Full Time: Federal Lobbying Associate

The Federal Lobbying Associate is a key member of the Atlas Community Studios team responsible for supporting the firm’s federal advocacy, funding strategy, and policy analysis work. This role focuses on helping clients navigate the federal appropriations and authorization processes, identify and pursue federal funding opportunities, and build relationships with congressional offices and federal agencies.

This individual will work closely with the CEO and the Atlas team to support federal lobbying initiatives, develop funding strategies, and monitor federal legislation and policy developments that affect economic and community development programs.

A qualified candidate is someone who:

Understands how federal policy, appropriations, and legislation shape real-world outcomes in communities.
Is intimately familiar with federal appropriations and authorization processes and enjoys tracking legislation and policy developments.
Is comfortable engaging with congressional staff, federal agency officials, and client stakeholders.
Is well-versed in federal grant programs that support economic development, infrastructure, workforce development, housing, and community revitalization.
Is excited about supporting rural communities and underserved regions in accessing federal resources.
Can translate complex federal policy and funding opportunities into clear, actionable strategies for clients.
Thrives working independently in a remote setting while collaborating closely with a small, mission-driven team.
Has excellent research, writing, and organizational skills with strong attention to detail.
Is comfortable managing multiple priorities and deadlines in a fast-paced work environment.
Wants to contribute to a mission-driven, tight-knit team that values quality, trust, and impact.

Preferred Background & Experience
While not required, candidates with the following experience may be especially well-suited for this role:

Professional experience working in Congress, particularly in a congressional office or committee involved in appropriations, authorization, or policy development.
Experience working for a federal agency with familiarity in program development, grant administration, or federal funding programs.
Familiarity with the federal appropriations process, including Community Project Funding (CPF) / Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) requests.
Knowledge of federal grant programs that support economic and community development, infrastructure, workforce development, housing, or rural development (e.g., EDA, USDA, HUD, DOT, DOL, EPA).
Experience supporting federal advocacy strategies, including policy research, briefing memo preparation, legislative tracking, and stakeholder engagement.
Interest in rural development, regional economic development, and community-based capacity building.

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Job Description PDF

A NOTE ON QUALIFICATIONS & SKILLS

We’re committed to building a team that brings diverse perspectives, experiences, and strengths to our work. We value what you can do over where or how you’ve done it, and we recognize that skills can be developed in many different ways. While no candidate is expected to have every skill listed, the above strengths tend to support success in this role.

Key Responsibilities

The position of Federal Lobbying Associate includes, but is not limited to, the following day-to-day responsibilities:

Federal Policy & Legislative Tracking

Monitor federal legislation, appropriations bills, and authorization measures relevant to client priorities.
Track federal funding opportunities and legislative developments affecting economic and community development programs.
Prepare policy briefings and summaries of federal legislation, agency guidance, and regulatory changes.
Maintain internal trackers of federal funding opportunities, appropriations updates, and congressional actions.

Congressional & Federal Agency Engagement

Support the coordination of meetings with congressional offices and federal agencies.
Assist with the preparation of briefing materials for congressional meetings, including background memos and talking points.
Draft follow-up communications and correspondence with congressional offices and agency officials.
Assist with organizing and coordinating client visits to Washington, DC, including congressional fly-ins and agency meetings.

Appropriations & Federal Advocacy

Support the development of Community Project Funding (CPF) and Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) requests.
Draft appropriations justifications, project summaries, and supporting materials.
Assist with programmatic appropriations requests and report language proposals.
Track earmark guidance, deadlines, and congressional submission requirements.

Federal Funding Strategy

Research federal grant programs across agencies such as EDA, USDA, HUD, DOT, DOL, EPA, and others relevant to economic and community development.
Assist with the development of federal funding strategies for communities, universities, nonprofits, and economic development organizations.
Analyze federal funding notices (e.g., NOFOs, NOFAs, FOAs, BAAs, etc.) and agency priorities to determine alignment with client projects.
Support internal teams in developing grant strategies when projects require federal advocacy or policy engagement.

Research & Writing

Conduct policy and program research to support strategic planning, funding strategies, and advocacy efforts.
Draft memos, reports, and policy analyses for internal and client use.
Contribute to written deliverables, including funding strategies, advocacy plans, and briefing documents.
Assist with drafting letters of support, congressional correspondence, and advocacy materials.

Location & Travel

This position must be located in the Washington, DC metropolitan area due to the nature of federal advocacy work. This is a work-from-home position with an expectation of regular in-person meetings with congressional offices and federal agencies in Washington, DC. Some travel is required (approximately 15-20%) to support client engagements, site visits, conferences, and team retreats. Travel typically includes overnight stays and is coordinated based on team availability. All travel expenses are covered per our company travel policy.

Compensation & Benefits

This is a full-time position with a starting salary range of $75,000–$95,000, based on experience.

In addition, Atlas offers a comprehensive benefits package, including:

Generous holiday time off (includes all federal holidays and company-wide end-of-year PTO)
Responsible and required PTO
100% medical coverage for employees
Vision and dental insurance
Short- and long-term disability insurance
401(k) with up to a 4% match
Paid parental leave
Life insurance
Profit-sharing bonuses
Professional development opportunities
Flexible work schedules

Ready to Apply?

We are accepting applications until March 20, 2026, @ 11:59 pm CST. The application process is designed to reduce hiring bias.

Complete the short questionnaire on our website and upload your resume. All personal and identifying information will be redacted by an individual not involved in the scoring process before review.
Applications will be scored using a pre-determined rubric, and selected applicants will participate in a 45-minute interview with two team members.
Interviews will be scored using a pre-determined rubric, and selected applicants will have a final interview with our CEO.

We appreciate every applicant’s time and interest in the position, and we will contact each candidate regarding the outcome of their application.

Please note: To ensure a fair and equitable process, we are not conducting individual conversations outside of the formal application process. We will only review applications submitted through the official process outlined in the job posting. Unsolicited emails, messages, or resumes sent outside of this process will not receive a response.

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