ABOUT THE INITIATIVE AND OUR POLICY WORK
This role spans two connected areas of our work: a new global health initiative and public policy across our coalitions.
Global Health. We're building a private sector engagement initiative on global health, funded by a philanthropic partner. It will connect to the Health Action Alliance while standing on its own. Global health has moved from a settled bipartisan commitment to a contested one, and the business community has largely stayed out of the conversation. The goal is to make the business case for sustained U.S. leadership in global health, and to give corporate government and public affairs executives a structured way to engage on it, through a new working group, peer briefings, and policy education. This role owns it and shapes it from the ground floor.
Public Policy. Our coalitions bring the business community into health policy conversations companies have historically sat out. Employers have standing with policymakers that public health advocates often don’t, and a direct stake in the outcomes. We prepare them with the language, the peer context, and a low-risk way to use it.
Our firm and our work are nonpartisan, and our coalitions are built to engage people from across the political spectrum. Our focus is on policy education, not lobbying. Much of our funding comes from foundations, nonprofits, and corporate arms committed not to lobby, and our programs operate within those limits.
NOTE: This role requires you to live in Washington, D.C. although you will be home-based / mostly remote.
THE ROLE
Meteorite is seeking a Director, Program Strategy & Public Policy, to build and lead our global health initiative and set policy strategy across our coalition portfolio.
The core of the job is translation between corporate government affairs leaders, who decide whether and how their companies engage on an issue, and policymakers and their staff. You’ll be fluent in both rooms: what a policy change means for a company’s operations, workforce, or supply chain, and what a company’s experience means for a policymaker weighing a decision.
You'll help broaden our reach with policymakers across the political spectrum, including audiences that haven't traditionally engaged on these issues. That means understanding what each one cares about and building the case in terms that hold up with them.
This role is based in Washington. The relationships at the center of it, with policymakers and corporate government affairs teams, are best built in person.
WHAT YOU'LL DO
You’ll lead across four areas, with most of your time in the global health initiative. On any given week, the balance between them may shift.
Lead Our Global Health Initiative: This is the largest piece of the job, and you own it outright, including the relationship with the partner funding it. You’ll develop the business case for sustained U.S. leadership in global health, decide which sectors and companies to prioritize, and recruit and convene a working group of corporate public and government affairs executives. From there, you’ll keep growing that group, keep it engaged through briefings and peer-learning sessions, produce materials executives can use inside their own companies, and coordinate policy education opportunities in Washington and, potentially, in select states. The program carries a fixed reporting schedule, and meeting it is part of the job.
Lead Public Policy Across Our Coalitions: You'll set the policy direction for our coalitions and be part of the team that carries it out. That starts with the public policy cohort of U.S. Business Action to End HIV, which meets biweekly and engages with congressional offices, HHS, OMB, and NIH, and with state officials on funding for HIV prevention and care. You'll partner with the director who leads that coalition, along with the government relations leaders in the cohort and its two co-chairs, who know this landscape well. For Extreme Weather + Work and the new heart health coalition, you'll collaborate with those teams to build the policy direction and stand up similar structures where they make sense. Across all of it, you'll build and hold Meteorite's relationships with policymakers and administration officials.
Build and Lead a Team: You’ll define, hire, and manage an associate-level role, and you’ll draw on Meteorite colleagues and outside consultants across research, editorial, and program operations. You’ll also manage the budget for the global health initiative.
Grow the Work: The relationships you build open doors for our coalitions and bring new partners into the work. That's part of what directors do here, and we'll support you in it and recognize it in how we evaluate and reward the role.
WHAT YOU BRING
The qualities we’re prioritizing:
Fluency With Corporate Government Affairs: You understand how companies decide to engage on policy issues, who has to sign off, and what makes a general counsel nervous. You can turn a policy question into a business case and a business concern into a policy argument. You bring 10 or more years of experience from a trade association, a corporate government affairs or public affairs team, a congressional or committee policy role, or a federal agency.
Credibility Across the Political Spectrum: You've built real relationships with policymakers, administration officials, or organizations across the political spectrum, and those relationships are two-way — offices return your calls because they trust your read on an issue. You know who a policymaker actually listens to, which employers anchor their district, and how to frame our issues for audiences with different priorities. You've won over people who started out skeptical, and you'll bring us ideas we haven't considered.
Health Policy Fluency: You know how health policy gets made, funded, and rolled back in Washington. Global health experience is what we'd most like to see, since that's where the bulk of this role sits. Domestic health policy, public health, or healthcare experience works too, as long as you can learn an issue deeply enough to hold your own with people who have spent a career on it.
Judgment on Nonpartisan and Non-Lobbying Limits: You understand where policy education ends and lobbying begins, and you can operate confidently on the right side of that line. You’ll advise colleagues, partners, and member companies on what our programs can and cannot do when foundation funding, nonprofit partnerships, or other restrictions apply.
Client Relationships and Sharp Writing: You’ve owned a significant client or funder relationship, which means proactive communication, materials that arrive on time and in good shape, and no surprises. You track the details yourself, and you’re not above drafting the memo or updating the tracker. Your letters, briefs, and talking points get read, because you can take a complicated policy question and give a senior executive the three things they need to know.
METEORITE'S VALUES AND COMMITMENTS
- We work with integrity, move quickly, and hold ourselves to what we've committed to. In this role, that includes operating carefully inside the limits our funding carries.
- We are committed to civic engagement, health equity, and access to opportunity, as well as diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.
- We aim for a workplace built on psychological safety, coaching, and real development. We want Meteorite to be a place where people can thrive and grow their careers.
WE OFFER
- Group health, dental, and vision insurance plans that are heavily subsidized by the company
- Access to our 401(k) retirement plan, with company match
- PTO, parental leave, and sick days
- Student loan repayment benefits
- Coaching and professional development opportunities
- Paid time off for civic activities such as voting, serving as a poll worker, or jury duty
- Mental health benefits and access to an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) offering free, confidential, 24/7 support
- Technology stipend and remote workstation allowance
- Flexible spending accounts for medical, child, and/or elder care expenses
The anticipated base salary range for this position is listed below. Total compensation also includes an annual discretionary bonus targeted at 10% of base salary, based on individual and company performance. Directors are also eligible for compensation tied to the growth of the work they help build. Note, the salary offered within this range will take into account a broad spectrum of factors, including, but not limited to, location, years of relevant work experience, education, and other relevant qualifications specific to the role.
Base Compensation Range: $150,000 – $170,000
Meteorite is deeply committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all team members and consultants feel welcomed and empowered. More than a commitment not to discriminate, we actively encourage applicants of diverse backgrounds and identities to apply. We believe diverse perspectives will make us better, and we enthusiastically welcome all applicants, no matter their race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, age, or abilities. We will consider qualified candidates with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the Fair Chance Act. This job description is not designed to cover a comprehensive listing of duties required of the position. Responsibilities may evolve with the demands of the company.
To apply, please email your cover letter and resume to careers@wearemeteorite.com by Friday, September 18.
