DC Advocacy & Public Affairs Lead — Strategic Accounts

About Morning Consult Morning Consult is a global decision intelligence company changing how modern leaders make smarter, faster, better decisions. The company pairs its proprietary high-frequency data with rigorous analysis to better inform decisions on what people think and how they will act. About Morning Consult Morning Consult is a global decision intelligence company changing how modern leaders make smarter, faster, better decisions. The company pairs its proprietary high-frequency data with rigorous analysis to better inform decisions on what people think and how they will act. This role is based in our Washington, DC office on a hybrid working arrangement. Our award-winning and modern, open concept offices are located in Washington, DC, Chicago, IL and New York, NY. All three offices are accessible by public transportation and in close proximity to great restaurants and shopping. Join us in the office for catered lunch on Tuesdays and Wednesdays or grab a beverage from the fridge for an impromptu after-work happy hour! About Morning Consult Intelligence Morning Consult Intelligence (MCI) delivers always-on, high-frequency survey data and advanced analytics that empower decision-makers with forward-looking insights on consumers, brands, politics, and global trends. Our proprietary platform provides real-time intelligence that enables institutional clients to anticipate change, identify opportunity, and manage risk with confidence. About The Role Morning Consult is seeking a Lead Account Director, Advocacy and Public Affairs on our Solutions Sales team— a player-coach who carries and closes their own book of business while simultaneously managing and developing a small team of sellers focused on the DC advocacy and policy ecosystem. This is not a pure manager role. Your individual quota is the primary driver of your success, and your commercial instincts need to be sharp enough to close complex custom research engagements independently. At the same time, you raise the performance of the sellers around you — teaching the craft of consultative selling, elevating proposal quality, and helping your team navigate the distinctive buying dynamics of trade associations, coalitions, advocacy organizations, and mission-driven entities. You know Washington. You understand how policy dynamics, reputation risk, and influence campaigns translate into research needs. You can walk into a room with a Chief Government Affairs Officer or a Trade Association CEO and credibly frame a research agenda. And you can teach others to do the same. This role sits at Level 6 (Management Track) of the Morning Consult career framework — the Experienced Layer. At this level, you operate with full autonomy within your domain, your decisions impact team and functional performance, and you are accountable for both your own revenue outcomes and the growth of the people you lead. The Solution Sales Team at Morning Consult The Solution Sales Team is part of the Commercial Division at Morning Consult. We build key relationships, think strategically about the issues clients and prospects are facing, and help clients apply custom data and analytic solutions to solve problems and make quicker, more effective decisions. We aim to drive sustainable, scalable growth across our entire business portfolio in close partnership with Research, Data Operations, SaaS Sales, Customer Success and broader Commercial division teammates. What You’ll Be Working On Carry and independently close a personal revenue quota within the DC advocacy and public affairs segment, owning your territory from prospecting through signature. Drive expansion and strategic development of existing accounts while proactively identifying and closing net-new opportunities, including trade associations, advocacy organizations, coalitions, and mission-driven entities. Translate complex advocacy, reputation, and influence challenges into tailored custom research programs that clients can act on. Lead the full sales cycle: prospecting, discovery, research framing, proposal development, contract negotiation, and post-close relationship management. Serve as the primary commercial architect for multi-stakeholder custom research engagements, ensuring alignment between client objectives and Morning Consult’s commercial guidelines. Navigate non-traditional buying processes common in membership-based and mission-driven organizations. Deliver compelling, customized platform demonstrations and thought leadership to VP-, SVP-, and C-suite audiences in public affairs, government relations, and communications functions. Serve as a trusted ambassador for Morning Consult within the DC advocacy ecosystem, attending industry conferences and strategic events while maintaining strong external relationships. Maintain strong operational rigor: CRM accuracy, pipeline hygiene, forecasting discipline, and adherence to sales methodology. Travel up to approximately 30% for conferences and client meetings. Manage a team of 1–2 Account Executives — setting clear expectations, running structured 1:1s, reviewing pipeline together, and holding the team accountable to activity and revenue targets. Coach sellers on core consultative skills: qualification rigor, discovery depth, objection handling, deal structuring, and executive presence in the room with advocacy and policy stakeholders. Review and provide real-time feedback on outbound outreach, pitch decks, proposals, and client presentations to elevate the quality of every rep’s output. Model the behavior you expect — demonstrate what great consultative selling looks like on joint calls, in deal reviews, and through your own pipeline. Partner with Commercial leadership on hiring, onboarding, and succession planning; contribute meaningfully to talent decisions for your team. Contribute to Morning Consult’s Advocacy & Public Affairs go-to-market strategy and help build a scalable segment structure. Serve as a productive, collaborative partner to Sales leadership, Commercial support teams, and research delivery partners to ensure proposals, pricing, and delivery plans are aligned and executable. Contribute to the evolution of Morning Consult’s custom research sales methodology in the advocacy segment — flagging gaps, proposing improvements, and helping to codify what “good” looks like. Represent Morning Consult externally as a subject matter expert, building relationships with key industry leaders and partners in the DC policy and advocacy community. Continuously improve through feedback and proactively share actionable insights to drive team and organizational improvement. About You And What You’ve Done 10+ years of enterprise sales or business development experience in the Washington, DC advocacy and policy ecosystem. Demonstrated success selling custom research, data, or consultative services to trade associations, advocacy organizations, coalitions, or mission-driven entities. Proven track record of quota attainment, including multi-six- and seven-figure deals. Experience managing, mentoring, or formally leading other sellers — whether as a formal manager, a senior peer, or in a team lead capacity. Ability to synthesize and articulate clear ROI and strategic value of data-driven insights to executive audiences across Public Affairs, Government Relations, Communications, and C-suite leadership. Proactively evaluates client challenges, policy dynamics, and market signals, and translates insights into strategic recommendations that drive measurable outcomes. Exceptional consultative selling skills; able to diagnose ambiguous challenges and design structured solutions. Sophisticated stakeholder mapping and navigation across complex, multi-layered decision environments common in the DC advocacy ecosystem. Strong executive presence and ability to influence VP-, SVP-, and C-suite audiences. High degree of autonomy, sound judgment, and resilience in fast-moving environments. Collaborative leadership mindset with cross-functional teams. BS/BA or equivalent. Willing to take feedback, learn and grow; an ethos of continuous self-improvement. Note: We view the above section as a guide, not a checklist. Research shows that underrepresented/marginalized groups are less likely to apply for a job if they feel that they don’t meet 100% of the qualifications. We welcome diverse and non-traditional backgrounds and encourage you to apply even if you don’t satisfy every single bullet on this list! It’s expected that you’ll learn and grow throughout your time at Morning Consult, so if you’re open to building new skills, we’d love to hear from you. The expected salary range for this position is $124,900 – $205,500, with a midpoint of $165,200. In most cases, we target the midpoint of our salary ranges for new hire compensation. This placement is reflective of full proficiency in a role. This role is eligible for additional variable compensation and an equity grant, which will be discussed in your initial recruiter conversation. Please see an overview of Morning Consult’s benefits on our Career Page. We are committed to a work environment that is inclusive to all and free of discrimination. It is our policy to be an equal opportunity employer without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic predisposition or carrier status, veteran status, citizenship status or any other factors prohibited by law. Morning Consult will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals. #J-18808-Ljbffr Morning Consult