Umbra is seeking a Director of Congressional Affairs to serve as the company’s principal representative to the United States Congress. Redefining space doesn’t happen in orbit alone. It happens in the laws, budgets, and policies that determine what the nation asks of space and who it trusts to deliver. Umbra’s technology provides critical capabilities for U.S. national security, intelligence, and science missions, as well as allied and international customers and commercial applications, from supporting warfighters and decision-makers with timely intelligence to enabling disaster response, environmental monitoring, and scientific discovery. The Director will bring that mission to Capitol Hill, helping the policymaking community understand these capabilities and the public value they create, and ensuring Congress has the insight it needs to make informed decisions about the future of American space and remote sensing.
In this role, the Director will lead Umbra’s legislative strategy, drawing on deep relationships with Members of Congress and committee staff to help shape authorization and appropriations outcomes. But the goal is larger than any single legislative win: it is to redefine how Congress understands and invests in U.S. commercial space, building enduring support for the role these capabilities play in keeping the nation secure, informed, and scientifically competitive, with Umbra’s three business units at the center of that story.
The ideal candidate has experience working at the highest levels: as counsel or professional staff on a defense, intelligence, or commerce committee, and/or as a senior policy advisor comfortable briefing a Member of Congress on defense, space, and national security matters. They bring firsthand knowledge of how the NDAA, IAA, and relevant appropriations bills are drafted, marked up, conferenced, and defended, and how funding lines are created and sustained. They will pair that legislative craftsmanship with strong commercial instincts and a genuine belief in the mission, identifying new program opportunities through their network and working closely with Umbra’s business development team to translate national needs into enduring programs that serve them.
This role will work closely with Umbra’s Director of Public Policy and sits within the Communications organization, which encompasses government relations, marketing, and communications, and reports to the Vice President of Communications.
This position is based on-site in our Arlington, VA office.