Director, Government Affairs

The College of Southern Nevada appreciates your interest in employment at our growing institution. We want your application process to go smoothly and quickly. We ask that you keep in mind the following when completing your application:

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If you are unable to attach the required documents to your online application or need assistance regarding the application process, please contact the Talent Acquisition team within Human Resources via email at View email address on click.appcast.io or call View phone number on click.appcast.io to be directed to the appropriate Recruiter.

Job Description

Diversity Statement

About the College of Southern Nevada

Founded in 1971 and situated in the greater Las Vegas metropolitan area, the College of Southern Nevada is the most ethnically diverse college in Nevada and the first to receive the HSI designation. We've prioritized providing an affordable, collaborative, and welcoming environment that allows all students to shine. CSN is a fully accredited institution offering hundreds of degrees and certificates in 70 academic programs. CSN proudly hosts students from all 50 states and over 60 countries with a student population that mirrors Clark County Nevada, one of the most diverse counties in the US. More than one-third of our students are first-generation, half are Pell Grant eligible, and nearly three-fourths are part-time.

The College of Southern Nevada, a Minority Serving Institution designated as a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPISI) provides associates and select bachelor's degrees. Consistent with CSN's mission, vision, and values we are passionate about fostering an environment where our highly diverse students achieve, succeed, and prosper.


Institutional Commitment to Diversity

The College of Southern Nevada recognizes that embracing diversity maximizes faculty and staff contribution to our goals and provides the best opportunity for student achievement. We seek faculty who demonstrate their commitment to our communities and value diverse perspectives. Faculty are intentional about providing culturally responsive instruction to promote creativity, innovation, growth, and academic excellence.

We strive to uphold our mission, to create, and preserve an environment that is dedicated to achieving educational access, equitable resources, inviolable dignity, and opportunity for all to participate, prosper, and reach their full potential.


We ensure that all our work and efforts are transformative and build a truly Students First institutional culture. We commit to the journey ahead, embrace difficult conversations, examine implicit biases, and remain steadfast in our continuous process of improvement. We do this by creating, uplifting, and centering all the voices and experiential knowledge of our students, employees, and campus communities.


CSN is committed to providing a place of work and learning free of discrimination based on race, color, national origin, disability, religion, age, sex/gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, and veteran status in the programs or activities which it operates.

Why Live and Work in Southern Nevada?

The region has an environment where professional satisfaction and career achievement are paired with optimal quality of life in a locale with abundant opportunities for work and leisure. Southern Nevada is an excellent base camp for outdoor recreation. Popular nearby hiking and rock-climbing spots include Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Red Rock Canyon, the National Conservation Area, Spring Mountain Ranch State Park, and Valley of Fire State Park.

Residents enjoy vibrant urban and suburban communities, within the cities of Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, and Henderson, world-class restaurants, and beautiful parks. The region features a reasonable cost of living, with affordable prices on everything from housing to utilities to groceries compared to most major cities across the nation. Thanks to its mild winters and ample sunshine, the area appeals to a variety of age groups, from retirees to early career professionals. There are plenty of family-friendly activities available to keep families busy. Las Vegas is also a haven for professional sports fans with the NHL Golden Knights (2023 Stanley Cup Winner), WNBA Las Vegas Aces (2022, 2023 and 2025 National Champions), NFL Raiders Football Team, Las Vegas Lights FC and the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

Benefits of Working at CSN

• Grant-in-Aid: Tuition & fee assistance for employees and their families at NSHE institutions.
• Time Off: CSN provides a variety of time-off options to help employees manage their work-life balance.
• Holidays: All CSN employees receive 12 paid holidays per year.
• Benefits: CSN offers attractive and customizable health insurance plans for employees and dependents.
• Retirement Plan: Participants contribute 19.25% with 100% employer match.
• On-site Early Childhood Education Center services available
• Learning & professional development opportunities.
• Active CSN Affinity Groups that focus on campus-wide diversity initiatives to create a welcoming campus climate.

For more information about the benefits offered at CSN, please click the link

Job Description

*This position will be Open until Filled. For full consideration, all application related materials should be submitted by August 6, 2026.

The Director of Government Affairs reports to the Executive Director of External Relations and supports the Vice President of External Relations and Campus Operations Division. This position will serve as CSN's liaison to government officials, the Nevada System of Higher Education, the Board of Regents, and strategic external partners. Under the direction of the Executive Director, the Director of Government Affairs establishes and maintains relationships with elected officials, legislative staff, government agencies, and senior college leadership; coordinates meetings and legislative engagement opportunities; collaborates on system-wide legislative priorities; and assists in developing and implementing a comprehensive government relations strategy that advances the college's mission and strategic priorities.

The Director of Government Affairs is a key member of the Government Affairs team and plays an essential role in planning and executing CSN's government relations strategy. The position advances the college's legislative priorities by coordinating advocacy efforts, supporting policy development, monitoring legislation, and facilitating communication with government agencies, elected officials, and policymakers. Responsibilities include developing and maintaining comprehensive bill tracking throughout the legislative session and preparing legislative reports, briefing materials, presentations, testimony, and other advocacy collateral. The Director is expected to reside in Carson City during the Nevada Legislative Session.

