Head of Government Relations

Posted Yesterday
Be an Early Applicant
Washington, DC, USA
Hybrid
250K-350K Annually
Senior level
Aerospace • Software
The Role
Lead Cape's government engagement by developing multi-year policy and stakeholder strategies, mapping federal relationships, forecasting political and regulatory changes, shaping beneficial policy, managing advisors and partnerships, and running industry-government events to advance company objectives.
Summary Generated by Built In
About Cape

Cape is America’s privacy-first mobile carrier. Our mission is to be a force for good in global wireless. Cape was founded in 2022 by people who believe privacy is a fundamental right, not a luxury to be traded away. Our journey began when our founder recognized a critical vulnerability in our modern world: everyone relies on the same stagnant cellular infrastructure and legacy systems that track our every movement, monitor and profile our connections, and lose and sell our personal data.

Instead of accepting the status quo, we decided to fix it. National security professionals, journalists, parents, and everyone in between can stay connected and have privacy.

We didn’t just build a layer on top of old tech; we built America’s most private and secure mobile carrier from the ground up. By building our own network from scratch, we are able to design and build a suite of privacy and security features that no other carrier on the planet can offer.

Today, Cape provides our secure network to consumers, businesses, and government agencies alike. We closed our Series C in March 2026, and we are scaling rapidly, with the goal of giving people back control of their most personal information.

The Team

At Cape, we are the architects of a privacy-centric movement that is just getting started. We are relentless builders, constantly innovating at the edge of what's possible in telecommunications. We operate on a foundation of high trust and high expectations. Our structure is flat, and collaboration matters more than hierarchy. As a member of our team, you will collaborate with world-class engineers, architects, and visionaries, and work across organizational lines to solve "impossible" problems and deliver mission-critical results for our users every single day.

The Mission

We are seeking a high-ownership Head of Government Relations to serve as a critical driver of Cape's growth. In this role, you will take full accountability for government engagement and policy-based results through your management of external stakeholders. In addition, you will develop and maintain organized tracking systems to ensure cross-functional alignment on key lines of effort. Your mission is to bridge the gap between the company's most pressing intragovernmental challenges and the government institutions that can solve them. You will optimize external engagement through clearly communicated long-term strategies, while remaining responsive to the fluid nature of technology and defense policy.

Outcomes: How You’ll Make an Impact
  • Developing a long-term milestone-based government strategy

  • Mapping key government stakeholders to company needs

  • Forecasting political, policy, budgetary, and regulatory changes and volatility

  • Shaping new policies beneficial to the company and its customers

  • Forming and maturing partnerships with third parties in the federal ecosystem

  • Optimizing relationships with external advisors, experts, and lobbyists

  • Engaging resource sponsors to achieve established strategic endstates

  • Establishing, attending, and managing events that cross between industry and government affairs

Requirements
  • Operational Pedigree: Prior experience in fast-paced environments. We value a background of "ownership" where you’ve been responsible for end-to-end outcomes.

  • External Relationship Development: Ability to network among a diverse set of external stakeholders, build connections with them, and maintain strong ties.

  • Executive Communication: Clear and concise professional correspondence and awareness of protocol in political and bureaucratic offices.

  • Knowledge of the Legislative Process: First hand knowledge of the federal legislative process through experience in lobbying, Congressional fellowship, PSM/MLA, or similar.

  • Strategic Planning: Ability to establish a multi-year government engagement plan that aligns company goals with government cadences.

  • Professional Background: Relevant background in Political Science, Public Administration, Public Policy, or similar professions.

Bonus Points (The Ideal Candidate)
  • Experience as a Professional Staff Member: First hand experience as a PSM inside the federal legislative process.

  • Telco Literacy: Familiarity with telecommunications to include cellular network architecture.

  • Graduate Expertise: Graduate level education in Political Science, Public Administration, Public Policy, or similar professions.

Compensation

We offer competitive compensation that is geo-adjusted based on your location, along with meaningful equity so you share in the value you help create. Salary range for this role in Arlington, VA is $250,000-$350,000 depending on experience and interview performance.

