About Covista
Covista is America's largest healthcare educator, serving more than 97,000 students and supported by a community of 385,000 alumni across five accredited institutions. Through personalized, tech-enabled education powered by 10,000 faculty and colleagues, Covista expands access to healthcare careers and addresses the U.S. healthcare workforce shortage at scale.
Covista is the parent company of American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine, Chamberlain University, Ross University School of Medicine, Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine and Walden University.
Our colleagues come from a wide range of backgrounds, business, academia, healthcare, government and non‑profits, and are part of a culture where doing exceptional work and making a meaningful difference for students and society aren't separate goals— they’re one and the same. This means creating an environment where colleagues can develop new skills, build careers that match their ambitions and see the tangible impact of their work on healthcare education and workforce development.
We operate on a hybrid schedule with four in‑office days per week (Monday–Thursday), enhancing creativity, innovation, communication and relationship‑building.
For more information, visit covista.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube.
Job Description
This role sits within Covista's Corporate Affairs team and reports to the Senior Director, Government Relations and Public Affairs. You'll lead Covista's state‑level government relations strategy — owning the relationships, managing the in‑market resources, and driving the proactive policy engagement that allows Covista's institutions to operate, expand and compete.
Responsibilities
- Own and drive Covista's state government relations strategy across priority markets.
- Develop and maintain a proactive state legislative agenda — identifying opportunities to advance Covista's interests before issues materialize.
- Monitor state legislative sessions, regulatory proceedings and executive agency actions across multiple states simultaneously; ensure no significant development reaches leadership as a surprise.
- Translate state policy developments into clear, actionable intelligence for segment and institutional leaders making strategic decisions about campuses, programs and partnerships.
- Partner closely with Legal and Regulatory Affairs on state licensing, authorization and compliance matters — ensuring legislative strategy and regulatory strategy are coordinated, not siloed.
- Manage Covista's network of contract lobbyists across priority states — setting clear direction, holding them accountable to outcomes and ensuring their efforts are tied to Covista's strategic priorities.
- Conduct regular lobbyist performance assessments; make recommendations on where to invest, where to restructure coverage and where gaps exist.
- Build and steward direct relationships with state legislators, legislative staff, governors' offices, state agencies and healthcare system partners in key markets.
- Identify and pursue opportunities for Covista to take a proactive seat at the table in state policy conversations — through testimony, coalition engagement or direct stakeholder outreach — rather than showing up only when legislation threatens.
- Serve as a key government relations partner to Chamberlain University and Walden University segment leadership, providing ongoing intelligence, strategic counsel and engagement support as they make decisions about campus operations and community positioning.
- Connect institutional leaders to the policy environment in their markets — surfacing relevant legislative activity, identifying local relationships worth building and flagging risks early enough to act on them.
- Partner with business development colleagues on new initiatives, providing the political groundwork and stakeholder engagement that supports strategic growth decisions.
- Work in close partnership with the broader government relations/public affairs function to ensure state-level advocacy is supported by a proactive public affairs strategy.
- Leverage the Covista Foundation's programming and community partnerships as substantive assets in state relationships.
- Deploy Covista thought leadership materials at the state and local level to show the impact of healthcare workforce shortages.
- Represent Covista at state-level legislative engagement events, political functions and industry convenings — maintaining a visible, credible presence on behalf of the organization in priority markets.
- Oversee administration of Covista's state political contributions operations — including strategic disbursement decisions, budget management and coordination with state laws and regulations, compliance firm, and internal stakeholders to include Legal to ensure accuracy and alignment with advocacy priorities.
- Ensure full compliance with state and/or federal ethics requirements, campaign finance reporting obligations, and lobbying disclosure regulations across all active jurisdictions; ensure all compliance deadlines are met.
Qualifications
- 10+ years of experience in state government relations, public affairs or legislative affairs.
- Demonstrated experience managing contract lobbyists or external government affairs consultants across multiple states simultaneously.
- Track record of proactive state legislative engagement — not only defensive advocacy but building relationships and advancing priorities before they are at risk.
- Experience working with or within healthcare, higher education or similarly regulated industries preferred.
- Familiarity with state student financial aid frameworks, clinical education policy or state authorization of distance education programs a plus.
- Experience serving as a strategic advisor to senior business or institutional leaders on government affairs matters.
- Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree in public policy, law or related field preferred.
- Demonstrated ability to manage multiple workstreams, competing priorities and urgent matters simultaneously with sound judgment and composure under pressure.
- Experience with state compliance and state disclosure reporting (e.g., state ethics filings).
Skills
- Deep knowledge of state legislative processes and the ability to track and synthesize activity across multiple states and sessions simultaneously.
- Build and maintain relationships with state officials, legislative staff, industry associations and healthcare system leaders.
- Strong political instincts: knows when to engage directly and when to work through coalition.
- Strong project management skills; able to develop timelines, track multiple workstreams and deliver on cross‑functional commitments with rigor and follow‑through.
- Highly adaptable; brings a sense of urgency to emerging issues while maintaining accuracy and strategic focus in a fast‑moving, high‑stakes environment.
- Translates complex policy developments into clear, actionable guidance for non‑government relations audiences, including institutional presidents and segment executives.
- Manages external consultants with clear direction and accountability.
- Exceptional written communicator: policy memos, legislative briefs, stakeholder correspondence and executive counsel.
- Comfortable moving at pace in an integrated Corporate Affairs environment where advocacy and narrative working hand‑in‑hand is a must.
- Familiarity with legislative intelligence platforms (Quorum or similar) and a data‑informed approach to tracking and reporting outcomes.
Additional Information
In support of the pay transparency laws enacted across the country, the expected salary range for this position is between $100,171.61 and $181,034.70. Actual pay will be adjusted based on job‑related factors permitted by law, such as experience and training; geographic location; licensure and certifications; market factors; departmental budgets; and responsibility.
Benefits
- Health, dental, vision, life and disability insurance.
- 401(k) Retirement Program + 6% employer match.
- Participation in Covista's Flexible Time Off (FTO) Policy.
- 12 Paid Holidays.
- Annual incentive program subject to the program's rules, with award depending on various performance factors.
Equal Opportunity
Covista is an Equal Opportunity – Minority / Female / Disability / V / Gender Identity / Sexual Orientation employer.
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