In addition to external advocacy, the Director works collaboratively across the college to engage students, faculty, staff, administrators, and shared governance groups in CSN's legislative and public policy efforts. The position helps build a campus-wide culture of advocacy by educating internal stakeholders on legislative priorities, gathering feedback on policy issues affecting the college, and developing an informed network of advocates who can effectively communicate CSN's impact and priorities to policymakers and the community.

Candidates considered most qualified will demonstrate the ability to think strategically, build consensus, navigate complex political and confidential environments, develop trusted relationships with diverse stakeholders, and effectively represent the interests of a comprehensive community college. Successful candidates will possess experience in government relations or lobbying, a strong understanding of the legislative process, established relationships with elected officials and the lobbying community, exceptional communication and coalition-building skills, and the ability to help advance the strategic priorities of the College of Southern Nevada.

Flexible working hours are required during the legislative session and throughout the year, including evenings and weekends.

Considerable in-state travel is required, including full-time presence in Carson City during the legislative session (February through June of each biennium) and any special legislative sessions.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university; OR equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 4-5 years of comparable professional experience.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and legislative tracking tools such as NELIS.
• Ability in maintaining compliance with lobbying laws and regulations.
• Ability to analyze complex policy issues and develop clear, concise recommendations.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree or higher in political science, public administration, communications, or a related field from an accredited college; OR equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Prior experience working with Nevada Legislature.
• Familiarity with Nevada's legislative process, state agencies, and government operations.
• Previous experience as a registered lobbyist during a Nevada Legislative Session in Carson City, Nevada.
• Familiarity of the Nevada legislative process and political landscape.
• Established network within Nevada's political, governmental, higher education, and advocacy communities, with the ability to build coalitions in support of legislative priorities.

The ideal candidate should possess the following knowledge, skills, and abilities:

• Assists CSN officials in the development of strategies that advocate the mission and needs of the institution to appropriate local, state, and federal government agencies.
• Cultivate, develop, and manage positive relationships with elected officials and other external stakeholders.
• Represent CSN at the Nevada Legislature and work cooperatively with NSHE on effective relationships with government officials.
• Assist with maintaining regular communications with external stakeholders, as directed.
• Coordinate, track and as needed testify on higher education legislation as directed.
• Effectively synthesize position papers and presentations related to government relations on behalf of the college under the direction of the President and in coordination with the senior administration.
• Coordinate dignitary relationships, visits, and initiatives as needed.
• Communicate well verbally and in writing.
• Make recommendations for CSN's advocacy and strong governmental relationships.
• This position requires professional and personal initiative, self-starting, and anticipation of college needs. The position requires the ability to analyze, synthesize, work under pressure, meet deadlines, network with elected and opinion leaders, and accurately report information.
• Proficiency in use of a personal computer and current software applications including but not limited to Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Access, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook).
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Make decisions and take actions independently for a variety of diverse situations.
• Show a high degree of creativity and initiative.

Salary information:

Administrative Faculty D - The starting salary is $103,901.

*This position is contingent upon ongoing and available funding.

Exempt
Yes

Full-Time Equivalent
100.0%

Required Attachment(s)

To be considered for this position, please upload the following documents to your application:

• Resume/CV
• Cover Letter
• Contact information for three professional references (Name, email and phone number)
• Unofficial Academic Transcripts (Applicants who have earned their degrees outside of the United States must have their educational transcripts evaluated by an approved evaluator if their college or university is not listed in the most recent edition of the Higher Education Directory, published by Higher Education Publications, Inc. If you have any questions regarding this, please reach out to the Human Resources, Talent Acquisition & Classification team)

Local Search

Out of Area/State Candidates will not be offered travel reimbursement.

For more details on this position, please visit our website: My Career at CSN

CSN is an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action institution. For more information, visit

NSHE - INTERNAL APPLICANTS PLEASE NOTE

CSN employees or employees within the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) MUST use the "Find Jobs" process within Workday to find and apply for jobs at CSN and other NSHE Institutions. Once you log into Workday, type "Find Jobs" in the search box which will navigate to the internal job posting site. Locate this specific job posting by typing the requisition number in the search box. If you complete an application outside of the internal application process and apply as an external candidate, your application will no longer be considered at the time of minimum qualification review. In order to prevent the disqualification of your application, you will need to reapply as an internal candidate before 11:59pm the day prior to the position close date.

Posting Close Date

Note to Applicant

Applicants should fully describe their qualifications and experience with specific reference to each of the minimum and preferred qualifications. The search committee will use this information during the initial review of application materials.


All document(s) must be received by 11:59 p.m. the day prior to the closing date posted on the job announcement.

This position may require that a criminal background check be conducted on the candidate(s) selected for hire.


As part of the hiring process, applicants for positions in the Nevada System of Higher Education may be required to demonstrate the ability to perform job-related tasks.


Schedules are subject to change based on organizational needs.


CSN is responsive to serving the educational needs of a diverse and ever-changing community. CSN employs only U.S. citizens and aliens authorized to work in the U.S. CSN does not sponsor aliens applying for faculty, professional staff, or management positions (H-1B Visas) in the absence of exceptional circumstances as defined by the USCIS.