Hybrid in Nashville, Tennessee
The Beacon Center is Tennessee’s premier free-market policy and public interest litigation organization. Beacon is pound-for-pound the most effective state-level think tank on the planet. With a staff of just 11, Beacon has achieved remarkable victories that have empowered Tennesseans to reclaim and protect their freedoms. Our accomplishments include:
- Repealing the state death tax and Hall Income Tax, becoming just the second state in history to eliminate an income tax. These tax cuts have cumulatively saved taxpayers more than $5 billion to date.
- Enacting universal school choice for families all across Tennessee.
- Leading the effort to enshrine right-to-work in the Tennessee Constitution, an amendment that passed with 70% of the vote in 2022.
- Advancing free market healthcare reforms, including direct primary care, an overhaul of Tennessee’s certificate of need laws, Medicaid work requirements, and a Right to Try Law that allows terminally ill patients to access life-saving treatments.
- Helping usher in the nation’s first Right to Earn a Living Act to bring about occupational licensing reform, and successfully repealing multiple licensing laws, resulting in Tennessee leading the nation in the reduction of licensing barriers.
More than 5.4 million Tennesseans have directly benefited from our work. But we’re still not satisfied, and we won’t be until Tennessee becomes and remains the freest, most prosperous state in the nation.
That’s why we are looking for new talent. Beacon seeks a Government Relations Manager who will help take our organization—and the freedom of our fellow Tennesseans—to the next level. This Nashville, Tennessee-based role will support Beacon’s already-successful government relations and advocacy capacity and drive our policy and legislative agenda at the state Capitol and in local communities across Tennessee. He or she will report directly to our Vice President of Policy & Advocacy.
Beacon is a lean, innovative organization that operates like a start-up. We are not afraid to take risks and develop new ways to solve old problems. And neither should our Government Relations Manager. He or she should have an entrepreneurial spirit, strategic agility, and a high velocity of work, and be persuasive, results-oriented, optimistic, and curious.
We believe that the principles of free markets, individual liberty, and limited government are the foundation of a prosperous and opportunity-laden society, so our Government Relations Manager must believe in and abide by these core principles.
Roles and Responsibilities:
- Support Vice President of Policy & Advocacy in managing the day-to-day operations of Beacon’s government relations arm, turning Beacon’s policy ideas into action through advocacy at the state and local levels.
- Analyze, track, and talk and write about legislation in which Beacon is engaged, monitoring and taking notes on relevant legislative committee hearings and floor sessions, and providing ad hoc support as needed.
- Collaborate with Beacon’s policy team to develop annual policy initiatives, and then establish and execute a legislative or executive strategy around those initiatives.
- Assist Vice President of Policy & Advocacy in preparing all needed materials to carry out Beacon’s legislative initiatives, including drafting bills and amendments, bill summaries, and talking points.
- Perform executive administrative assistant functions during legislative session, including scheduling meetings with legislators, and managing calendar holds for Beacon’s executive leadership team to capture and block out appropriate committee hearings and other meetings.
- Serve as a liaison to members of the General Assembly, governor’s administration, and their staff on all legislation in which Beacon is involved.
- Serve as liaison to local government officials in communities across Tennessee on Beacon’s core policy priorities.
- Coordinate with Beacon’s external affairs team to identify partners, coalitions, and individuals to assist in our advocacy strategy at both the state and local levels.
- Monitor relevant state and local boards, commissions, committees, and working groups outside of legislative session.
Preferred Experience:
- Bachelor’s degree or higher
- 2+ years working in or around the Tennessee General Assembly, elsewhere in state government, or for another state legislature, Congress, or state or national public policy organization
- In-depth understanding and respect for freedom and free market principles
How to Apply:
To apply, qualified individuals should submit the following application materials in one PDF document:
- Cover letter describing how your experiences align to the roles and responsibilities, and why you are drawn to the Beacon Center’s mission.
- Resume
- Salary requirements
Applications should be submitted to Jack Powers at jack.powers@beacontn.org. There is no application deadline for this position. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. This job will remain posted on our site until it is filled. While we thank all applicants in advance for their interest in this position, we are only able to contact those to whom we can offer an interview. Only direct applications will be considered. No phone calls, please.