Director, Regulatory Affairs and Advocacy

Brief Description:  This position will be the staff lead for the department.

Department/Unit:  Regulatory Affairs and Advocacy/Public Affairs

FLSA Status:  Full-time, Exempt

Location:  This position is located onsite at the APTA headquarters in Alexandria, VA

About APTA

Do you want to contribute to an organization dedicated to improving societal health? Would you like to collaborate with colleagues who are passionate about making a difference? Are you excited to work in a new state-of-the-art building designed to encourage movement, participation, and employee health?

Then you want to work for APTA!

APTA is the trusted leader for the physical therapy profession, representing more than 100,000 physical therapists, physical therapist assistants, and physical therapy students. Our approximately 150 employees support the association’s mission to build a community that advances the profession of physical therapy to improve the health of society.

Located in Alexandria, Virginia, APTA has outstanding employee benefits, including flexible work schedules, generous retirement contributions, and travel subsidies for employees who choose public and active transportation.

Summary

Reporting to the Vice President of Public Affairs, this position will be the lead staff for the department.  Implements strategies to support organizational priorities with focus on departmental contributions to public engagement strategy for Association. Supervises staff including ensuring adherence to Association policies and procedures, coaching staff and supporting engagement and participation in the workplace. Supports appointed and member volunteer groups and APTA leadership. Prepares for approval compliance requirements and documents and seeks out opportunities for continuous quality improvement in department activities. Is an effective champion of the Association vision, mission and brand.

Essential Functions

• Key decision maker in discussions about overall regulatory positioning, tone, and strategy on advocacy efforts aimed at the Executive Branch
• Advises and provides recommendations to the CEO and Board of Directors on regulatory strategy for the association
• Provides counsel, support, and presentations to executives and leadership in all regulatory relations issues; ensure that executives have a clear and timely view of opportunities and challenges
• Leads APTA’s efforts on advocacy aimed at federal regulatory payment efforts including annual proposed rules governing the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, Skilled Nursing Facilities, Home Health, Medicare Advantage, among others
• Seeks new methods and creative strategies to advance key regulatory and payment initiatives and other topics of interest
• Leads APTA advocacy efforts aimed at identifying, developing, maintaining, and leveraging and fostering relationships with key staff of executive branch agencies responsible for relevant policymaking to advance APTA’s policy agenda, including HHS, CMS, MedPAC, Veterans Administration, NIH, ONC, CDC, etc.
• Leads, identifies, develops, and oversees the execution and evaluation of a coordinated regulatory advocacy strategy designed to advance APTA’s Public Policy Agenda
• Prepares and oversees the preparation of analyses, issue briefs, letters, testimony, regulatory comments, model legislative language, and other policy-related resources as needed that are designed to advance the relevant health care priorities within APTA’s Public Policy Agenda
• Identifies, develops, maintains, and leverages relationships with relevant staff of external organizations, including coalitions, in accordance with relevant APTA policies
• Collaborates on communications, messaging, and grassroots materials that are designed to advance APTA’s Public Policy Agenda
• Develops and oversees the development of articles and other products for online and print communications
• Provides technical assistance to APTA’s membership, consumers, and other interested parties as needed
• Contributes to implementing public engagement strategy for the Association
• Accountable for meeting performance expectations and metrics for department and respective budget activities
• Assures preparation of compliance requirements as outlined below including timely submission of all required forms
• Supervises staff within the department, assuring adherence to policies and procedures, coaching staff, recruitment and retention of team members and ensuring morale, engagement, and participation in the workplace
• Provides recommendations on advancing operations within the department to gain efficiencies, grow revenue, and provide stewardship of association resources
• Contributes to quality assurance and continuous quality/performance improvement in department activities, including supporting unit leader in annual assessments of respective budget activities described above
• Supports the Public Affairs team in the implementation of the Association’s programs, priorities, and projects
• Manages implementation of appointed and volunteer groups efforts in partnership with unit lead and staff colleagues
• Provides department level data which supports and aligns with the APTA data strategy respective jurisdictional budget activities
• Provides strategic insight, counsel, data and intelligence to unit leader and executive leadership as appropriate on best practices related to the work of Public Relations through briefings, reports and presentations
• Supports external relationship growth and collaboration through relationship building with external counterparts. Contributes to unit efforts to seek business opportunities which align with public engagement strategy, the APTA brand, and organizational priorities