Global Head of Government Affairs

Job Description

Job Description

About Zipline

Zipline is the world's largest and most experienced drone delivery service. We are on a mission to serve all humans equally by ensuring access to food, medicine and essential goods anytime, anywhere. We design, build, and operate the world's largest autonomous logistics system, delivering critical supplies quickly and reliably. Today, Zipline operates on four continents, makes a delivery somewhere in the world every 30 seconds, and has completed millions of deliveries to date, including blood, vaccines, medical supplies, food, and retail products. 

Our customers include the world's largest and most prominent healthcare systems, governments, retailers, restaurants and global businesses who rely on us to save lives, reduce emissions, increase economic opportunity, and provide delivery from point A to point B as fast as possible. The drone is only 15% of what we've built to enable seamless, reliable, global operations.

Our system strengthens supply chains, reduces congestion, and gives people time back. With more than 140 million commercial autonomous miles safely flown, Zipline is redefining access to healthcare, consumer products, and food across the globe.

We operate at a global scale and are looking for practical problem solvers who thrive on real-world challenges and rapid growth. Our team is motivated by building systems that have a direct, meaningful impact on people's lives and by scaling the future of logistics. We are seeking people who sculpt from first principles, enjoy facing adversity, and can do the impossible at record breaking speeds.

About You and The Role 

As Zipline's Global Head of Government Affairs, you'll play a critical role in our global success. You'll design and execute Zipline's government affairs and public affairs strategy, with the support of the world-class team you build and lead, and you'll have a direct impact on scaling Zipline's business across the United States, building on our broad footprint in Africa, and launching new markets abroad. Reporting to Zipline's Chief Legal Officer, this role encompasses public policy, government relations, and public affairs at every jurisdictional level globally.

Your key responsibilities will be to:

• Set our global government affairs and public affairs strategy, tuned to enable Zipline's rapid growth in the U.S. and abroad.
• Build and lead a growing team of world-class employees and highly-effective consultants and lobbyists.
• Drive business-critical outcomes, ranging from landing legislation and regulations that open new international markets, to expanding U.S. regulations governing freedom to operate for commercial drones, to obtaining municipal land use entitlements and permits for Zipline's ground operations.
• Create and sustain enduring relationships with electeds and other policymakers at every jurisdictional level, cultivating champions who support Zipline's mission and business.
• Build grassroots, grasstops, and third-party advocacy networks, to demonstrate Zipline's community benefits and support market launches and expansion.
• Cultivate and mobilize trusted relationships within the communities we serve when the company faces opposition or controversy.
• Collaborate shoulder-to-shoulder with Zipline's amazing Regulatory Affairs, Legal, and Communications teams to deliver our Government Affairs and Public Affairs strategy.
• Brief and advise Zipline's executive team and Board of Directors on global policy risks and opportunities.

This role is based in our South San Francisco office and includes significant travel across the U.S. and internationally to engage policymakers and build relationships in the communities we serve.

What You'll Do

• Build and lead Zipline's global government affairs and public affairs functions, at every jurisdictional level in the U.S. and abroad.
• Hire, develop, and lead a growing team of world-class professionals and consultants.
• Own the function's budget and resourcing decisions.
• Design, execute, and iterate comprehensive, global government affairs and public affairs strategies that enable Zipline to launch new markets on schedule and scale operations responsibly.
• Develop and sustain strong, trusted relationships with electeds and other policymakers in every market Zipline serves and plans to serve.
• Advocate for legislation, regulations, and ordinances that advance Zipline's business, and lead engagement on rulemaking and policy proposals that affect drone delivery worldwide.
• Provide critical support for obtaining local land use entitlements and permits for Zipline's infrastructure and operations globally.
• Support and drive priorities for commercial drone delivery trade associations and other aligned industry groups.
• Build grassroots, grasstops, coalitions and other third-party advocacy networks to mobilize when the company needs support or faces opposition.
• Develop and maintain networks of community advocates, including business and civic leaders, former public officials, users and merchants, first responders, academics, faith leaders, healthcare organizations, environmental and road-safety groups, and workforce organizations.
• Create programs that turn positive community experiences into testimonials, endorsements, data, and stories that demonstrate Zipline's value and support public advocacy.
• Work alongside Zipline's Global Head of Regulatory Affairs, who is responsible for aviation legal compliance and regulatory advocacy, and whose team serves as Zipline's subject matter experts in those areas.
• Work closely with our Legal Team, which is responsible for regulatory interpretation and compliance and government investigations.
• Collaborate with our Commercial, Customer Experience, Systems Engineering, Marketing, Operations, and Product teams, to drive our business forward. 

What You'll Bring

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience.
• 15+ years of progressively senior experience, with prior responsibility for leading a global government affairs function or a substantial regional/global portfolio.
• Demonstrated experience building and leading high-performing, rapidly growing teams, including hiring, developing, and scaling a global function in a fast-growing organization.
• Experience successfully onboarding and managing external consultants and lobbyists globally.
• Excitement for Zipline's transformational technology and mission, and the ability to communicate our vision and value for communities with authenticity and conviction.
• Persuasive communicator (verbal and written) who can simplify complex technology, shape public perception, and address common areas of concern with credibility.
• Creative, first-principles thinker who can build strategy from scratch in an emerging regulatory space rather than relying on existing playbooks.
• Fast-moving and nimble, able to react quickly to changing circumstances in a dynamic legislative and regulatory environment, and comfortable operating in high-stakes, time-sensitive situations.
• Established relationships with policymakers, and the ability to build trusted new relationships quickly.
• Experience leading or working closely with trade associations, coalitions, and industry allies to advance shared policy goals.
• Ability to translate business goals into strategies that build trust, reduce friction, strengthen Zipline's reputation, and support rapid growth across diverse communities and political environments.
• Strong cross-functional leadership skills, with experience partnering collaboratively across an entire organization (including regulatory and legal teams).
• Ability and willingness to travel globally to engage policymakers and build relationships in the communities we serve.
• Bonus points for relevant experience working on applicable or analogous technology policy issues (autonomy, robotics, drones, aviation, transportation, or related fields).

What Else You Need To Know

The starting cash range for this role is $250,000.00-$300,000.00. Please note that this is a target starting cash range for a candidate who meets the minimum qualifications for this role. The final cash payment for this role will depend on various factors, including a specific candidate's experience, qualifications, skills, and projected impact. The total compensation package for this role may include equity compensation; discretionary annual or performance bonuses; sales incentives; benefits such as medical, dental, and vision insurance; paid time off; and more.

Zipline is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws or our own sensibilities.

We value diversity at Zipline and welcome applications from those who are traditionally underrepresented in tech. If you like the sound of this position but are not sure if you are the perfect fit, please apply!

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file.

As set forth in Zipline 's Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.