SUMMARYThe Director of Government Relations will lead and support Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo's government relations strategy, stakeholder engagement, and public-sector relationship management at the state, county, and municipal levels. This position will be responsible for developing, maintaining, and strengthening trusted relationships with statewide elected officials, members of the Texas Legislature, elected and appointed officials at the City of Houston and Harris County, and other public-sector leaders whose work intersects with HLSR's mission, operations, facilities, public policy priorities, and annual Show.
The successful candidate will be a highly experienced, professional, and politically astute relationship-builder who understands Texas government, the legislative process, local government operations, public policy advocacy, and the importance of maintaining HLSR's reputation as a nonpartisan, mission-driven organization. A key responsibility of the role will be developing and maintaining year-round relationships with HLSR's ex-officio board members, with particular emphasis on communications, engagement, and coordination prior to and during HLSR's annual Show.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBLITIES include but are not limited to the following:
- Develop, implement, and maintain a comprehensive government relations strategy aligned with HLSR's mission, strategic priorities, facility interests, community partnerships, and long-term organizational objectives.
- Build and maintain strong, trusted, and professional relationships with top statewide elected officials, members of the Texas Legislature, legislative staff, agency officials, City of Houston elected officials and senior staff, Harris County elected officials and senior staff, and other key governmental stakeholders.
- Serve as a primary point of coordination for HLSR's engagement with ex-officio board members, including year-round relationship management, communication planning, contact management, and coordination of invitations, briefings, and Show-related interactions.
- Lead planning and execution of government official engagement prior to and during the annual Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, including outreach, scheduling support, briefing materials, attendance coordination, issue preparation, and on-site stakeholder experience.
- Monitor state, county, and municipal legislative, regulatory, policy, and budget developments that may affect HLSR, NRG Park, related entities, nonprofit operations, public events, public safety, transportation, taxation, economic development, agriculture, education, and community programming.
- Coordinate with internal leadership, legal counsel, communications, operations, security, marketing, and other divisions to ensure government relations activities are accurate, coordinated, timely, and consistent with HLSR policies and messaging.
- Prepare briefing materials, talking points, summaries, legislative updates, stakeholder profiles, meeting notes, issue trackers, and other written materials for HLSR leadership, officers, board members, and staff.
- Support HLSR leadership in meetings with elected officials, public agencies, governmental partners, consultants, and community stakeholders, including preparation, follow-up, and tracking of action items.
- Maintain current and accurate records of governmental contacts, ex-officio board members, public official engagement, correspondence, meeting history, and Show-related attendance or participation.
- Represent HLSR professionally in external meetings, governmental forums, civic settings, and stakeholder engagements while preserving HLSR's nonpartisan standing and reputation for integrity, service, and community impact.
- Coordinate with outside government relations consultants, legal advisors, and strategic partners as directed to support legislative and policy initiatives.
- Identify opportunities to strengthen HLSR's relationships with governmental and community partners in support of HLSR's mission, annual Show, facilities, educational impact, Western heritage, and long-term strategic priorities.
QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE- Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university required.
- Minimum of 10 years of direct experience working with top statewide elected officials, members of the Texas Legislature, legislative offices, public agencies, or senior governmental stakeholders.
- Demonstrated experience working directly with elected officials and senior staff at the City of Houston and Harris County.
- Strong working knowledge of Texas state government, the Texas legislative process, local government structure, public policy development, and stakeholder engagement.
- Established credibility and professional relationships within Texas state government, the Texas Legislature, City of Houston, Harris County, and the broader Houston civic and public-sector community.
- Exceptional judgment, discretion, professionalism, and ability to handle sensitive, confidential, and politically nuanced matters.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to prepare concise briefing materials, talking points, correspondence, and executive summaries.
- Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple priorities, deadlines, stakeholder requests, and Show-related activities in a fast-paced environment.
- Ability to work collaboratively with senior leadership, board members, volunteers, staff, consultants, legal counsel, and external stakeholders.
- Commitment to HLSR's mission, values, nonpartisan posture, and standards of ethical conduct.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE
- Law degree preferred.
- Experience with nonprofit, civic, public event, venue, sports, agriculture, education, or community-based organizations.
- Experience developing legislative strategies, advocacy plans, public-sector engagement plans, or stakeholder management systems.
- Experience supporting executive leadership, boards of directors, or senior volunteer leadership in public-facing or government-facing settings.
- Familiarity with major public venues, large-scale public events, public safety coordination, transportation, facility planning, economic development, or intergovernmental partnerships.
OTHER SKILLS AND ABILITIES - Relationship Management: Builds durable, trusted relationships with elected officials, senior staff, public agencies, civic leaders, and internal stakeholders.
- Political and Policy Acumen: Understands the Texas political environment, legislative process, local government dynamics, and how public policy decisions affect HLSR.
- Strategic Judgment: Anticipates issues, identifies opportunities, and provides sound advice to leadership on sensitive government relations matters.
- Communication: Communicates clearly, professionally, and persuasively in writing, meetings, briefings, and public-sector interactions.
- Execution and Follow-Through: Manages details, timelines, records, follow-up items, and stakeholder commitments with accuracy and reliability.
- Integrity and Discretion: Maintains confidentiality, exercises sound ethical judgment, and represents HLSR in a nonpartisan and mission-centered manner.
WORK EXPECTATIONS - Must be available for increased time commitments before and during HLSR's annual Show, including evenings, weekends, and on-site responsibilities as needed.
- Must be able to attend meetings and events in Houston, Harris County, Austin, and other locations as required.
- Must maintain a professional presence and demeanor when interacting with elected officials, public-sector leaders, board members, volunteers, donors, staff, and guests.
- Must comply with all applicable HLSR policies, legal requirements, ethics standards, and guidance related to nonprofit, government relations, and public-sector engagement activities.
