Cox Enterprises is a diverse global enterprise with more than a century of ambitious reinvention. Its businesses span multiple industries, addressing complex challenges and evolving markets. The Senior Manager, Government Affairs – Political Strategy and Programs is a key member of Cox Enterprises’ Public Policy Office in Washington, D.C., responsible for setting and driving enterprise-wide political engagement strategy in support of Cox’s business and policy priorities.
This role owns the end-to-end strategy, governance, and execution of Cox’s political engagement ecosystem, including Cox’s employee-funded political action committee (CoxPAC), corporate political giving, and broader political programming. It establishes a multi-year PAC and political engagement strategy for Cox’s full portfolio of businesses, ensuring alignment with enterprise advocacy priorities and evolving policy landscapes.
In addition, this role will develop and expand lobbying capabilities, integrating political programming with federal and state advocacy strategies to maximize impact. The Senior Manager serves as a strategic advisor to Government Affairs and executive leadership, ensuring that political support, relationships, and engagement efforts are tightly aligned to business outcomes.
Key Responsibilities
Enterprise Political Strategy & PAC Ownership
Establish and lead the enterprise-wide PAC and political engagement strategy across Cox’s portfolio of businesses, ensuring alignment with public policy priorities and long-term advocacy goals.
Define and execute a multi-year strategic roadmap for CoxPAC and related political giving programs, including priorities, support frameworks, and success measures.
Translate evolving political, legislative, and regulatory dynamics into proactive engagement strategies that position Cox effectively.
Serve as a strategic thought partner to Government Affairs leadership on political support, relationships, and influence strategy.
PAC Governance, Strategy Execution & Operations
Own governance, oversight, and operational excellence of CoxPAC, ensuring strong controls, decision transparency, and executive alignment.
Serve as primary advisor and lead staff liaison to the CoxPAC Management Committee, with responsibility for meeting agendas, briefing materials, recommendations, decision documentation, and reporting.
Build and maintain best-in-class governance model, including policies, controls, reporting mechanisms, and audit readiness.
Oversee budgeting, forecasting, and performance measurement for all political programs, ensuring ROI alignment with enterprise objectives.
Manage the annual PAC solicitation campaign and year-round engagement programs, including leadership-supported initiatives and fundraising activities.
Oversee PAC communications (newsletters, updates, educational materials) and prepare executive-level presentations and internal briefings.
Design and coordinate PAC events and engagement programming, including tracking and analyzing participation and outcomes; lead the team’s efforts around major Washington, D.C. engagement moments (e.g., fly-in programming).
Political Programs Strategy & Governance
Lead the planning and execution of Cox’s political programs strategy, including CoxPAC and related political engagement activities, in coordination with Government Affairs leadership.
Develop and manage multi-year program priorities and annual budget and operating plans that align political engagement with Cox’s broader public policy goals and advocacy objectives.
Support federal advocacy efforts by tracking political dynamics, stakeholder priorities, and election-cycle considerations.
Establish and maintain best-in-class governance frameworks, controls, and reporting mechanisms to ensure transparency, accountability, and operational excellence.
Federal & State Compliance (PAC + Political Giving)
Ensure end-to-end compliance with Federal Election Commission requirements, internal controls, and audit-ready operational safeguards; oversee contribution and disbursement processing, reporting, recordkeeping, and approval documentation.
Coordinate state political giving and compliance with state laws with state government affairs team, including monitoring state contribution limits, disclosure and reporting requirements, and registration rules; supporting state-level political giving programs where permitted; and partnering with internal stakeholders and outside counsel to maintain compliant processes across jurisdictions.
Maintain scalable systems, workflows, and internal approval processes that make compliance reliable, consistent, and scalable.
Cross-Functional Partnership & External Engagement
Coordinate across government affairs, legal, communications, and executive stakeholders to ensure political engagement activities reinforce company positioning, policy priorities, and advocacy strategy.
Work with Talent Development Team and other internal partners in support of the DC-based Leadership Development Fly-in and related programs and engagement opportunities.
Represent Cox Enterprises externally at events, conferences, and meetings; build relationships with peer companies, trade associations, and relevant organizations.
Manage vendor relationships supporting political programs.
Integrated Political Engagement & Lobbying
Develop and expand lobbying capabilities, integrating PAC strategy with federal and state advocacy efforts.
Support and increasingly lead direct lobbying engagement, including participation in congressional meetings, coalition work, and policy advocacy initiatives.
Ensure alignment between political giving, stakeholder engagement, and legislative priorities to maximize enterprise influence.
Advise on candidate strategy, relationship-building, and election-cycle engagement decisions.
Qualifications
Required
Bachelor’s degree with 8+ years of experience setting and driving political engagement strategy with demonstrated ability to manage complex programs involving multiple stakeholders, tight deadlines, and compliance-sensitive workflows. A candidate may also have a Master's degree with 6+ years of experience or a Ph.D. with 3+ years of experience. A nondegreed candidate will have 12+ years of experiece.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, including experience creating executive-ready materials and presentations.
Preferred / Differentiators
Strong working knowledge of federal and state campaign finance laws and compliance controls.
Experience partnering with outside counsel on campaign finance compliance.
Experience in a Congressional office, political campaign or fundraising organization.
Experience supporting federal lobbying efforts or interest in expanding into that work.
Familiarity with or interest in Cox’s major policy areas and operating businesses.
Compensation:
Compensation includes a base salary in the range of $161,900.00 - $269,900.00. The base salary may vary within the anticipated base pay range based on factors such as the ultimate location of the position and the selected candidate’s knowledge, skills, and abilities. Position may be eligible for additional compensation that may include an incentive program.
Benefits:
The Company offers eligible employees the flexibility to take as much vacation with pay as they deem consistent with their duties, the company’s needs, and its obligations; seven paid holidays throughout the calendar year; and up to 160 hours of paid wellness annually for their own wellness or that of family members. Employees are also eligible for additional paid time off in the form of bereavement leave, time off to vote, jury duty leave, volunteer time off, military leave, and parental leave.
Applicants must currently be authorized to work in the United States for any employer without current or future sponsorship.
