Senior Manager - State Government Relations and Public Affairs

Job Description

Opportunity at a Glance

This role sits within Covista's Corporate Affairs team and reports to the Director, State Government Relations & Public Affairs. You'll serve as Covista's embedded government relations presence across your region: the person who understands the political terrain, owns the state and local relationships, and ensures that Covista's institutions can operate successfully in the legislative and regulatory environment around them.

This is a field role. You'll be based in the Midwestern US (MN, IA, IL, IN ,MI, OH, or MO), present in state capitols when it matters, and closely connected to the institutional leaders, healthcare system partners, contract lobbyists, and policymakers whose decisions shape our institutions' ability to grow and to serve students. You won't wait for legislation to occur to activate, because you'll be building relationships and shaping the political conditions long before that moment arrives. As part of an integrated Government Relations and Public Affairs function, you'll bring public affairs sensibility to the work as well: connecting policy engagement to the healthcare workforce story Covista is positioned to tell and ensuring that state-level success stories reach the audiences who need to hear them.

Responsibilities:

Regional Legislative and Regulatory Engagement

• Monitor and track legislative sessions, regulatory proceedings, and executive agency actions across all states in your region; ensure no significant development reaches leadership as a surprise

• Develop and maintain proactive relationships with state legislators, legislative staff, governors' offices, and state agencies in priority markets — building political goodwill before it is needed, not only in response to threats

• Identify and pursue opportunities for Covista to engage proactively in state policy conversations — through testimony, coalition participation, or direct stakeholder outreach — that advance our position as a credible healthcare workforce partner

• Translate state policy developments into clear, timely intelligence for the Director of State Government Relations, institutional leaders, and segment leadership making decisions about campus operations, program access, and market entry

• Partner with Legal and Regulatory Affairs on state licensing, authorization, and compliance matters, ensuring legislative strategy and regulatory strategy are coordinated and not running in parallel without awareness of each other

Lobbyist Management and Accountability

• Manage Covista's contract lobbyists across your region — setting clear direction, tracking activity against Covista's stated priorities, and holding them accountable to outcomes

• Ensure lobbyists are active advocates, not passive monitors — driving the agenda rather than inheriting one

• Conduct regular performance assessments; surface timely recommendations to the Director on where coverage is working, where adjustments are needed, and where gaps exist

• Build and steward direct relationships with state legislators, legislative staff, governors' offices, state agencies, and healthcare system partners across your region

Institutional Partnership

• Serve as the day-to-day GR partner for Chamberlain campus leaders in your region and support state-level matters affecting Walden University and clinical partners of other Covista institutions operating in your states

• Advise institutional leaders on the policy environment affecting their programs and campuses — clinical placement access, financial aid eligibility, state authorization frameworks, distance education regulation, and community positioning

• Support campus expansion and new market entry in your region by building the stakeholder relationships and political groundwork that growth requires

• Surface issues and opportunities from the field early enough for leadership to act — functioning as a genuine early warning system, not a reporter of news that has already broken

State Political Contributions and Compliance

• Serve as the regional intelligence source for state political giving — identifying which relationships in your states warrant contribution activity and vetting recommendations against Covista's GR priorities and legislative objectives

• Work closely with the Director on contribution strategy, ensuring regional recommendations are grounded in actual relationship and legislative value rather than incumbency or habit

• Track and manage state lobbying registrations, contribution activity, and disclosure obligations across your region in coordination with the Director and outside compliance counsel; ensure all filing deadlines are met

• Maintain current knowledge of state campaign finance laws, lobbying regulations, and ethics requirements applicable to Covista's activities in your states

Narrative and Public Affairs Integration

• Work in partnership with the broader GR/PA function to ensure state-level advocacy is supported by proactive public affairs strategy — earned media in priority markets, stakeholder communications, and community positioning that builds Covista's reputation before it is needed

• Use the Covista Foundation's programming and community partnerships as substantive assets in state relationships, demonstrating Covista's commitment to the healthcare workforce needs of the communities where we operate

• Deploy Covista's thought leadership materials to make the policy case to state officials and healthcare system leaders in locally relevant, data-driven terms

• Represent Covista at state-level legislative events, political functions, and industry convenings — maintaining a visible, credible presence in priority markets

• Performs other duties as assigned

• Complies with all policies and standards

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree public policy, law, or related field required and Master's Degree public policy, law, or related field preferred
• 7+ years state government relations, public affairs, legislative affairs, or a closely related field required
• Demonstrated experience working in or closely with state legislative or executive branch environments, ideally within your region
• Track record of managing external consultants or lobbyists with clear direction and measurable accountability
• Familiarity with state political contribution processes, lobbying disclosure requirements, and campaign finance compliance
• Experience serving as a trusted advisor to institutional or business leaders on government affairs matters
• Background in healthcare, higher education, or another regulated industry preferred
• Familiarity with state financial aid frameworks, clinical education policy, or state authorization of distance education a plus
• Deep working knowledge of state legislative processes, with the ability to track and synthesize activity across multiple states and sessions simultaneously
• Builds and maintains relationships with state officials and legislative staff — not just manages them transactionally
• Strong political instincts: knows when to engage directly, when to work through coalition, and when to hold
• Translates complex policy developments into clear, actionable guidance for non-GR audiences including campus presidents and segment executives
• Manages external lobbyists with clear direction and accountability — sets the agenda rather than inheriting theirs
• Strong written communicator: policy memos, legislative briefs, stakeholder correspondence, and briefings for senior leadership
• Highly adaptable; brings a sense of urgency to emerging issues while maintaining accuracy and strategic focus in a fast-moving environment
• Comfortable operating in an integrated GR/PA function where advocacy and narrative are treated as complementary, not separate
• Familiarity with legislative intelligence platforms (Quorum or similar) and a data-informed approach to tracking and reporting outcomes

Additional Information

In support of the pay transparency laws enacted across the country, the expected salary range for this position is between $80337.00 and $145077.00. Actual pay will be adjusted based on job-related factors permitted by law, such as experience and training; geographic location; licensure and certifications; market factors; departmental budgets; and responsibility. Our Talent Acquisition Team will be happy to answer any questions you may have, and we look forward to learning more about your salary requirements. The position qualifies for the below benefits.

Covista offers a robust suite of benefits including:

• Health, dental, vision, life and disability insurance
• 401k Retirement Program + 6% employer match
• Participation in Covista’s Flexible Time Off (FTO) Policy
• 12 Paid Holidays
  
  For more information related to our benefits please visit:
  https://careers.covista.com/benefits
  
  You are also eligible to participate in an annual incentive program, subject to the rules governing the program, whereby an award, if any, depends on various factors, including, without limitation, individual and organizational performance.

Equal Opportunity – Minority / Female / Disability / V / Gender Identity / Sexual Orientation