Senior Director, Government Relations

Hanwha Defense USA, Inc.

$160K — $200K *
Education, Government & Non-Profit
11 - 15 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree; graduate degree preferred.
  • 15 years in government relations, defense policy, or military legislative affairs.
  • Strong network in congressional defense committees and U.S. Army acquisition leadership.
  • Understanding of federal legislative and regulatory processes, especially NDAA and defense appropriations.
  • Ability to translate technical capabilities into policy language for diverse stakeholders.
  • Willingness to be based in or relocate to the Washington, DC area.

Responsibilities

  • Design and execute advocacy strategies for defense procurement opportunities.
  • Serve as liaison to key congressional committees for defense-related priorities.
  • Collaborate with business development on navigating acquisition systems and aligning capabilities.
  • Monitor federal budget cycles and provide analysis on defense policy changes.
  • Manage outside consultants to enhance government relations efforts.
  • Ensure alignment of government relations with overall business strategies across functions.
  • Assist executive leadership in navigating the policy landscape and engaging with senior officials.

Benefits

  • Commitment to pay transparency.
  • Equitable compensation practices.
  • Discretionary annual bonuses eligibility.
  • Comprehensive benefits package.
Full Job Description
Job Title: Senior Director, Government Relations

Location: Arlington, VA (Rosslyn HQ)

Position Summary: Hanwha Defense USA is seeking a Senior Director, Government Relations, to conceptualize and execute a major portion of the company's federal governmental relations strategy. The Senior Director will assist in the organization's outreach to Congress, federal agencies, and industry partners, with a focus on defense. This position will report directly to the Chief Strategy Officer and play a key role within a fast-growing global defense prime contractor.

Key Responsibilities:
  • Strategic Advocacy: Design and implement legislative and executive branch strategy to create and sustain procurement opportunities for advanced artillery, precision munitions, and missile systems.
  • Congressional Engagement: Serve as the primary liaison to the House and Senate Armed Services Committees (HASC/SASC) and Appropriations Committees (HAC-D/SAC-D) to ensure company priorities are reflected in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and annual defense appropriations.
  • Executive Branch Liaison: Work with business development team to navigate the U.S. Army acquisition system and Department of War policy bodies to align company capabilities with emerging requirements and modernization priorities.
  • Policy Leadership: Monitor and analyze federal budget cycles and defense policy shifts, providing actionable intelligence to internal executive leadership.
  • Consultant Management: Manage outside consultants to magnify impact of in-house government relations efforts.
  • Cross-Functional Coordination: Coordinate with business development, communications, and other functions to ensure alignment between government relations activities and broader business objectives.
  • Support Executive Leadership: Support senior government relations and business executives in understanding policy landscape and conducting engagement with cabinet-level and other senior government officials.

Qualifications:
  • Bachelor's degree, Graduate degree preferred.
  • 15 years of professional experience in government relations, defense policy, or military legislative affairs.
  • Proven network of contacts within the congressional defense committees and/or U.S. Army acquisition leadership.
  • Strong understanding of federal legislative and regulatory processes, specifically focused on the NDAA and Defense Appropriations cycles.
  • Exceptional oral and written ability to translate complex technical capabilities into compelling policy and value propositions for non-technical stakeholders.
  • Must be based in or willing to relocate to the Washington, DC area

Hanwha Defense USA is committed to pay transparency and equitable compensation practices. The salary range listed for this position represents a good faith estimate of the base pay we reasonably expect to offer for the position at the time of posting. Actual compensation may vary based on relevant skills/experience, education and certifications, market conditions, geographic location and internal pay equity. In addition to base salary, employees may be eligible for discretionary annual bonuses, benefits, and other forms of compensation as part of Hanwha Defense USA's total rewards package.

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