Job Description

Posting number: 2026-00572

Department: County Council

Division: CCL 01 Council Members and Staff

Job classification: Legislative Senior Aide III

Posting type: Internal/External Applicants

Categories: Administration

Summary

Please note: The anticipated hiring range for this position LSA III, Grade N26 will be $89,721 to $122,876 based on the candidate’s qualifications and experience.

WHO WE ARE

The office of a Montgomery County Councilmember is seeking a Deputy Chief of Staff for Legislative Management to lead policy development, oversee legislative workflow, mentor staff, and help convert the Councilmember's priorities into sound, implementable public policy. The office serves residents countywide and works across health and human services, public health, public safety, transportation, environmental policy, housing, economic development, education, and other local priorities.

WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR

The ideal candidate is an experienced legislative manager with exceptional research, writing, judgment, and organizational skills. They can determine whether legislation is warranted; identify County authority and legal constraints; work effectively with legislative attorneys; evaluate fiscal, equity, and implementation impacts; and present concise, fact-based recommendations. They are proactive, attentive to detail, committed to primary-source research, and skilled at teaching staff without taking over their work. They strengthen morale while maintaining accountability and respect for the Chief of Staff's authority and the Councilmember's final decision-making role.

Examples of duties

Deputy Chief of Staff (Legislative Senior Aide III) Specific job responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Lead legislative priorities from defining the problem through research, drafting, committee review, Council action, implementation, and oversight.
• Determine whether an issue requires legislation, budget action, administrative intervention, constituent assistance, or another solution.
• Research County authority and legal constraints; work with legislative attorneys to develop bills, resolutions, amendments, memoranda, and related materials.
• Conduct or coordinate fiscal, equity, operational, and implementation analysis and recommend a clear course of action.
• Build stakeholder and Council support, manage committee and Council timelines, and monitor implementation after enactment.
• Lead assigned policy portfolios, including Health and Human Services, Public Health Policy, Public Safety, shared Transportation and Environment responsibilities.
• Supervise and mentor legislative staff; establish research, writing, fact-checking, quality-control, and performance standards.
• Maintain legislative trackers, deadlines, dependencies, approval levels, and escalation practices; identify risks early and drive work to completion.
• Advise the Councilmember and Chief of Staff while balancing policy, personnel, constituent, and community demands.
• Comply with public-sector approval requirements and applicable ethics, confidentiality, public-records, and records-retention obligations.

This position requires in-person work, travel throughout Montgomery County and the Washington metropolitan region, and occasional evening and weekend meetings or events.

The job description above is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of all activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the incumbent. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change, or new ones may be assigned.

Qualifications

Experience: Three (3) years of progressively responsible experience in legislative/policy research and/or professional level experience in a subject area relevant to local government administration.

Education: Graduation from an accredited college or university with a Bachelor's Degree.

Equivalency: An equivalent combination of education and experience may be substituted.

Supplemental information

Interview preference criteria will be used pertaining to:

• Five (5) years of progressively responsible experience in legislative affairs, public policy, government, public administration, or a related field, including demonstrated responsibility for policy development, legislative analysis, staff leadership, or legislative project management.
• Developing, drafting, advancing, implementing, or overseeing legislation or public policy in a legislative body, elected official's office, government agency, or comparable public-sector setting.
• Working with legislative attorneys and conducting legal-authority, fiscal, equity, operational, and implementation analysis.
• Producing concise, decision-ready policy memoranda and recommendations grounded in primary and authoritative sources.
• Managing committee, Council, budget, public-hearing, amendment, and enactment timelines while building support among elected officials and stakeholders.
• Teaching and supervising policy staff, improving research and writing quality, and strengthening morale without lowering performance standards.
• Knowledge of Montgomery County government, legislative and budget processes, constituent services, ethics, and records obligations.