Vice President, Regional Advocacy

**This is a remote role**

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

Strategic Leadership & Legislative Impact (40%)

• Develops and executes a multi-state advocacy strategy to achieve legislative wins, policy defense, and state and regulatory engagement.
• Aligns state teams with federal priorities and works with both federal and state and local campaigns’ team to ensure cohesive national impact.
• Leads rapid response efforts to emerging legislative threats or opportunities.
• Provides timely and regular updates to executive leadership on regional advocacy impact.
• Ensures collaborative planning and execution of federal, state and local campaigns.

Team Management & Development (30%)

• Oversees a regional advocacy team of 60+ team members across approximately 25 states, including regional Managing Directors, state Government Relations Directors, Grassroots (volunteer) Managers, and operations roles.
• Has overall responsibility and accountability for hiring within the region.
• Develops, plans and has accountability for regional and state budgets.
• Ensures state advocacy positions align with organizational policy.
• Fosters a culture of collaboration, trust, accountability, inclusion, and innovation within the team.
• Provides coaching, professional development, and performance management to ensure excellence.
• Tracks legislative progress, campaign metrics, and team performance to meet goals.
• Ensures compliance with lobbying regulations and internal policies.

Volunteer Engagement & Mobilization (10%)

• Partners with grassroots teams to expand and activate volunteer networks in respective states.
• Supports the development of training programs, recognition initiatives, and storytelling platforms that elevate patient voices.
• Ensures volunteer engagement strategies are integrated into legislative campaigns.
• Drives successful volunteer fundraising.

Development & External Relations (10%)

• Works closely with ACS and internal functions to ensure alignment on mission, policy trends, and political dynamics.
• Represents the organization in coalitions, conferences, and public forums.

• Collaborates with development teams to cultivate relationships with major donors, foundations, and corporate partners.
• Represents advocacy priorities in donor meetings, events, and communications.
• Identifies opportunities to align advocacy wins with fundraising strategies and impact reporting.

Senior Leadership Team (10%)

• Executes organizational responsibility and leadership on the Senior Leadership Team (SLT)
• Provides a broad perspective on organizational issues, surfaces and vets ideas, and aligns on how best to advance ACS CAN’s mission priorities.
• Engages in cross-functional planning for ACS CAN, the ACS CAN Board, and high-level organizational messaging.

EXPERIENCE/QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree in public policy, political science, law, or related field (Advanced degree(s) is preferred).
• Minimum 15+ years of experience in government relations, advocacy, or public affairs, with at least 5+ years in a senior leadership role.
• Proven success in leading multi-state legislative campaigns and managing large, geographically distributed teams.
• Experience in volunteer engagement and donor relations within a mission-driven organization.
• Experience with high-level stakeholder engagement across advocacy and other organizations.
• Deep understanding of state legislative processes and healthcare policy, with strong experience collaborating with state health policymakers and advocacy leaders.
• Willingness to travel frequently across regions for team support, legislative meetings, and stakeholder engagement.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITY:

• Passion for improving cancer patient policy outcomes and advancing health equity through the legislative and regulatory process.
• Experience in grassroots organizing and community engagement.
• Experience with budget management and external vendor oversight.
• Ability to navigate politically sensitive environments with discretion and empathy.
• Exceptional strategic thinking, communication, and relationship-building skills.
• Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in advocacy and leadership.

TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS:

• This position may require travel up to 30%, including overnight and occasional weekend travel, primarily within assigned regions to support legislative campaigns, attend strategic meetings, and engage with stakeholders.
• Periodic travel to national conferences or headquarters may also be required.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Ability to travel by car, train, or plane as needed.