VP Of Public Affairs 

(Female, Age 35) from Denver, NY

This is a REAL-LIFE job profile written by a Female aged 35 who works as a VP Of Public Affairs in Denver, NY. We have removed all names and personal information in order to protect privacy. This professional kindly spent a bit of their time to complete one of our job profile surveys so that prospective job seekers like you could read their insights. Please excuse any punctuation or grammatical errors in this profile.

At a Glance

Current Job

Basic data on your current job

Job Title VP Of Public Affairs
Salary $80,000
Other Compensation None Set
Hours/Week 50
Company Size (not answered)
Location Denver, NY
Years Experience 2.5 years

Career Ratings

Opinions on your CAREER overall (i.e. not just your current job)

Years in Career 0
Education (not answered)
Income Rating 0 / 10
Interest Rating 0 / 10
Work-Life Rating 0 / 10
Fulfilment Rating 0 / 10

Current job Q&A

Describe the type of organization you work for.
Nonprofit women’s health care services and advocacy organization. We have 27 health clinics across a four state region with approximately 350 employees

Describe your job role and responsibilities.
Oversee public affairs (policy, advocacy, government relations) work in 4 states and in partnership with national office for federal issues. Develop policy, advocacy, and electoral strategies and plans. Work with coalition partners to identify proactive and reactive policy initiatives and lobby appropriate members of state and federal legislators

Please list an additional benefits (beyond compensation) that you receive.
health insurance, 401(k), 2 weeks vacation, paid sick time, 7 paid holidays

Do you feel you are under/over or well/fairly compensated at your current position?
under

Does your job entail you working with others on a daily basis? Is this something you like/dislike about your job? Please explain.
Yes – the work is all about relationships. I enjoy it although the politics of coalition work is frustrating because we are a large organization and smaller organizations distrust us

Do you work collaboratively with supervisors/managers?
Yes

Do you work collaboratively with your co-workers?
Yes

Describe your work location (e.g., office, home, theatre, in the field) and what you like/dislike about working in it.
office – we are 6-7 miles outside of the main metropolitan area which is difficult during legislative session when we need to be downtown at the capitol every day. We are also co-located with a main health clinic which gives staff exposure to clients

Please rate each of the following aspects of your current job on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest/best):
Income: 8
Benefits: 4
Hours: 7
Co-Workers: 5
Supervisors: 6
Job Title: 8
Level of Responsibility: 3
The Actual Work: 1

A day in the life of…

Please describe a typical workday for you in your current job:

5am to 6am
6am to 7am
7am to 8am Go for jog, take shower, eat breakfast
8am to 9am Drive to work – 20 minutes – arrive around 8:45
9am to 10am Review email, respond to important messages, read news (essential part of job), prepare materials for CEO and Board meeting
10am to 11am Review materials written and prepared by staff for meetings and upcoming events – provide feedback and guidance
11am to 12pm Meet one-on-one with direct reports (2, 1/2 hour meetings) to discuss priorities, upcoming projects, event, activities, and offer guidance on staff interactions
12pm to 1pm Eat lunch at desk while reading more political and legal news
1pm to 2pm Participate in webinar and conference call regarding voter environment and strategies for effective voter outreach
2pm to 3pm Meet with coalition partners on current ballot measure – determine budget, field and communication plan
3pm to 4pm Internal department staff meeting – discuss organizational policies, department priorites, and allow staff to provide updates on current projects and request for resources and assistance. Answer staff questions
4pm to 5pm Review and respond to email from coalition partners, other departmental staff, and stakeholders
5pm to 6pm Continue to review and respond to emails, review budget documents, review staff reports, finalize board materials
6pm to 7pm wrap up work for the day, prepare “to do” list for tomorrow and review calendar for meetings and scheduled events
7pm to 8pm drive home, eat dinner
8pm to 9pm Watch TV – an hour or so
9pm to 10pm read (some work related materials and some personal materials – book or magazine)
10pm to 11pm read and wind down
11pm to 12am go to sleep

Table of Contents

How you got your job

How did you get your current job?
recruited by co-worker

What was the application process?
resume, interviews (3 different ones)

Did you have to interview for your current job? If yes, what did the interview process entail?
Yes – first with my soon-to-be supervisor, then with the staff I would be supervising, then with the leadership team, and finally with CEO

If you can remember, what questions were you asked during the interview?
Everything ranging from experience to “likes” and “dislikes.” Questions about collaboration, ability to manage multiple priorities, understanding of government and legislative processes, ability to manage people,

Do you feel your employer properly prepared you for your job? Explain.
Yes

Was there training for your current position? If yes, what did it entail?
Just regular organizational orientation

Do you feel your educational background prepared you for your job? Explain.
Yes – the skills acquired in law school are very helpful for planning policy, regulatory, and legislative strategies

If applicable, do you feel your internship experience helped you prepare for your job?
No

If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
volunteer with a similar organization to acquire advocacy skills

What skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a position like yours?
government affairs work, good social skills, flexibility, analytical and strategic planning skills

Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
yes – college degree required

What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
embrace flexibility, be ready for change, learn all you can about where to get reliable information on current issues

Long-term career plans

Is your current employment part of your overall career plan? Why or why not?
Yes – I don’t think I want to grow vertically (do not want to be CEO) but would like to use my legal skills to continue to promote policy intiatives – would prefer to do in more intimate environment as consultant or law firm

What are your current career goals?
Woudl like to practice campaign finance / election and health care law

Is there anything else you would like to share about your career?

Prior work history

Please list your most recent jobs prior to this current job:

Title Length Salary Description
Prior Job 1 Sr Legislative Analyst 3 years 70000 Develop proactive legislative strategies in 50 states for promotion of unique class of health care providers. Monitor and respond to legislation and regulations
Prior Job 2 Assistant Section Chieft 3 years 62000 Oversee contract adminstration of Medicaid managed care program. Review and revise regulations and issue compliance notices to health insurance plans regarding provision of care to Medicaid population

Educational background

Please list your educational background:

High School GPA:3.9

GPA School Degree
College (Undergraduate)
or Technical/Vocational
3.8 Loyola Univ Philosophy
Graduate or Professional
(Masters or Doctorate)
3.2 Tulane Law School Law

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