Skip to content
CV Rocket
Get started
How it worksThe enginePricingBlogContactSign in

Open nowPosted 11 hours ago

Director of Government Affairs

Shift513 open roles

Where
Rosslyn, VA
Get the CV for this job

From $25 per CV, paid once. No subscription.

Your applicationOpen nowDirector of Government AffairsShift5 · Rosslyn, VA

  1. YouYes, apply to this one.

  2. CV RocketCV written for this posting.

  3. 25 readersRecruiter, hiring manager, skeptic. Round after round.

  4. CV RocketApplied on Shift5's own form.

The reply lands in your private mailbox

3×more interviews than doing it yourself with ChatGPT.

The clock on this job

Early applications get read.

12.8% of postings close within 7 days. Measured by our own scanner across the market. Shift5 postings stay open a median of 39 days.

Share of postings closed within
  1. 2.2%1 day
  2. 4.5%3 days
  3. 12.8%7 days
  4. 20.6%14 days
  5. 35.6%30 days
  6. 58.4%60 days
This job: posted 11 hours ago

Shift5 median: 39 days open

The posting

About Shift5

Shift5 is building the data platform for onboard operational technology (OT). We deliver cybersecurity, predictive maintenance, and compliance capabilities that enable defense and commercial fleets to operate with greater readiness, resilience, and mission assurance.

We are seeking a mission-aligned Director of Government Affairs to join our Legal & Public Policy team. This role will be responsible for leading Shift5’s federal legislative and regulatory advocacy, directly engaging Capitol Hill and executive agencies while strategically managing external lobbying and government relations firms to drive policy that unlocks fleet cybersecurity and data-modernization funding.

This role will partner closely with Defense & Commercial Sales, Product, Legal, and Executive Leadership and will play a critical role in supporting Shift5’s next phase of growth. We are looking for someone who brings ownership, sound judgment, and the ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment.

What You’ll Do

  • Lead in-house legislative strategy and direct advocacy across Capitol Hill and executive agencies (DoD, DHS/CISA, DOT/FAA/FRA) to advance policies and appropriations supporting OT cybersecurity and onboard fleet data access.
  • Direct, scope, and hold accountable external government relations and lobbying firms to ensure clear alignment with business priorities and high ROI on retainer.
  • Partner closely with Defense and Commercial Sales teams to track federal budget cycles (NDAA, appropriations, grant programs) and connect policy wins directly to addressable market opportunities and program lines of record.
  • Drive measurable impact in securing favorable legislative text, report language, and regulatory standards that recognize onboard OT data capture and cyber resilience.
  • Identify and act on opportunities to improve Shift5’s policy presence, coalition participation, and congressional witness/hearing opportunities.
  • Own legislative engagement and vendor management from priority identification through bill passage and executive branch implementation.
  • Contribute directly to scaling Shift5’s public affairs and policy capability as the company expands across defense weapon systems and commercial transportation sectors.

What Success Looks Like

  • Deliver meaningful progress against targeted legislative vehicles (e.g., NDAA or Transportation Appropriations bill cycles) and align external lobbying retainers against clear quarterly deliverables within the first 90 days.
  • Establish credibility and strong working relationships with key congressional committee staff (HASC, SASC, HAC-D, SAC-D, Transportation/Commerce), executive agency officials, and internal sector leads.
  • Drive measurable improvement in legislative tracking precision, policy-driven pipeline opportunities, and agency standard alignment.
  • Build or improve an operational cadence (weekly sprints, quarterly reviews, Hill coverage tracking) for overseeing and evaluating external lobbying partners.
  • Demonstrate strong ownership, judgment, and execution in navigating bipartisan policy and high-stakes national security environments.

