Government Relations Associate

Location: Primarily located in Sacramento but with frequent travel statewide

Reports to: Director, Government and Public Affairs

Compensation range: $70,304 - $85,000 DOE

Status: Exempt

About embarc

embarc is where community, craft, and culture come together. We take pride in the diversity of California cannabis and the communities we live in. We never compromise on quality and always provide products at the fairest prices possible. embarc cannabis dispensary is a go-to source for curated products from premium cultivators throughout the state of California.

What You'll Love About Working Here

You'll thrive at embarc if you're energized by solving problems, testing new ideas, and turning insights into measurable business growth. We move quickly, challenge conventional thinking, and believe the best marketing is accountable, data-driven, and relentlessly customer focused. These are our core values:

• BE CUSTOMER OBSESSED: Our customers are our community and without them, we're nothing. Every experience is delivered with obsessive care and intention.
• FIND THE WAY. LEAD THE WAY: We don't wait for permission; we move. We take the lead, own the outcome, and get it done.
• MAKE THE IMPOSSIBLE POSSIBLE EVERY DAY: We take big, bold ideas and make them real: fast, gritty, and without the BS. Others dream, we execute.
• GROW OR DIE: We never settle, and we sure as hell don't play by anyone else's rules. We're here to disrupt, write the playbooks, and build the future we know is possible.

The Opportunity

As Government Relations Associate, you will keep our government affairs and community engagement programs running. You will coordinate the meetings, materials, filings and follow-through that turn strategy into results. You will also serve as a day-to-day point of contact for the community partners and local stakeholders who make Embarc a fixture in the communities we serve. This role includes close collaboration with the Director of Government and Public Affairs, senior company leadership, and supports the company's full portfolio of entitlement, regulatory and community initiatives. This position is primarily based in Sacramento and requires frequent travel throughout California. The nature of government affairs and community engagement work also requires flexibility to attend public meetings, hearings, community events, site visits, and other business activities outside of standard business hours, including evenings and weekends as needed.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate meetings, briefings, and site visits with local officials, agency staff and community stakeholders, including scheduling, agendas, materials, logistics and follow-up
• Administer Embarc's community giving model: intake and tracking of funding requests, coordination with nonprofit partners, disbursement documentation, and reporting on community investment by jurisdiction
• Maintain the government affairs calendar: hearing dates, permit and license renewal deadlines, and community commitments
• Build and maintain stakeholder records (contact lists, relationship histories, meeting notes and jurisdiction files)
• Prepare and assemble presentations, briefing memos, public comment packets, letters of support and application materials
• Staff public meetings, community events, open houses and door-to-door outreach; capture takeaways and track commitments made
• Gather community intelligence from local media, social media, public agendas and stakeholder conversations, and flag developments that warrant attention
• Draft and distribute public affairs materials, including op-eds, letters to the editor, think pieces, etc.
• Support execution of company initiatives that strengthen community bonds, from local sponsorships to volunteer days to partner programs
• Frequent travel to jurisdictions across California to represent Embarc.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Public Affairs/Relations, Political Science, Business Administration, Communications or related field.
• One year of professional experience in government, advocacy, strategic communications or a comparable field
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple concurrent projects, deadlines and stakeholders.
• Strong writing skills
• Meticulous organization and follow-through
• Comfort with public speaking, professional presence in public meetings and direct stakeholder contact
• Ability and willingness to travel frequently throughout California and maintain a flexible schedule that may include evenings, weekends, and other nontraditional business hours based on business and community needs.

Preferred

Familiarity with California government processes, at the local and state levels.