Director Government Affairs - Mid-Atlantic/Great Lakes Region

The pay range is $179,000.00 - $322,000.00

Pay is based on several factors which vary based on position. These include labor markets and in some instances may include education, work experience and certifications. In addition to your pay, Target cares about and invests in you as a team member, so that you can take care of yourself and your family. Target offers eligible team members and their dependents comprehensive health benefits and programs, which may include medical, vision, dental, life insurance and more, to help you and your family take care of your whole selves. Other benefits for eligible team members include 401(k), employee discount, short term disability, long term disability, paid sick leave, paid national holidays, and paid vacation. Find competitive benefits from financial and education to well-being and beyond at https://corporate.target.com/careers/benefits.

Job Title: Director State Government Affairs - Mid-Atlantic/Great Lakes Region
Classification: Exempt
Date: June 2026

About us:

Working at Target means helping all families discover the joy of everyday life. We bring that vision to life through our values and culture. Learn more about Target here.

To match the signature style and passion of Target’s distinctive and beloved retail brand, Target Legal Affairs is a dynamic and deeply knowledgeable team of legal pros, each with valuable expertise from several disciplines. Whether specializing in government affairs, policy, risk management, regulatory compliance, ethics or employee and labor relations, this team advocates for Target and its business plans in communities across the nation and works across the entire company to provide internal clients with cohesive guidance. We are committed to being internal experts to both internal and external entities on key issues that affect Target’s ability to productively do business. We focus on defining, investigating, anticipating and ultimately mitigating risk in all its forms. We apply our grasp of brand law by overseeing, maintaining and ensuring correct, consistent and authorized use of Target’s signature Bullseye logo, assets and other trademarked material. We help protect Target and its subsidiaries by applying our comprehensive understanding and interpretation of the laws that govern our stores, distribution centers and corporate locations. Here, you’ll enjoy working autonomously with a healthy work-life balance. Your passion for learning the business and building relationships with the senior leaders and key business partners that you support will be key to tackling the ever-changing legal challenges we face in a dynamic and fast-paced retail landscape. From brand and patent law to contract development and negotiations, you’ll be challenged and gratified by a role with Target Legal Affairs.

As Director, State Government Affairs, you will lead Target's engagement with state policymakers and key stakeholders across the Mid-Atlantic and Great Lakes region. Serving as Target's primary representative before state elected officials, you will advocate for the company's public policy priorities and provide strategic counsel to internal business partners on issues affecting Target's operations, growth, reputation, and guests.

In this role, you will build and maintain relationships with lawmakers, regulators, trade associations, coalitions, and other external stakeholders. You will represent Target in formal and informal industry groups, lead advocacy strategies on priority policy issues, and partner with senior leaders to advance the company's interests in a dynamic and highly visible political environment. Success in this role requires strong influence and relationship-building skills, sound judgment, and the ability to navigate complex policy, reputational, and business considerations.

·       Maintain and deepen strategic relationships with high-ranking state elected officials, staff, and agencies in Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and Kentucky and Washington, D.C. Territory assignments may change based on business needs

·       Advocate on behalf of the company with governors, state attorneys general, legislators, and other elected and appointed officials on policies that affect Target's growth and competitiveness

·       Establish and maintain an intelligence-gathering strategy to proactively identify emerging trends to help the company navigate business decisions

·       Strategically prepare and leverage business experts to advocate on Target’s behalf, as appropriate

·       Manage a network of business and trade association partners in the region

o   Attend industry events to manage and nourish relationships with trade associations

o   Maintain communication channels with trade associations to gather intelligence on legislative and political developments and provide feedback on proposed legislation

o   Oversee budget for related memberships and sponsorships

·       Oversee Target’s use of contract lobbyists in the region, where applicable

·       Partner with Grassroots Sr. Manager on grassroots activities, including calls to action, get-out-the-vote, store and distribution center tours and other activations as needed

·       Establish and maintain working relationships with business leaders across Target to develop a working knowledge of their business, priorities, and strategies, and leverage that understanding and judgment to provide timely updates on policy developments that have an impact on their business

·       Proven ability to influence without authority and build alignment across diverse internal and external stakeholders

·       Develop subject matter expertise on a wide range of policy issues, such as privacy, data security, taxes, alcohol expansion, supply chain, store operations, financial services, energy and product safety, and provide insightful analysis on those issues with internal business partners

·       Represent Government Affairs on internal, cross-functional teams as necessary

·       Collaborate with Corporate Affairs, Real Estate, Assets Protection & Corporate Security, Enterprise Sustainability, Stores and Supply Chain leadership, and other externally-facing roles on issues of mutual interest throughout the region

·       Enhance and develop Target’s presence and reputation at conferences and leverage those conferences to build relationships with elected officials and other government affairs professionals

·       Appropriately protect and leverage highly confidential information, including new store opening locations and dates, store closing locations and dates, team member compensation information, team member demographic information, and material reputational and strategic announcements before they are made public

Job duties may change at any time due to business needs.

About you:

·       Bachelor’s Degree

·       6-10 years of experience in business or related field

·       Excellent interpersonal and leadership skills

·       Solid decision-making ability/Independent action

·       Ability to conceptualize and manage research and analysis on priority policy issues

·       Ability to apply retail knowledge to the analysis of public policy issues. 

·       Ability to analyze and react to political trends at both the state and national level

·       Strong oral and written communication skills

·       Proven ability to effectively communicate with senior leadership

·       Ability to build strong relationships with internal and external partners and form cohesive plans and processes across diverse business groups

·       Ability to travel as needed

·       Demonstrated ability to manage conflict and experience in high stress environments.

DESIRED REQUIREMENTS

·       Advanced degree in a discipline or related field (advanced specialized degree may substitute for a portion of experience)

·       Previous experience in the retail industry

·       Previous experience and/or political relationships in the geographic territory

·       Previous experience with policy analysis in areas relevant to retail

Benefits Eligibility

Please paste this url into your preferred browser to learn about benefits eligibility for this role: https://tgt.biz/BenefitsForYou_F

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

In compliance with state and federal laws, Target will make reasonable accommodations for applicants with disabilities. If a reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, please reach out to candidate.accommodations@HRHelp.Target.com. Non-accommodation-related requests, such as application follow-ups or technical issues, will not be addressed through this channel.