Our benefits include:

  • 401(k) match

  • 100% coverage of medical, dental, and vision premiums for you and your dependents

  • 12 weeks paid parental leave (for all parents, no waiting period)

  • Stipends for

    • Family-forming needs

    • Gender-affirming care

  • Unlimited PTO

Our Culture & Values
  • We hire excellent people, give them outsized responsibility, and trust them to execute. Every person at Cape has a proven track record of tackling hard problems and winning.

  • We believe that personal privacy and national security are not at odds, and that they can be reconciled through strong technology.

  • We believe companies exist to build awesome things and take care of the people who build them, so we offer top-tier healthcare, 401(k) matching, and a generous vacation policy that our team actually uses to recharge.

  • We believe that a stronger company and a better product are built by people from all walks of life. We hire without regard to race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, marital status, disability, or Veteran status. If you are great at what you do, you belong here.

How to apply

Click the link below to apply.

We reserve the right to make use of any unsolicited resumes received from outside recruiting agencies and / or individual recruiters without being responsible for payment of any fees asserted from the use of unsolicited resumes.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin, and without regard to disability or status as a protected veteran, or any other status protected by law.

Skills Required

  • Experience in fast-paced environments with end-to-end ownership (Operational Pedigree).
  • Ability to network among diverse external stakeholders and maintain strong ties (External Relationship Development).
  • Clear and concise executive-level communication and awareness of protocol in political and bureaucratic offices (Executive Communication).
  • First-hand knowledge of the federal legislative process through lobbying, Congressional fellowship, PSM/MLA, or similar (Knowledge of the Legislative Process).
  • Ability to establish a multi-year government engagement plan aligned with government cadences (Strategic Planning).
  • Relevant background in Political Science, Public Administration, Public Policy, or similar professions (Professional Background).
  • Experience as a Professional Staff Member (PSM) inside the federal legislative process.
  • Familiarity with telecommunications, including cellular network architecture (Telco Literacy).
  • Graduate-level education in Political Science, Public Administration, Public Policy, or similar.
Am I A Good Fit?
beta
Get Personalized Job Insights.
Our AI-powered fit analysis compares your resume with a job listing so you know if your skills & experience align.

The Company
HQ: Redwood City, CA
92 Employees
Year Founded: 2014

What We Do

Cape unlocks the full potential of commercial drones, giving companies all of the benefits with none of the traditional hassle. Every day, Cape users log in to the Cape Aerial Telepresence™ platform, connect to physical drones around the world, and safely conduct remote flights with ultra-low latency to capture live, high-resolution video. As the only cloud-based system for drone telepresence and data management, Cape provides secure, real-time visualization that increases situational awareness and operational efficiency for public safety agencies. Since its founding in 2014, Cape has been a leader in software for drone usability, and the trusted drone software solution for a wide range of use cases, including public safety, asset inspection, and agriculture. To date, more than 100,000 Cape-enabled drone flights have been completed with zero incidents. For more information about Cape, please visit www.cape.com.

Similar Jobs

Cape Logo Cape

Head of Government Relations

Information Technology
Hybrid
Washington, DC, USA
105 Employees
250K-350K Annually

Block Logo Block

Head of US Public Policy and Government Relations

Blockchain • eCommerce • Fintech • Payments • Software • Financial Services • Cryptocurrency
In-Office or Remote
Washington, DC, USA
12000 Employees
290K-435K Annually

Solcoa Industries Logo Solcoa Industries

Head of Government Relations

Software • Industrial • Manufacturing
In-Office
2 Locations
6 Employees

Similar Companies Hiring

Hanover Park Thumbnail
Artificial Intelligence • Fintech • Software • Financial Services
New York, New York
42 Employees
Outpost Space Thumbnail
Aerospace • Defense
US
24 Employees
Kepler  Thumbnail
Fintech • Software
New York, New York
6 Employees

Sign up now Access later

Create Free Account

Please log in or sign up to report this job.

Create Free Account