AvalonBay Communities · 2 months ago
Director - Government Affairs
LOC-10001-Arlington Office
Full-time
Onsite
Director/Executive
10+ years expAvalonBay Communities, Inc. is an equity REIT focused on developing and managing distinctive apartment homes across the U.S. They are seeking a Director of Government Affairs to build and lead their government affairs function, shaping strategies to respond to legislative and regulatory developments affecting their multifamily portfolio. This role involves advising senior leadership, coordinating across teams, and ensuring compliance while fostering engagement with policy forums.
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Responsibilities
Build the function: Design the structure, processes, and engagement model for a centralized government affairs capability
Shape the strategy: Develop our companywide policy agenda, risk framework, and performance metrics
Monitor and analyze: Leverage technology-enabled systems to track and assess legislative and regulatory activity across markets
Advise leadership: Provide clear, actionable guidance on emerging policy issues, their business implications, and recommended responses
Enable collaboration: Coordinate input across Executives, Regional leaders, Legal, Communications, and other teams to drive aligned positions and actions
Institutionalize knowledge: Create playbooks, policy briefs, and training to strengthen government affairs literacy and readiness across the organization
Foster engagement: Serve as the primary liaison between regional teams and corporate leadership, while at times representing AvalonBay in associations and policy forums
Ensure compliance: Manage governance and reporting for political contributions and government affairs activity
Qualification
Required
Bachelor's degree in Public Policy, Political Science, Urban Planning, or a related field (advanced degree preferred)
10+ years of experience in government relations, public affairs, or policy analysis—ideally within real estate, housing, or other regulated industries
Proven success building or scaling government affairs programs and strategies
Deep understanding of local and state legislative processes and regulatory dynamics
Strong executive communication and analytical skills with the ability to translate policy into business impact
Comfort leading in ambiguity, influencing without authority, and driving alignment across a decentralized organization
Ability to be on-site regularly in Arlington and travel up to 10%
Preferred
Experience in multifamily housing or real estate policy
Background building organizational capabilities in new or evolving functional areas
A strategic, solutions-oriented mindset and ability to earn credibility quickly with senior stakeholders
Benefits
Comprehensive benefits — health, dental and vision, 401(k) with company match, paid vacation and holidays, tuition reimbursement, an employee stock purchase plan and more.
Growth based on achievement and promotion from within.
Associate recognition (a company-wide recognition program that celebrates associate efforts and successes in contributing to the overall success of the organization – including destination awards, ‘AvalonBay’s Very Best’ recognition program and others!).
A 20% discount on our incredible apartment homes.
A culture built on purpose and our core values - A Commitment to Integrity, A Spirit of Caring, and A Focus on Continuous Improvement.
Company
AvalonBay Communities
AvalonBay Communities is a real estate investment company
1001-5000 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Public CompanyTotal Funding
$4.01BKey Investors
Private Advisor Group
2025-04-04Post Ipo Debt· $2.5B
2024-09-05Post Ipo Equity· $710.4M
2024-05-07Post Ipo Debt· $400M
Leadership Team
Sean J. Breslin
Chief Operating Officer
Kurt Conway
Senior Vice President, Corporate Strategy and Communications
Recent News
2026-01-09
2025-12-05
Company data provided by crunchbase