Government Relations Manager

Reports To: Director, Government Relations

Duration: Full Time

Effective: ASAP

About Us

Our Social Purpose: CREA opens doors to thriving futures for all, beginning with home.

Based in Ottawa, the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) is the national voice of REALTORS and an impassioned advocate for homeowners. The organization plays an important role in assessing and influencing important economic, policy and social issues.

We champion REALTORS on behalf of Canadians, promoting awareness, education, and professional excellence in the profession.

Join us and be a part of a team that is working together to make home happen .

Position Overview

The Government Relations Manager plays a key role in advancing CREA's federal government relations priorities by strengthening relationships with Parliamentarians, political staff, external stakeholders, federal departments, and national agencies. 

Core Competencies

• Strategic relationship building
• Communication (written, verbal, and interpersonal)
• Political acuity
• Cross-functional collaboration
• Stakeholder engagement
• Project and event management
• Establishing trust and credibility

Function

The Government Relations Manager focuses on federal outreach, strategic engagement, political monitoring, analysis, and supporting CREA's advocacy efforts on Parliament Hill. While policy expertise is an asset, the emphasis of this role is on relationship-building, strategic communication, advocacy coordination, and supporting the execution of CREA's federal engagement activities.

Key Responsibilities

Stakeholder Engagement

• Build and maintain strong relationships with Members of Parliament, Senators, Ministers' offices, political staff, external stakeholders, federal departments, and national agencies.
• Represent CREA in meetings and discussions with federal officials, communicating CREA's advocacy priorities clearly and effectively.
• Collaborate, coordinate and align federal outreach efforts with provincial associations and local real estate boards.
• Deliver presentations in various forms to wide-ranging audiences in both official languages. 

Advocacy Coordination

• Work with the policy team and economics team to ensure advocacy messages reflect evolving policy positions and are delivered consistently to internal and external audiences.
• Contribute to digital and grassroots advocacy initiatives in collaboration with relevant internal and external stakeholders.
• Continuous political and media landscape monitoring to inform advocacy coordination, outreach opportunities, risks, and strategic considerations.
• Use and optimize advocacy technology tools, staying current with evolving platforms and innovations, to maximize the effectiveness of advocacy initiatives. 

Strategic Advisory Support

• Provide situational and political analysis to guide federal government relations activities. 
• Support alignment between government relations tactics and broader organizational strategies.
• Prepare concise and targeted briefing materials, meeting notes, talking points, and executive summaries for leadership, boards, associations and REALTOR members. 

PAC Program Leadership

• Help lead the planning and execution of CREA's Political Action Committee (PAC) Program.
• Oversee meeting scheduling, speaker coordination, program design, logistics, and event communications. 

Member, Board and Association Support

• Support real estate boards, associations and REALTOR members by offering guidance and collaborating on federal government relations engagement, activities and best practices.
• Help grow volunteer leaders within the PAC Network and GR committees through preparation, coaching, and relationship support. 

Other Responsibilities

• Undertake additional duties and special projects assigned by the Director, Government Relations, including rapid-response engagement during political developments.
• Work closely with CREA's policy and economics teams, ensuring alignment between policy development, housing data and advocacy delivery.

Qualifications & Skills

Education & Experience

• University degree, graduate certificate, or equivalent experience in political science, public affairs, communications, government relations, or a related field.
• 4-8 years of relevant experience in a federal political office, government relations role, or public affairs environment.
• Demonstrated experience in stakeholder engagement, political outreach, or advocacy coordination.
• Proven ability to build networks and maintain relationships with government officials and external partners. 

Technical Skills

• Fully bilingual: ability to work, present, and provide advice fluently in both official languages.
• Knowledge of advocacy coordination practices and political outreach strategies. 

Soft Skills

• Strong writing, briefing, and presentation skills tailored to political and executive audiences.
• Ability to manage multiple deadlines, advance work independently, and operate effectively in dynamic political environments.
• Self-motivated, adaptable, and collaborative.
• Strong relationship-building and stakeholder engagement abilities. 

Assets

• Experience organizing advocacy events, Hill Days, or political conferences.
• Familiarity with Canada's federal political landscape and parliamentary process.
• Experience supporting volunteers or member networks.
• Understanding of housing-related or economic policy issues (with deeper policy work handled by CREA's policy team). 

Note: This position requires occasional travel within Canada.

We thank all applicants for their interest; however, only those under consideration for the role will be contacted.

At CREA, we are committed to fostering an inclusive, barrier-free and accessible environment. Part of this commitment includes arranging accommodations to ensure an equitable opportunity to participate in the recruitment and selection process. If you require an accommodation, we will work with you to meet your needs.