Government Affairs and Public Policy Manager, Cities
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Overview
Job Description
The Policy and Regulatory Affairs team at Zoox is a cross-functional organization responsible for advancing Zoox's public policy and regulatory goals and political engagement. The team engages with local governments—including mayors, city councils, and first responders—and community organizations to launch our autonomous ride-hailing service. We partner with cities to reimagine mobility through government relations, lobbying, thought leadership, and community engagement. Our team works closely with transportation agencies to safely bring the benefits of the Zoox robotaxi to cities. At Zoox, safety is foundational to our mission.
This position will lead government affairs and public policy in Southern California and Arizona. Anchored on facilitating our expansion to Los Angeles, this exciting new role will build on our positive political reputation and help guide our local operations from testing to commercial deployment. This position will represent Zoox with cities, counties, transportation agencies, public safety agencies, airports, other municipal entities, and business and community organizations.
This position will be based in the Los Angeles area with oversight of cities within Southern California and Arizona. Travel to southwestern cities and to Zoox HQ in Foster City, CA will be required to achieve the goals of this position.
In this role, you will...
- Build and own the strategy for political and community engagement in southwestern cities
- Develop and maintain relationships with local officials, their staff, regulators, and other key external stakeholders
- Track current and emerging political activity and policy developments
- Represent Zoox at community and political events
- Manage locally-based political consultants
- Support the larger policy team by developing briefings, researching legislation, and managing complex, cross-functional projects
- Work closely with other teams at Zoox, including Legal,
- Communications, and Safety teams, to ensure up-to-date knowledge of company plans and report on policy/political developments with clear analysis.
Qualifications
- Possess 8+ years of public policy experience within government, nonprofits, public interest groups, or industry associations.
- Demonstrate a proven track record of successfully building, implementing, and evaluating complex public policy and government affairs initiatives.
- Leverage an extensive political and community network within the Los Angeles metropolitan area.
- Apply a keen understanding of the political landscape and sentiment across diverse jurisdictions.
- Exhibit exceptional leadership, project management, and organizational capabilities.
- Conduct high-level research and comprehensive policy analysis.
- Advocate effectively for complex policy positions before diverse and influential audiences.
- Communicate with clarity and impact through superior interpersonal, verbal, and written skills.
- Utilize specialized experience in transportation policy or relevant urban planning practices.
Bonus Qualifications
- Established relationships with state and federal officials and agencies across Southern California.
- Direct experience operating within other major Southwestern cities and states.
- Background in managing external consultants or small, high-impact teams.
- Familiarity with autonomous vehicle policy, micro-mobility, or bringing disruptive technologies to market.
- Fluency in culturally relevant languages to better engage local communities.
- Advanced degree such as a J.D., MBA, MPP, or MPA.
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