Government Relations Manager

About the Role:

Passport’s Government Relations function is responsible for building relationships with city governments and municipal leaders to help them understand the value of Passport’s technology to improve their mobility operations.

As the Government Relations Manager, you will work closely with Passport’s SVP, GR, and third-party strategists to drive progress against policy and account goals. You will also work cross-functionally and guide the company on the best way to accelerate growth and advocate for the value of Passport’s technology to municipal decision-makers.

You will need to quickly build allegiance across the sales organization and translate business goals into specific actions and projects using your strong government policy acumen, your ability to drive tactical execution against identified priorities, and your familiarity with municipal government operations.

Responsibilities:

Government Relations Strategy

• Contribute to the strategy and develop and execute Passport’s near-term Government Relations plan (year 1)
• Participate in the development and execution of the long-term strategy (years 2-5)

Government Relations

• Manage Passport’s external Government Relations consultants and lobbyists
• Engage local officials, peers, and other key influencers to educate them about our industry and our business while assessing and carrying out strategic partnerships for the company and overall growth
• Track ongoing activity and conversion of targeted accounts
• Execute deployment of GR resources against company OKRs to ensure GR alignment with overall company strategy
• Represents the company on various committees, trade associations, and industry groups

Policy Development

• Develop white papers and prepare memos on market and regulatory trends at local & state levels
• Identify opportunities to establish Passport as a thought leader on the issues of mobility regulation and municipal technology
• Monitor legislation and regulatory matters and advise the company with respect to policy challenges

Influence & Thought Leadership

• Responsible for identifying opportunities for thought leadership at all levels
• Develop relationships with key influencers externally to advance Passport’s presence in the mobility space and influence key stakeholders
• Meet with functional leaders across the organization to identify projects that could be accelerated or improved by collaborating with the Government Relations team
• Build relationships with key external policymakers and other influential state and local government-oriented stakeholders
• Build third-party political, advocacy, and industry allies to support strategic policy objectives
• Develop thought leadership content that will promote Passport’s value proposition to clients and prospects

Grants

• Monitor and identify opportunities for government grants (i.e., USDOT SMART Grant)
• Coordinate with internal and external stakeholders to project manage the grant application process

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree in policy development, political science, government affairs, or related function. Master’s Degree in public affairs or related discipline preferred.
• 6+ years of professional experience within municipal government, consulting, law, or government relations or in such a capacity for a corporate entity
• Entrepreneurial, but with a high tolerance for ambiguity and complexity, and efficient with limited resources
• Cares deeply about improving the quality of municipal governance
• A quick and enthusiastic learner who can synthesize ideas across functional boundaries to facilitate executive decisions
• Ability to clearly and simply communicate complex concepts and distill those concepts into concrete action items
• Excellent communication skills, including written and oral. Comfortable presenting to all levels of management
• Ability to track, prioritize, and drive multiple concurrent projects to success
• Highest level of integrity and management of confidential information

About Us:

Passport is a mobility software and payments company that builds solutions to centrally manage complexities at the curb. Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, Passport is trusted by more than 800 cities, universities and agencies, including Chicago, Toronto, Los Angeles and Miami. Passport’s mobility management platform helps cities manage parking and mobility infrastructure, creating more livable, equitable communities. One of the fastest-growing companies on the Inc. 5000 and Deloitte Technology Fast 500 lists, Passport was also the 2021 Fintech category winner for the NC Tech Association’s Industry Driven award.

Passport provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, amnesty or status as a covered veteran in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws.

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