Director of Government Relations

Company: World Relief
Location: Mount Rainier
Posted on: January 1, 2026

Job Description:

Are you a person of compassion? An advocate for justice? Someone who stands up for the rights of the vulnerable and speaks out for the marginalized, the exploited and the forgotten? Do you believe in our calling as Christians to welcome the least of these and love our neighbor? If you answered ‘yes’, to any of the above, World Relief, and millions of people around the world need you. At this pivotal moment in time, we are rapidly expanding and growing our team to meet the increasing needs of our world. We are looking for people who want to use their gifts and talents to make a real and tangible difference in our world and the lives of the suffering. If you’re looking for a purpose-driven career in which you can grow your talents, while also standing up for the rights of the vulnerable, we want you to join us today. ORGANIZATION SUMMARY World Relief is a global Christian humanitarian organization whose mission is to boldly engage the world’s greatest crises in partnership with the church. The organization was founded in the aftermath of World War II to respond to the urgent humanitarian needs of war-torn Europe. Since then, for 80 years, across 100 countries, World Relief has partnered with local churches and communities to build a world where families thrive and communities flourish. Today, organizational programming focuses on humanitarian and disaster response, community strengthening and resilience, and refugee & immigrant services and advocacy. This position is reliant upon funding and may be subject to modification or termination based on resource availability. POSITION SUMMARY: World Relief is hiring a Director of Government Relations who will be responsible for representing World Relief’s public policy priorities, including our U.S. refugee/asylum/immigration-based priorities as well as U.S. policies of concern to our international programs, with governmental leaders in Washington, D.C. Candidate will work remotely from the Washington, D.C. area. ROLE & RESPONSIBILITIES: This person will serve as World Relief’s lead D.C.-based representative on public policy concerns, helping to both shape and represent World Relief’s positions on governmental policies that impact those vulnerable to great crises around our world, including refugees, internally displaced people, asylum seekers and other immigrants both in the United States and globally. The person will work closely with World Relief’s Vice President for Policy and Advocacy to represent World Relief with governmental leaders, church leaders, and the media and will supervise at least one additional government-relations-focused colleague. They should have or be willing to acquire expertise on policy issues related to refugee resettlement and foreign assistance programs, in particular, but will also represent World Relief on a broader range of issues. Specific responsibilities include: Build and sustain relationships with leaders in Congress, the White House and others in the administration and their staffs, representing World Relief’s policy positions in a biblically-guided, non-partisan way Serve as the primary lead on shaping and crafting World Relief’s policy positions and advocacy campaigns related to refugee resettlement and immigration, including representing World Relief within various advocacy coalitions Supervise a staff colleague focused on governmental policy issues impacting World Relief’s international programs, currently operating in various countries within Africa as well as in Haiti, Ukraine and beyond Play a support role in pursuing and responding to media and public relations opportunities Write and speak on policy issues of expertise, including for audiences that include governmental leaders and church leaders and members Work with World Relief’s U.S. and international programs and advancement divisions to ensure close coordination across different divisions of the organization on advocacy priorities and public messaging and events Support World Relief staff in the United States and around the world on outreach and relationship building with their elected officials and the media Help train staff on advocacy priorities, including through webinars and occasional office visits Help write newsletters and reports documenting World Relief advocacy activities Other responsibilities as assigned by the VP for Advocacy and Policy JOB REQUIREMENTS: Mature and personal Christian faith Committed to the mission, vision, and values of World Relief Desire to serve and empower the Church to impact vulnerable communities Able to affirm and/or acknowledge World Reliefs Core Beliefs, Statement of Faith, Christian Identity and National Association of Evangelicals For the Health of The Nation document Bachelor’s degree required Must be able to work independently and with limited supervision in a fast-moving environment Must be passionate about seeking just, compassionate refugee, immigration and foreign assistance policies aligned with World Relief’s longstanding advocacy positions Must be able to winsomely interact with an ethnically and denominationally diverse range of Christians as well as with media and elected officials PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS: Master’s degree in refugee/migration issues, public policy or a related field preferred 3 or more years experience in governmental service, political advocacy and/or public relations strongly preferred Experience with biblical/theological studies and/or direct service to refugees/immigrants preferred Strong writing and oral communication abilities in English; fluency in Spanish would be a plus Preference for applicants who have personally lived the refugee or immigrant experience Previous supervisory experience preferred $95,000 - $115,000 a year World Relief offers a competitive benefits package and employee discount program for full-time, Regular, and part-time (25 hours per week) employees World Relief is honored to be recognized with the Gold-level Cigna Healthy Workforce Designation for exceeding the core components of our well-being program including leadership and culture, program foundations and execution, and whole person health. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. We are proud to be an EEO/AA employer M/F/D/V. We maintain a drug-free workplace and perform pre-employment substance abuse testing.

Keywords: World Relief, Leesburg , Director of Government Relations, Customer Service & Call Center , Mount Rainier, Virginia