Senior Legislative Analyst

About the role

MDW Associates is currently seeking a Senior Legislative Analyst to work with our government client in Arlington, VA. The Senior Legislative Analyst will support the Office of the Under Secretary of War for Acquisition and Sustainment (OUSW(A&S)), which plays a critical role within the Department of War (DoW). This role is hybrid and is on-site two to three days per week.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary point of contact for legislative correspondence and legislative task coordination, providing deep subject matter expertise with the federal legislative process, war policy, and statutory frameworks governing DoW operations.
• Manage the flow of information, assigning action items to appropriate personnel and proactively tracking progress against established timelines and performance metrics.
• Perform task management, status reporting, and keep leadership consistently apprised of ongoing legislative activities, potential challenges, and mitigation strategies.
• Develop legislative proposals; review draft and final legislation (National Defense Authorization Acts (NDAA), appropriations bills, and other stand-alone legislation); assign, coordinate, and complete congressional reporting requirements; develop legislative informal views; review hearing testimony; and support in-person and virtual congressional engagement by coordinating advance policy questions and responses to questions for the record.
• Develop Hearing Ready books for A&S leaders to testify on the Hill on various pricing, contracting, and acquisition topics, and gather information needed to prepare for testimony.
• Support responses to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, media engagement, and speaking engagements.
• Perform research and data analysis to draft responses to Requests for Information (RFIs) for both internal and external stakeholders.

Requirements

• At least 7 years of practical experience, including at least 3 years of recent staff‑level service at the Component level or higher.
• Demonstrated expertise in legislative affairs or policy analysis.
• Leadership in managing legislative portfolios or supervising analysts.
• Specialization in defense policy areas.
• Experience preparing testimony and briefing materials or representing organizations in legislative sessions.
• Proven ability to collaborate across agencies and sectors.
• Capable of working independently in a fast-paced environment, managing multiple concurrent tasks with urgent deadlines.
• Ability to interface with other congressional analysts throughout the DoW and other internal and external stakeholders.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to synthesize complex legislative language and quickly determine DoW equities.
• Bachelor's Degree required; Advanced Degree preferred.
• Active Secret Security Clearance required.

Preferred Experience/Skills

• Certification in Acquisition Program Management Practitioner (or Legacy Level III) or Contracting Professional (or Legacy Level III) is highly desirable.