Job Title: Director of Government and Corporate Relations
📍 Location: Coconut Creek, FL 33066
🕒 Schedule: Hours will vary, up to 40 hours/week; M-F 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM.

🕒 Some evening and weekend hours are required.
📄 Position Type: Full-time

This is an in-office position with some local travel required in Broward and southern Palm Beach counties, and occasional long-distance travel within Florida and to Washington, D.C.

Why Join Junior Achievement of South Florida?

Junior Achievement of South Florida (JA) empowers our youth with the knowledge, ability, and confidence to navigate their futures, drive our economy and lead our community. We are looking for individuals who are passionate not only to our mission, but also about being part of the innovative and energetic culture at JA.

JA provides real-world training in financial literacy including budgeting, spending, investing and the use of credit; offers cutting-edge skill-building opportunities that enable young people to explore meaningful, productive careers; teaches students how to start businesses; and introduces entrepreneurial values that strengthen workplaces. Last year, with the help of over 7,100 trained corporate and community volunteers, JA delivered over 20 various programs to almost 50,000 students in classrooms throughout Broward and south Palm Beach counties and at JA World Huizenga Center at the Lillian S. Wells Pavilion, a first-class facility housing JA BizTown and JA Finance Park.

For more information about Junior Achievement of South Florida, visit www.JASouthFlorida.org. Follow JA on social media @jasouthflorida.

What We Offer:

✅ Work Environment – Innovative and energetic culture!
✅ Growth Opportunities – Professional development assistance

Your Role as Director of Government and Corporate Relations:

The Director of Government and Corporate Relations is responsible for cultivating and stewarding relationships with local, state, and federal government entities as well as corporate partners. This role ensures alignment between public sector priorities and the organization’s mission. It includes securing funding, influencing policy, generating awareness and identifying collaborative opportunities that advance JA’s mission and impact.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

Government Relations, Advocacy & Public Funding Development (70%)

• Develop and execute a comprehensive government relations strategy to elevate JA’s visibility and advocacy efforts across all levels of government.
• Cultivate and maintain strong relationships with public officials, legislative staff, government agencies, school district leaders, policy influencers and organizations with a focus on legislative affairs.
• Monitor relevant policy, legislative and budget developments impacting education, workforce development, corporate giving trends and nonprofit funding.
• Organize meetings, briefings and events to engage public stakeholders and communicate JA’s impact and funding needs.
• Coordinate public testimony, legislative visits and advocacy campaigns in support of JA’s mission.
• Identify and work with JA programs team to pursue federal, state, and local funding opportunities to support programmatic and capital priorities.
• Participate in preparing and submitting compelling grant/appropriation applications, funding proposals and reports aligned with public funding requirements.
• Lead efforts to secure public sector capital investments for the launch of JA’s new Workforce Innovation Center.
• Collaborate with finance and development teams to track and report funding performance.
• Collaborate with Florida Foundation team to bring awareness to the work of JA statewide and assist on statewide appropriations.

Corporate Partnerships & Strategic Growth (30%)

• Identify, cultivate and secure new corporate partnerships aligned with JA’s mission and strategic priorities.
• Maintain excellent relationships with corporate partners through stewardship efforts to retain and/or grow partnerships.
• Collaborate with the development and program teams to integrate corporate partners into JA’s experiential learning and workforce initiatives.
• Leverage government relationships to unlock new private partnership opportunities.

🔑To achieve success, you will be expected to showcase the following qualifications and attributes:

• Government Relations & Policy Advocacy – Deep understanding of legislative processes and ability to navigate and influence public policy in alignment with mission goals.
• Relationship Management – Skilled in cultivating long-term partnerships with community leaders, government officials, media, and funders.
• Revenue Generation – Proven ability to apply a solutions-focused relationship-building approach to identify partner needs, craft tailored value propositions, and close high-value funding or partnership agreements that advance organizational goals.
• Pipeline Management – Ability to use CRM and pipeline management tools to accurately track prospects and gift.
• Stewardship & “Customer” service: Ability and commitment to providing excellent experiences and services for donors and partners.
• Project Leadership – Cross-functional leadership and ability to inspire collaboration across departments.
• Strategic Communications & Brand Management – Exceptional ability to translate complex programs into compelling narratives that resonate with diverse audiences.
• Public Speaking & Executive Presence – Comfort representing the organization at high-profile events, with strong presentation, writing, and media relations skills.
• Systems Thinking & Integration – Ability to integrate advocacy, funding strategy, and innovative program design into a cohesive external affairs approach.

Along with the above, we would also expect you to have:

• Bachelor’s degree or higher preferred in Public Policy, Education, or related field.
• Minimum 8 years of experience in fundraising, sales, government relations, public affairs, or nonprofit advocacy.
• Proven track record securing corporate and government funding and managing private and public sector relationships.

PLUS:

Incorporate all of JA's values:

• Commit to Growth: Embrace continuous learning and development to achieve personal and professional advancement.
• Deliver the Wow: Consistently exceed expectations and create remarkable experiences for customers, clients, and colleagues.
• Be bold, innovative, and creative: Foster a culture of daring exploration, original thinking, and imaginative problem-solving.
• Do it with passion: Approach tasks and challenges with enthusiasm, dedication, and a genuine love for what you do.
• Own your actions: Take responsibility for your decisions and outcomes and hold yourself accountable to high standards of integrity.
• Build awesome relationships: Cultivate strong, supportive connections with colleagues, clients, and stakeholders based on trust, respect, and collaboration.
• Bring fun & energy: Infuse positivity, enjoyment, and vitality into the workplace environment and interactions.
• Celebrate uniqueness: Value diversity in perspectives, backgrounds, and contributions, fostering an inclusive and supportive atmosphere.
• Drive and embrace change: Proactively seek opportunities for innovation and improvement, adapting positively to evolving circumstances and challenges.
• Be true, be you: Embrace authenticity, integrity, and honesty in all interactions, staying true to your values and identity.

Physical Requirements:

• Prolonged periods of sitting, walking, driving, and occasionally required to reach, bend, lift, or climb.
• Must be able to lift up to 25 pounds at times.

Important Information:

🚨 Junior Achievement of South Florida participates in the federal government’s E-Verify program, which confirms employment authorization of all newly hired employees and most existing employees through an electronic database maintained by the Social Security Administration and Department of Homeland Security. For all new hires, the E-Verify process is completed in conjunction with the Form I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification on or before the first day of work. E-Verify is not used as a tool to pre-screen candidates. For up-to-date information on E-Verify, go to www.uscis.gov and click on 'E-Verify' located near the bottom of the page.

An Equal Opportunity Employer

We do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, genetic information, or any other status protected by law or regulation. It is our intention that all qualified applicants are given equal opportunity and that selection decisions be based on job-related factors.

JA provides real-world training in financial literacy, including budgeting, spending, investing, and the use of credit; offers cutting-edge skill-building opportunities that enable young people to explore meaningful, productive careers; teaches students how to start businesses; and introduces entrepreneurial values that strengthen workplaces. Last year, with the help of over 5,000 trained corporate and community volunteers, JA delivered various programs to almost 70,000 students in classrooms throughout Broward and South Palm Beach counties and at JA World Huizenga Center at the Lillian S. Wells Pavilion, a first-class facility housing JA BizTown and JA Finance Park. For more information about Junior Achievement of South Florida, visit www.JASouthFlorida.org. Follow JA on social media @jasouthflorida.

📢 Apply Today!

If you’re motivated to shape strategy where government and corporate relations intersect — and eager to grow your career in a mission-driven non-profit organization — we’d love to hear from you.