Legislative Assistant to Senator Leonard Christian

About the role

The legislative assistant will reside in-district and temporarily relocate to Olympia during the legislative session to support Senator Christian’s office year-round. The LA serves as the first point of contact for constituents and stakeholders, manages daily operations, and helps advance the Senator’s policy priorities.

Responsibilities

• Manage the daily operations of Senator Christian’s office.
• Attend in-district meetings with the Senator and on the Senator’s behalf when the legislature is not in session.
• Serve as a liaison between the Senator and internal/external parties (legislators, staff, lobbyists, agencies, local/federal governments, tribal nations, and constituents).
• Field public questions about legislation, the Senator’s positions, and legislative processes.
• Collaborate with caucus communications staff on talking points, press releases, mailings, town halls, and district-specific media strategies.
• Draft and review responses to legislative correspondence, exercising independent judgment to determine appropriate actions.
• Assist constituents with interactions with state agencies.
• Meet with constituents, lobbyists, and other parties on behalf of the Senator.
• Organize in-person and virtual legislative events.
• Monitor district-specific issues and concerns.
• Maintain the Senator’s legislative calendar, prioritizing meetings, preparing briefing materials, and arranging travel.
• Oversee the Senator’s legislative office budget, including equipment purchases and travel reimbursements.
• Manage, submit, and track the Senator’s budget requests throughout the budget process.
• Recruit and train session staff in consultation with the Senator; supervise temporary staff and interns during the legislative session.
• Oversee the progression of bills and amendments through the legislative process.
• Facilitate communication between the Senator and stakeholders during legislation creation and development.
• Organize committee testimony for the Senator’s prime sponsor bills.
• Collaborate with partisan caucus policy staff and non-partisan committee services staff to implement policy goals.
• Maintain and preserve legislative office records; conduct records searches for public records requests as needed.

Requirements

• Familiarity with the 4th Legislative District.
• Highly motivated self-starter able to work independently and support Senator Christian’s policy priorities while balancing competing demands.
• Strong organizational skills with emphasis on time management, prioritization, and focus on the Senator’s and constituents’ needs.
• Strong customer service skills, providing courteous and timely responses to constituents.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and exercise professional judgment and discretion.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to interact tactfully with diverse personalities.
• Ability to build productive working relationships with Senators, staff, lobbyists/advocates, and constituents.
• Well-developed project management skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to understand and competently operate legislative computer systems and video conferencing software.
• Understanding of, or willingness to learn, the committee and leadership structure of the Washington State Legislature.
• Understanding of, or willingness to learn, the public records law and legislative records retention schedule.

Qualifications

• A bachelor’s degree AND one year of related work experience OR an equivalent combination of experience and education.

Additional Requirements

• Must be willing and able to temporarily relocate to Olympia for the legislative session.
• Relocation compensation is available for permanent staff living more than 50 miles from Olympia.
• When the Legislature is not in session, in-state remote work is supported, but the LA must be based in-district and available for in-person meetings.
• Must be available for in-person training and legislative meetings at the Capitol Campus in Olympia during interim.
• Long and irregular hours are required during the legislative session, including evenings and weekends; flexible scheduling is available when the Legislature is not in session.

Pay

The salary range is $5,061 – $8,770 monthly, with the hiring salary below the top of the range.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, vision, life, and long-term disability insurance.
• Vacation, sick, military, bereavement, and civil leave.
• Twelve paid holidays per year.
• State retirement plan and deferred compensation.
• Healthcare flexible spending account and dependent care assistance.
• Infant at work policy.
• Optional credit unions and paid subscription to DeleteMe.
• Tuition reimbursement.