Senior Specialist - Government Affairs

Job Description

Summary

The Sr. Specialist, Government Affairs will support Pilot Travel Centers ("PTC") by advancing the company's advocacy priorities and providing strategic legislative, regulatory, and political intelligence across federal, state, and local jurisdictions. This role will have a particular focus on transportation fuels, renewable fuels, energy, environmental, tax, and transportation policy issues impacting Pilot's retail, wholesale, logistics, and energy businesses.

Working closely with Government Affairs leadership, the Sr. Specialist will monitor and analyze legislative and regulatory developments, support advocacy initiatives, develop executive-ready materials, and coordinate cross-functional engagement across the organization. This position requires strong policy analysis skills, exceptional written and verbal communication abilities, and a demonstrated understanding of the federal and state legislative and regulatory process.

The ideal candidate will bring experience or demonstrated subject matter expertise in transportation fuels, energy policy, renewable fuels, environmental regulation, transportation policy, or related legislative and regulatory issues.

Individuals with experience in government affairs, energy policy, transportation policy, renewable fuels, environmental regulation, tax policy, or related fields are encouraged to apply.

Key Responsibilities:

• Monitor and manage legislative and regulatory activity by tracking federal, state, and local policy developments affecting transportation fuels, renewable fuels, energy, environmental, tax, and transportation issues relevant to PTC.                                   
• Create and lead policy impact analysis by evaluating proposed legislation, regulations, and agency actions; synthesize findings and translate them into clear, actionable guidance for Government Affairs leadership and cross‑functional business partners.     
• Create and maintain policy tracking systems by managing issue trackers, calendars, stakeholder maps, and monitoring tools to ensure timely visibility into emerging risks and opportunities.                                                                                            
• Champion advocacy strategy by taking a lead role in developing and executing multi‑jurisdiction advocacy plans that advance PTC’s policy priorities; ensure alignment, momentum, and measurable impact across all initiatives.                        
• Engage external stakeholders by building and maintaining relationships with policymakers, regulators, trade associations, and industry coalitions; represent PTC in meetings and working groups as directed.                                                                                      
• Lead coordination with consultants and partners by working with external lobbyists, consultants, and association partners to gather intelligence and support advocacy initiatives.                                                                                        
• Develop executive ready materials by drafting briefing memos, issue summaries, talking points, comment letters, presentations, and other materials for senior leaders and cross-functional partners.                                                                                          
• Serve as a resource for colleagues with less experience, providing mentorship, context, and direction on policy issues.                                                                                             
• Continue to develop an understanding of Pilot’s business, anticipate issues, and work with internal experts and executive leadership to devise policy strategies.
• Provide cross-functional policy support by partnering with Legal, Operations, Fuel Supply, Retail, Tax, Finance, Sustainability, Communications, and other teams to assess policy impacts and support implementation.                                                    
• Support strategic planning and special projects by conducting research, issue assessments, and stakeholder analysis to inform long-term policy strategy; assist Government Affairs leadership with special initiatives and executive requests.          
• Complete additional duties as needed.

Qualifications

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in business, Economics, Political Science, Public Policy, or related field required
• Minimum of 5 years’ related experience working in legislative affairs for state or federal legislature, corporate government affairs, or similar required
• Experience working in government affairs either for a large U.S. Corporate enterprise , a trade association, or relevant federal agency required
• Experience in a policy staff role for an elected Member of Congress as a legislative assistant or legislative director preferred

Specialized Skills:

• Thorough understanding of federal and state government structures, legislative processes, and regulatory frameworks.
• Knowledge of energy policy, transportation policy, renewable fuels, environmental regulation, and fuel markets highly preferred. 
• Excellent analytical, research, writing, presentation, and communication skills.
• Ability to synthesize complex information into concise, actionable insights for executive audiences.
• Strong project management and organizational skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) and collaboration platforms (Teams, WebEx, Zoom).
• Self-starter with a high level of intellectual curiosity, professionalism, and attention to detail.

Physical Demands and Work Environment:

• This position is based in Washington, D.C.
• Business travel of approximately 10-25%, depending on advocacy priorities, industry conferences, and government engagement opportunities.
• Ability to attend meetings, events, and legislative activities outside traditional business hours as necessary.

Additional Information

Nation-wide Medical Plan/Dental/Vision

401(k) and Flexible Spending Accounts

Employee Fuel Discount

Adoption Assistance

Tuition Reimbursement

Onsite Gym and Cafeteria

Weekly Pay

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines