The House Freedom Caucus, the nascent group of conservative lawmakers whove frustrated GOP leaders, has hired its first staff member as it gears up for upcoming spending battles.

Steve Chartan will serve as executive director of the Freedom Caucus, the group saidFriday.

Steves experience on the Senate Steering Committee makes him an ideal executive director for the House Freedom Caucus,the groups chairman, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) said in a statement.

His relationships on and off the Hill will help HFC to successfully promote common-sense solutions that benefit the countless Americans who feel that they are forgotten by Washington.

Chartans hiring is yet another sign that the Freedom Caucus, which launched in January, is taking additional steps to organize ahead of looming fights within the GOP over the budget, lifting the debt ceiling and whether the Export-Import Bank should be renewed.

The Freedom Caucus, which Jordan described to The Wall Street Journalas an agile, active group of about 40 Republicans devoted to limited-government principles, helped derail Speaker John Boehners GOP plan to extend funding for the Homeland Security Department for three weeks.

House Republicans failure to pass the bill meant Boehner, an Ohio Republican like Jordan, was forced to rely on Democrats to prevent a shutdown at the agency, raising more questions about the Speakers political vulnerabilities.

The invite-only group is seen as a rival to the much larger, more inclusive Republican Study Committee, which is closer to Boehner and his team. Majority whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) had served as RSC chairman before stepping down to take the No. 3 job in leadership. And current RSC Chairman Bill Flores (R-Texas) has expressed a willingness to work with leadership behind the scenes.

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House Freedom Caucus hires first staffer