What We’re Looking For

  • 8+ years of relevant experience in legislative affairs, public policy, or federal government relations, with deep exposure to defense, national security, or critical transportation infrastructure.
  • Demonstrated ability to translate complex technical concepts (such as serial bus architectures, OT cybersecurity, and predictive maintenance) into actionable policy proposals independently.
  • Strong strategic foresight, coalition building, and external vendor/agency management skills.
  • Comfort operating in a fast-paced, high-growth, mission-driven venture-backed startup environment.
  • Bachelor’s degree in Political Science, Public Policy, International Relations, National Security, or equivalent practical experience.
  • Active U.S. Secret or Top Secret/SCI security clearance preferred, or ability and willingness to obtain one.
  • Proven track record on Capitol Hill (committee or personal staff) or within relevant federal agencies (DoD, CISA, DOT), with direct experience drafting legislative language and navigating authorization/appropriation cycles.

Compensation & Benefits

  • Base Salary: $190,000 - $260,000
  • Bonus program and equity in a fast-growing startup
  • Competitive medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and their families
  • Health Savings Account with annual employer contributions
  • Employer-paid Life and Disability Insurance
  • Uncapped paid time off policy
  • Flexible work & remote work policy
  • Tax-deferred public transit benefits with Metro SmartBenefits (DC/MD/VA)

We are committed to building an inclusive culture of belonging that embraces the diversity of our people and represents the communities in which we work and the customers we serve. We know the happiest and highest performing teams include people with diverse perspectives and ways of solving problems. We strive to attract and retain talent from all backgrounds and create workplaces where everyone feels empowered to bring their full, authentic selves to work.

Shift5 is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identify, national origin, disability, age, marital status, ancestry, projected veteran status, or any other protected group or class.

Privacy Policy and Notice for Shift5, Inc. Job Applicants, Employees & Contractors

From $25, paid onceGet the CV for this job

What happens when you press

One press. We do the rest.

  1. A CV for this posting

    Written against Shift5's own wording, from every piece of relevant proof in your profile.

  2. 25 readers review it

    Recruiter, hiring manager, skeptic and more read every draft, round after round. You get the best round.

    The review screen in CV Rocket: how each CV was read, round by round.

  3. We apply on Shift5's form

    Our application engine gets through the hardest forms there are. Where a question needs you, AI suggests the best answer. Don't want us applying from our IP addresses? Use our Chrome extension: we apply straight from your own browser.

    An application in CV Rocket: every answer filled in on the employer's form.

  4. Every reply, sorted

    Shift5's answer lands in your private mailbox, and we classify it on arrival: interview, question, rejection.

    The CV Rocket inbox: each employer reply classified as an interview, an action or a rejection.

  5. Reply with AI

    AI helps you write the email, checks it and sends it. We show you whether the recruiter read it.

  6. The interview in your calendar

    Full integration with your calendar. The invitation goes straight in.

    An interview invitation in the CV Rocket inbox, added to the candidate's calendar.
Get the CV for this job

From $25 per CV, paid once. No subscription.

Why it works

3×

more interviews than doing it yourself with ChatGPT.

ChatGPT writes a CV and never learns what happened to it. We see every reply. For each CV we know:

  • How it was written, and how the review scored it
  • When we applied, and how long after the posting went up
  • Which posting, which company, which city
  • Who got the interview, and who heard nothing

That is how we know which CVs get called.

Get the CV for this job

From $25 per CV, paid once. No subscription.

The numbers game

More applications. More interviews.

Every application goes out with its own CV, written for that posting and paid once. Send enough of them and the law of large numbers finds you the job.

Get the CV for this job
By hand5–10
With CV Rocket100
applications a day

Nearby

Live postings like this one

Same employer first, then the same role elsewhere.

Before you press

Straight answers

Get the CV for this job

From $25 per CV, paid once. No subscription.

What if my background isn't good enough?

We make the most of the background you have. The CV uses every piece of relevant proof your profile holds, and one of the 25 readers reads your whole profile and flags what the CV left out.

Do you really apply for me?

Yes, on the employer's own form, the hardest ones included. Where a question needs you, you answer it right there and AI suggests the best answer. Don't want us applying from our IP addresses? Use our Chrome extension: we apply straight from your own browser.

Is it a subscription?

No. You pay once per CV, from $25. Every application goes out with its own CV, written for that posting.

One job. One CV.
Paid once.

Pick the posting you want. We write for it, apply for you and catch the reply.

Get the CV for this job

From $25 per CV, paid once. No subscription.