Are you looking for an opportunity to advance your career while working with an extraordinary team? At Merakey, we put heart and soul into everything we do. We are seeking an Executive Director of Government Affairs to join our leadership team.
Position Details
The Executive Director, Government Affairs leads Merakey USA's enterprise-wide government affairs, public policy, and advocacy strategy. Reporting to the Chief Strategy Officer, the role advances enterprise priorities; protects and strengthens public funding and reimbursement; anticipates legislative and regulatory risk; and positions Merakey to influence policy, regulatory, and funding environments across its multi-state footprint. The Executive Director serves as a senior advisor to executive and Regional Affiliate leadership and builds trusted, bipartisan relationships with policymakers, regulators, public agencies, associations, coalitions, and community partners.
Key Responsibilities
- Policy, Regulatory and Executive Advisory.
- Government and Stakeholder Engagement.
- Regional Affiliate, Growth and Enterprise Partnership.
- Governance, Performance and Compliance.
Benefits
Merakey offers generous benefits that promote well-being, financial security, and work-life balance, including:
- Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, plus access to healthcare advocacy support.
- Retirement plan -- both pre-tax and Roth (after-tax) options available for employee contributions.
- DailyPay -- access your pay when you need it!
- On the Goga well-being platform, featuring self-care tools and resources.
- Access Care.com for backup childcare, elder care, and household services.
- Confidential counseling, legal, and financial services through our Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
- Tuition reimbursement and educational partnerships.
- Employee discounts and savings programs on entertainment, travel, and lifestyle.
- Access to Pryor Online Learning for free online personal development classes.
Learn more about our full benefits package - https://www.merakey.org/careers/benefits
About Merakey
Merakey is a non-profit provider of developmental, behavioral health, and education services. More than 8,000 employees provide support to nearly 40,000 individuals and families throughout 12 states across the country each year. Click here to watch a video about Merakey. Merakey strictly follows a zero-tolerance policy for abuse.
Merakey is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer! We deeply value diversity and do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, ethnic background, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, genetic information, or disability status. Moreover, we are committed to creating teams that reflect the diversity of the communities we serve and encourage applicants from underrepresented backgrounds to apply. Merakey welcomes all Veterans to apply!
Preferred QualificationsThe ideal candidate will possess the following qualifications:
- Master's degree required.
- Preferred fields of study include Public Administration, Public Policy, Political Science, Government Affairs, Health Administration, Communications, Law, Business Administration, or a closely related discipline.
- Demonstrated experience developing and executing government affairs strategies across multiple issues and jurisdictions, with knowledge of legislative, regulatory, budgetary, reimbursement, and administrative processes.
- Proven ability to build bipartisan relationships, advise senior leaders, influence cross-functional teams, and communicate complex policy issues to diverse stakeholders.
- Strong strategic, political, analytical, and problem-solving skills, with flexibility to travel regularly across operating markets, Washington, D.C., state capitals, and other locations as needed.
Skills Required
- Master's degree
- Experience developing and executing government affairs strategies across multiple issues and jurisdictions
- Knowledge of legislative, regulatory, budgetary, reimbursement, and administrative processes
- Ability to build bipartisan relationships and advise senior leaders
- Ability to influence cross-functional teams and communicate complex policy issues to diverse stakeholders
- Strong strategic, political, analytical, and problem-solving skills
- Flexibility to travel regularly across operating markets, Washington, D.C., state capitals, and other locations
- Public Administration, Public Policy, Political Science, Government Affairs, Health Administration, Communications, Law, Business Administration, or closely related master's field
Merakey Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Merakey and has not been reviewed or approved by Merakey.
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Healthcare Strength — Health coverage is positioned as robust, with multiple medical plan options, telemedicine, care navigation support, and certain specialty medications available at no cost through an affiliated pharmacy.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Time-off policies are structured with separate vacation, sick, and personal time allocations plus paid holidays, and vacation increases with tenure.
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Wellbeing & Lifestyle Benefits — Wellbeing and practical supports include an employee assistance program, tuition support, caregiving resources, discounts, and early wage access that can improve day-to-day financial flexibility.
Merakey Insights
What We Do
Merakey is a leading developmental, behavioral health and education non-profit provider offering a breadth of integrated services to individuals and communities across the country. We leverage our size and expertise to develop innovative solutions and new models of care to meet the needs of individuals, their families, public and private healthcare funders and community partner organizations. We recognize that complex needs require a holistic approach. With our experience, expertise and compassion, we empower everyone within our communities to reach their fullest potential.
