The RoleThis role owns Hadrian's relationship with Congress: the committees, members, and staff whose decisions shape defense policy, program funding, and the operating environment Hadrian builds in. It sits inside the Government Relations pillar alongside the Executive Branch and State & Local functions and works closely - but not interchangeably - with the Chief of Staff's office and the Strategic Engagement Partnerships pillar to keep congressional engagement, budget strategy, and outside validation moving in the same direction.
This is an explicitly nonpartisan role. Hadrian's mission depends on durable relationships with policymakers across the political spectrum, and this role is accountable for building and sustaining that trust on both sides of the aisle.
This role starts with one direct report and is expected to grow the Legislative Branch team over time as Hadrian's congressional footprint expands. On budget and NDAA matters specifically, this role receives dotted-line support from the Principal, Government Relations - Defense Budget & Resourcing. This role also coordinates with the Head of Government Relations, Executive Branch for Legislative Branch support as needed.
This role also manages Hadrian's outside lobbying consultants, directing their work and drawing on their relationships to extend Hadrian's reach on the Hill beyond what an in-house team can cover alone.
What You'll DoCongressional Strategy & Relationships- Build and hold relationships with congressional leadership, the Armed Services and Appropriations Committees, the Rules Committee, relevant oversight committees, and members and staff whose priorities affect Hadrian's factories, programs, and customers.
- Set legislative strategy for Hadrian's priorities in relevant legislation, translating company and program needs into legislative language and asks.
- Own day-to-day congressional outreach: identifying which relationships matter most, sequencing engagement, and keeping the broader team informed of shifting political and legislative dynamics.
- Partner with the Principal, Government Relations - Defense Budget & Resourcing, incorporating their financial management regulation and execution expertise into Hill strategy.
- Manage Hadrian's external lobbying consultants and firms, directing their scope of work and leveraging their existing relationships to extend Hadrian's congressional reach and coverage.
Nonpartisan Relationship-Building- Build and maintain credibility with offices across the political spectrum, adapting outreach and messaging to different congressional offices' priorities without compromising Hadrian's nonpartisan posture.
- Coordinate political giving and stakeholder engagement strategy, where applicable, to reflect the composition and priorities of the sitting Congress.
- Represent Hadrian at congressional hearings, briefings, and member or staff meetings, ensuring consistent, on-message engagement.
- Develop and maintain a congressional engagement strategy that anticipates and manages political risk for Hadrian.
Team & Cross-Functional Coordination- Manage and develop the Legislative Branch team, starting with one direct report, and build out the function's structure as it grows.
- Coordinate as needed with the Public Policy leadership team, so Hadrian speaks with one voice across the function.
What We're Looking For- A career spanning both congressional staff experience - such as a senior national security advisor for a member of Congress or defense committee staffer - and corporate government affairs leadership.
- A track record of translating policy priorities into legislative language and outcomes, including experience getting specific provisions included in an enacted defense authorization bills and appropriations bills.
- Demonstrated ability to build and sustain relationships with congressional offices across the political spectrum, grounded in trust rather than partisan alignment.
- Experience designing structured outreach efforts - stakeholder engagement plans, political giving strategies, or similar - to match a changing Congress.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, including experience with speechwriting, public statements, or testimony preparation.
- Comfortable managing and developing a small but growing team.
- Prior military service is a meaningful plus given Hadrian's mission and its customer base.
- A relentless, genuine focus on Hadrian's mission: rebuilding American industrial capacity and the workforce that runs it.
- Proactive and collaborative, with a sense of levity that makes the work better without ever letting up on the bar for excellence.
- Currently practicing as a registered federal lobbyist, or immediately eligible to register.
- Holds or can obtain a national security clearance.
CompensationFor this role, the target salary range is
$224,000 - $260,000 (actual range may vary based on experience).
This is the lowest to highest salary we reasonably and in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. We may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range, and the range may be modified in the future. An employee's pay position within the salary range will be based on several factors, including, but not limited to, relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, performance, and business or organizational needs.
Benefits for Full-time Employees- Medical, dental, vision, and life insurance plans for employees
401k - Relocation support may be provided for certain situations, based on business need.
- Flexible vacation policy
- Equity
ITAR RequirementsTo conform to U.S. Government export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen or national, lawful permanent resident, protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here.
Use of AI in hiringHadrian uses AI-assisted tools in our recruiting and hiring processes to help our team work more efficiently. This may include tools that help organize and analyze recruiting data, as well as an AI-powered notetaker that can record and transcribe interviews and help coordinate feedback. These tools support our team and are not used to make hiring decisions. All candidate evaluations and hiring decisions are performed by humans. If an interview will be recorded, you will be notified in advance and may opt out at any time with no impact on your candidacy. Candidate data processed through these tools is subject to the same protections described in our Privacy Policy.
Consideration of Criminal HistoryHadrian will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of all applicable laws. We do not ask about criminal history on our application, and we do not consider criminal history before making a conditional offer of employment.
