Program Manager - Congressional Liaison

About the role

U.S. Federal Solutions (USFS) is a management consulting firm with offices and staff in the DC metro area, providing financial management, acquisition management, program management, and data analytic support services to federal and state governments. This position will provide strategic congressional affairs, legislative analysis, executive communications, and task management support to SF/DS and SF/S1 organizations at the Pentagon.

Responsibilities

• Advise senior Space Force leaders on congressional interests, legislative sensitivities, emerging issues, and the potential effects of legislation on SF/DS and SF/S1 programs, policies, resources, and operations
• Prepare senior leaders for congressional hearings, briefings, meetings, office calls, and other engagements by developing background materials, anticipated questions, recommended responses, and engagement strategies
• Develop and coordinate read-aheads, talking points, briefing papers, decision memoranda, legislative summaries, executive correspondence, and other congressional affairs products
• Draft, coordinate, staff, and track responses to congressional inquiries, requests for information, directed reports, questions for the record, follow-up letters, and statutory reporting requirements
• Monitor, analyze, and summarize proposed legislation, committee hearings, markups, floor activity, and other congressional developments affecting Space Force missions, personnel programs, budgets, and authorities
• Conduct detailed legislative analysis of the annual National Defense Authorization Act, Defense Appropriations legislation, committee reports, conference reports, and related defense policy measures
• Brief senior leadership on congressional dynamics, upcoming engagements, potential risks, legislative opportunities, and recommended communication or engagement approaches
• Manage congressional taskers and workflows within the Enterprise Task Management Software Solution, including suspense tracking, assignment coordination, quality control, staffing, and final response submission
• Coordinate congressional engagements, communications, and actions with the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force for Legislative Liaison and the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Financial Management and Comptroller
• Support annual congressional Posture Season activities, including hearing preparation sessions, mock hearings, pre-hearing late-night preparation events, briefing book development, and response to congressional requests for information
• Maintain comprehensive trackers for congressional correspondence, legislative requirements, hearing actions, requests for information, and leadership commitments
• Coordinate across Space Force directorates, action officers, subject matter experts, legal advisors, financial management personnel, and public affairs representatives to ensure accurate, consistent, and timely congressional responses
• Review congressional products for accuracy, clarity, consistency, executive-level presentation, and alignment with approved Department of the Air Force and Space Force positions
• Identify emerging legislative trends and congressional concerns that may affect organizational priorities and recommend proactive engagement strategies
• Facilitate meetings, working groups, and coordination sessions related to congressional engagements, reporting requirements, and legislative actions

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in political science, public policy, government, national security, communications, business, or a related field
• Significant professional experience supporting congressional affairs, legislative liaison, executive communications, government relations, or senior-level Department of Defense operations
• Demonstrated understanding of the federal legislative process, congressional committees, authorization and appropriations cycles, defense legislation, and congressional oversight activities
• Experience analyzing the National Defense Authorization Act, Defense Appropriations bills, committee reports, or other defense-related legislation
• Experience preparing senior leaders for congressional hearings, briefings, meetings, and other high-visibility engagements
• Strong experience drafting congressional correspondence, legislative summaries, talking points, briefing papers, questions for the record, directed reports, and executive-level communication products
• Experience managing high-visibility taskers, congressional reporting requirements, and requests for information in a deadline-driven environment
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate complex policy, program, budget, and legislative information into clear executive-level products
• Demonstrated ability to coordinate across senior leaders, headquarters staff, legislative affairs organizations, financial management offices, and subject matter experts
• Strong organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple priorities, short-notice requests, and competing deadlines with limited supervision
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams
• Ability to obtain and maintain the security clearance and access required for the position

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience supporting the United States Space Force, Department of the Air Force, Office of the Secretary of Defense, a military service headquarters, or another federal defense organization
• Experience coordinating directly with SAF/LL, SAF/FML, service legislative liaison offices, congressional committees, or congressional staff
• Experience using ETMS2, TMT, CATMS, or a comparable executive task management system
• Familiarity with Space Force personnel, manpower, readiness, policy, budget, or headquarters operations
• Experience supporting congressional Posture Season, confirmation hearings, budget hearings, legislative proposal development, or congressional delegation engagements
• Master's degree in public policy, government, national security, public administration, or a related discipline

Benefits

• Employer-provided paid Medical / Dental / Vision insurance
• Employer matching 401K plan
• PTO
• 11 Federal Holidays
• Additionally, voluntary benefits to include Short / Long Term Disability, Term Life, and AD&D Insurance