion, professionalism, integrity, diplomacy, and ethics
• Experience working effectively and collaboratively within a fast-paced, agile environment among a diverse employee base that works remotely and distributed across the United States
• Ability to work well independently or as part of a team
• Experience or desire to work in environments with a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion
• Strong technology skills with an aptitude to learn quickly to ramp up on new platforms or technology: Microsoft Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint); Google Workspace (Docs, Sheets, Slides); project management platform (e.g., Monday)
• Ability to attend in-person work-related events and functions, and work on-site in American Oversight’s Washington, DC office
• Must be available to work East Coast business hours with evening and weekend hours as needed

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary point of contact for congressional partners in the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate, and lead efforts to deepen key relationships
• Set American Oversight’s strategy for congressional engagement, identifying opportunities to share critical information and amplify American Oversight’s work on Capitol Hill to advance American Oversight’s strategic goals
• Advise senior leadership on opportunities to send targeted federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and state public records requests informed by executive branch or congressional actions; identify ways to leverage American Oversight’s expertise in partner litigation and/or accountability campaigns
• Monitor and track congressional inquiries, investigations, and hearings within American Oversight’s priority areas
• Actively participate in or lead coalition spaces focused on civil society coordination on executive branch or congressional actions
• Draft, edit, and assist with developing materials to support American Oversight’s accountability campaigns; translate complex executive branch or congressional actions into clear and streamlined messaging for diverse audiences
• Work closely with the Strategic Partnerships Director to identify key coalitions and other opportunities for participation, including sign-on letters, accountability campaigns, and other external events
• Collaborate with American Oversight’s cross-functional teams to develop and execute organizational strategic priorities using information uncovered through federal oversight monitoring
• Develop and conduct training for American Oversight staff on congressional oversight and best practices for congressional engagement
• Serve as on-the-record spokesperson as needed
• Other related projects or initiatives as assigned by the Executive Director or Deputy Executive Director

Preferred Qualifications

• Juris Doctor degree
• Extensive experience handling, responding to, or preparing for congressional investigations and/or oversight hearings
• Deep familiarity with FOIA, Federal Advisory Committee Act, and/or federal ethics laws
• Demonstrated commitment to public interest work
• Experience in a nonprofit environment

Benefits

• 80% of health, dental, and vision premiums paid by the organization
• A retirement plan with a matching contribution
• Remote office reimbursements for personal devices and wireless connectivity