Manager, Government Affairs

Company Overview

Why Choose Us?

Novolex is a leading manufacturer of food, beverage, and specialty packaging that supports multiple industries including foodservice, restaurant delivery and carryout, food processing, grocery and retail, and industrial sectors. Novolex manufacturing and sourcing expertise spans a diverse range of substrates including resin, paper, molded fiber, aluminum and more. We provide customers a broad array of stock and customized solutions with 120 product categories, 250 brands and over 39,000 SKUs.

Our Sustainability Commitment

The Novolex sustainability vision is built upon three pillars: our products, our operations and our people. Each is critically important to our growth and future as a business. These pillars form the foundation of our company-wide commitment to sustainability, helping us achieve our ambitious goals through our wide-ranging initiatives.

Job Description

Position Summary

 

The Manager, Government Affairs reports to Vice President of Government Affairs to support and advance Novolex’s regional and state-level public policy goals across the Midwest or Eastern United States. This role is responsible for monitoring and analyzing legislative and regulatory developments, developing, and executing communications and advocacy strategies, managing stakeholder engagement initiatives, and supporting compliance planning related to enacted legislation and regulations. The manager serves as a critical link between policymakers, regulators, industry stakeholders, and internal business functions. The Manager identifies emerging policy risks and opportunities, communicates potential business impacts to leadership, and helps ensure the organization is prepared to respond to changing legislative and regulatory environments. The successful candidate works collaboratively across the organization to capture stakeholder perspectives, develop company positions on policy issues and legislation, and represent those positions before policymakers and regulators. 

 

Key Responsibilities

• Monitor and analyze state legislative and regulatory activity using tracking platforms.
• Track packaging, plastics, fiber, recycling, EPR, recycled content, sustainability, environmental and trade policy developments across assigned region
• Evaluate proposed legislation and regulations toidentify and communicate business impacts, risks, opportunities, and compliance considerations. 
• Advise business leaders to help develop and/or execute policy positions, advocacy strategies, issue campaigns, and stakeholder engagement plans.
• Prepare legislative summaries, policy analyses, executive briefings, testimony, comment letters, and advocacy materials.
• Coordinate efforts with contract lobbyists, communications consultants, trade associations, coalition partners, and internal stakeholders.
• Build relationships with legislators, regulators, agency personnel, industry associations, sustainability organizations, and thought leaders.
• Capture and represent internal stakeholder perspectives andfacilitate development of company positions on policy issues, legislation, and specific bill provisions. 
• Communicate legislative and regulatory risks to internal and external business stakeholders and ensure leadership awareness of emerging developments.
• Map compliance pathways for enacted legislation and advise business leaders regarding implementation requirements and regulatory obligations.
• Support communications and engagement with government agencies regarding reporting, rulemaking, compliance, and implementation activities.

Key Qualifications 

• Bachelor degree in Political Science, Public Policy, Government, Communications, Business, or related field.
• 5+ years of relevant experience in government affairs, public policy, public affairs, communications, regulatory affairs, legislative affairs, or stakeholder advocacy or 3+ years of deep experience focused on packaging policy, sustainability, recycling, EPR, environmental policy, manufacturing policy, or related issue advocacy campaigns.
• Possesses the confidence, gravitas, and professional credibility necessary to influence decision-makers and effectively represent the company in meetings with elected officials, regulatory agencies, industry leaders, coalition partners, and senior executives
• Strong written, verbal, presentation, and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Ability to synthesize complex policy issues into business-focused recommendations.
• Ability to work independently in a remote environment and manage multiple priorities.
• Ability to travel as needed.

Preferred Qualifications

• Knowledge of plastics and/or fiber packaging, rec