Position Offered: Senate Legislative Assistant & Mid-Level Committee Staffer
Sen. Tom Coburn, M.D. [R-OK] is looking to quickly hire a DoD /DHS /Intel /Foreign Policy staffer with solid non-intern hill experience (non-negotiable) in those areas, preferably with DoD or DHS focus rather than foreign assistance or State dept focus. Solid knowledge of the legislative process and experience interacting with political and programmatic leadership at relevant agencies necessary. Experience negotiating bills and preparing Members for hearings, markups, and floor action strongly preferred.
The focus of the work will be oversight investigations and hearings into financial management and procurement issues, and identifying waste at DoD, DHS and USAID; but some bigger-picture foreign policy hearings would be on the agenda too.
The position would be shared between Chairman Coburn’s personal office doing higher-level legislative assistant work (a deputy LA is in place to help with constituent meetings, editing letters, etc.), and the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee’s “Federal Financial Management, Government Information and International Security” subcommittee. Pay is commensurate with experienced senate LA or mid-level committee professional staff, at $50,000-75,000 per year.
Please email resume to Liz_Scranton -at- hsgac -dot- senate -dot- gov. No phone calls please.
DID Background Comments
Sen. Coburn’s office described him to DID as “a staunch social and fiscal conservative so devoted to the national security mission that he is willing to take on the Pentagon and DHS, with as much vigor as necessary, in order to eliminate waste that undermines that security.”
Anyone who thinks that this is mere puffery should consider that Sen. Coburn became somewhat infamous for taking an unpopular stand against his colleagues that eventually killed the Alaskan “bridge to nowhere.” He’s also a prominent and public opponent of Congressional earmarks. His staff’s description is likely to be predictive of the position’s intensity, therefore, and candidates need to be prepared to thrive in that kind of environment. If such warnings entice you rather than scaring you, please contact Ms. Scranton.
