Advisor, Strategic Partnerships and Government Affairs

Job Summary

This role strengthens Ke Kula o Kamehameha’s (KS) ability to advance its mission and policy priorities through enduring partnerships, coordinated advocacy, and relational leadership grounded in trust and shared purpose. This role integrates cultivating partnerships across Hawaiian-serving, educational, aina-based, and philanthropic networks to support collective advocacy and systems change, and engaging policymakers and public agencies to advance enterprise priorities. Working under the direction of leadership, the Adviser ensures that KS' presence in community and government arenas is aligned, principled, and reflective of the organization’s values and strategic direction.

Essential Responsibilities

Partnership Cultivation and Coordination

• Build and sustain relationships with Native Hawaiian, civic, educational, aina-based, philanthropic, and government partners.
• Coordinate coalitions, working groups, and joint initiatives advancing priorities determined by KS’ strategic plans and the Government Relations Committee (GRC).
• Support joint advocacy campaigns through partner alignment, logistics, communication, and follow through.
• Serve as a point of contact and relationship steward for designated external partners, ensuring mutual accountability, cultural integrity, and consistent engagement.
• Track partnership activities, commitments, and outcomes for reporting, transparency, and enterprise learning.
• Help sustain long-term partnerships beyond transactional advocacy efforts.

Cultural and Strategic Alignment

• Ground all work in KS’ identity and values.
• Center advocacy and partnership work in service to supporting collective well‑being.
• Demonstrate cultural fluency and relational awareness across government and partnership interactions.
• Represent KS as a principled, trusted, and culturally grounded organization committed to advancing collective well‑being.

Research, Briefing, and Reporting

• Conduct partnership and policy research to inform strategic decision‑making and advocacy efforts.
• Prepare briefing notes, data summaries, and policy scans for GRC and senior leadership.
• Contribute to reporting, including an annual Strategic Partnerships and Government Relations Impact Report.
• Maintain records of meetings, engagements, and legislative interactions to support institutional continuity.

Legislative and Policy Engagement

• Support coordination of KS’ legislative and regulatory engagement, including policy analysis, testimony preparation, and briefings.
• Monitor and analyze proposed legislation, administrative rules, and policy initiatives affecting KS’ interests.
• Draft and edit position statements, reports, and briefing materials for internal and external use.
• Represent KS in hearings, meetings, or briefings with legislators, agency officials, and coalition partners, as delegated.
• Maintain legislative calendars, contact lists, and action trackers to ensure timely follow‑up.
• Summarize key developments and provide policy updates for leadership and staff.

Internal Coordination and Strategic Alignment

• Collaborate closely with communications teams to ensure unified messaging across policy, partnership, and public engagement efforts.
• Work with other KS divisions to share partner insights, identify opportunities, and align efforts.
• Support leadership in aligning partnership and government strategies with enterprise priorities and strategic outcomes.
• Coordinate internal communications to foster shared understanding of advocacy efforts across KS.

Leadership through Pilina and Service

• Lead through pilina and service, focusing on alignment, relationships, and shared purpose to bridge strategy, partnership, and policy.
• Model disciplined follow‑through, discretion, and reliability in carrying out responsibilities.
• Foster collaboration, pilina, and mutual accountability across teams and partners.
• Demonstrate humility and foresight in navigating complex political and community environments.
• Contribute to a work culture that integrates reflection, learning, and cultural grounding as essential elements of effective advocacy.

Position Requirements

Minimum Qualifications

• An equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered for the requirements listed.
• Bachelor’s degree in Public Policy, Hawaiian Studies, Political Science, Business, or related field.
• 7 years of progressively responsible experience in legislative affairs, policy analysis, community partnerships, or advocacy coordination.
• Strong understanding of Hawaii’s political, cultural, and community landscapes.
• Proven ability to build and sustain cross‑sector relationships.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including legislative and partnership correspondence.
• Demonstrated cultural sensitivity and ability to operate in diverse, cross‑sector contexts.
• High degree of professionalism, reliability, and integrity.

Preferred Qualifications

• Proficiency or conversational familiarity in olelo Hawaiʻi.
• Experience working with Native Hawaiian‑serving, Indigenous, or culturally grounded organizations.
• Established relationships within community, legislative, or advocacy networks.
• Experience supporting multisector coalitions or partnerships.
• Knowledge of policy‑tracking systems or partnership management tools (e.g., Airtable, Smartsheet, or Monday.com).

Physical Requirements

Frequently sit, perform desk‑based computer tasks and grasp light or fine manipulation, talk or hear. Specific vision abilities required include close vision, peripheral vision and ability to adjust focus. Occasionally stand and/or walk, write by hand, and lift and/or carry, push and/or pull objects that weigh up to 40 pounds (equipment and materials for community engagement efforts). Rarely twist, bend, stoop, squat, kneel, crawl, climb, reach or work above shoulder, or grasp forcefully.

Working Conditions

This position involves traveling to various locations, including neighbor islands and U.S. continent locations to conduct business. Work is conducted in an office environment and may require work to be conducted in non‑standard workplaces. With supervisor‑approved work plans, hybrid work may also be conducted through online settings (Teams, Slack, etc.). Work is typically conducted Monday through Friday at normal business hours but evening and weekend hours are often required to meet goals and objectives.

Disclaimer

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by incumbents assigned to this job. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all the responsibilities, duties and skills required. The incumbent may be expected to perform other duties as assigned.

Federal law requires employers to provide reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities. Please contact us at or 808‑534‑8040 if you require a reasonable accommodation to apply for a job or to perform your job. Examples of reasonable accommodation include making a change to the application process or work procedures, providing documents in an alternate format, using a sign language interpreter, or using specialized equipment.