Head of Government Relations

Job description

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 OPPORTUNITY Cape is seeking a dedicated Head of Government Relations to map and engage federal stakeholders and to forecast policy-based risks and opportunities. While Cape's federal business development team engages end-user organizations, the Head of Government Relations will navigate complex policymaking to unlock national level relationships and funding. This role will also be key in setting milestones, forecasting policy changes, and anticipating regulatory requirements that could affect the company and its customers. This position will select and directly manage external advising and lobbying parties, requiring the right candidate to be able to both navigate human terrain and to clearly organize the company's government strategy. The ideal candidate will have at least five years of experience in legislative affairs, federal budget alignment, government contracting, policy planning, or similar arenas. This role reports to Cape's Head of Federal and will have an outsized impact on the success and growth of the company. PURPOSE 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. WHAT YOU'LL WORK ON - 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 EXPERIENCE - 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. 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.