Director/Senior Manager, Government Affairs

Who We Are Verkada is transforming how organizations protect their people and places with an integrated, privacy-sensitive AI-powered platform that includes solutions for video security, access control, air quality sensors, alarms, intercoms, and visitor management. We’ve got serious momentum in the market: more than 30,000 customers (including 100+ of the Fortune 500), a $5.8B valuation , more than $1 billion in annualized bookings, and backing from CapitalG, Sequoia Capital, General Catalyst, Felicis Ventures, Next47 and more. Physical AI is one of the most consequential technology shifts of our time, and Verkada is at the center of it. You can look at all kinds of communities to see our platform’s impact in the world. It's the retailer that uses our agentic AI to deter theft before it happens. The warehouse that uses AI-powered alerts to make sure its team is protected on the floor with proper PPE. The school that’s alerted to a threat in real-time and triggers a lockdown in seconds, not minutes. We’re rapidly scaling this impact: today, more than 2 million Verkada devices are deployed across 170+ countries. About the Role Verkada’s legal team is looking for a government and policy advocate to help build our Government Affairs and Public Policy functions from the ground up. You will work hand-in-hand with internal leadership to set our overall public policy strategy—establishing our presence across state, local, and federal governments to lay the groundwork for Verkada’s first entree into policy and legislative engagement. You will also support our federal and state public sector go-to-market teams, by leveraging your networks, relationships, and policy engagements to open doors and create opportunities. As the company’s primary policy representative, you will blend strategic foresight with hands-on execution: building relationships with key decision-makers, leading legislative advocacy, and developing high-impact partnerships with industry associations, trade groups, and peer organizations. The ideal candidate brings 10–15 years of policy experience, strong relationship-building capabilities, and a proven track record of connecting policy strategy directly to business growth. This position reports directly to the company’s Chief Privacy Officer, who heads our policy and government affairs functions.There is no existing team or playbook. You will help build both, starting with your own relationships, experience, and credibility. We are committed to a thriving in-office culture but this role can be remote for the right candidates, so long as you are willing to regularly travel to key areas, such as San Mateo, California (our headquarters), Washington, DC, and state and local government hubs to meet with key stakeholders and constituents. What You'll Do • Framework & Strategy: Help design and execute our first Government Affairs framework, defining company policy priorities, legislative tracking systems, and political governance across local, state, and emerging federal levels. • Policy Roadmapping: Develop, execute, and refine a scalable 50-state policy strategy, categorizing target jurisdictions by legislative risk, market opportunity, and regulatory complexity. • Lobbyist Management: Recruit, direct, and actively manage external state and local contract lobbyists and political consultants across priority target states to ensure accountability and measurable outcomes. • Public Sector Business Development: Partner directly with go-to-market teams to unlock procurement pathways and develop a practical, ground-level government playbook, navigating agency requirements and supporting active deals to accelerate time-to-close. • Funding & Procurement Strategy: Shape policy and public sector funding and appropriations conversations—including school safety and infrastructure grants—that favor modern, cloud-based public sector infrastructure. • Cross-Functional Alignment: Work closely with Legal, Product, Public Relations, and Public Sector Sales Teams to align policy strategies with commercial revenue goals and procurement opportunities. What You Bring • Education: Must have a Bachelor’s degree; Master’s or J.D. helpful but not required. • Experience: 8+ years of progressive experience in government relations, public policy, legislative staff roles, or corporate advocacy, with deep state and local expertise and familiarity with federal policy processes. • 50-State & Lobbyist Management Expertise: Proven track record of designing multi-state policy strategies and effectively directing state and local contract lobbyists across multiple jurisdictions. • Commercial & Sales Alignment: Demonstrated experience partnering closely with public sector sales and business leads to align policy initiatives with state/local government procurement and revenue growth. • Partnership Mindset: Ability to partner effectively with senior executive leadership to shape policy priorities. • Relationship & Network Capabilities: Proven ability to build meaningful networks, open doors with senior officials, and earn credibility across diverse political environments. • Coalition & Trade Expertise: Track record of actively working within trade associations, leading industry committees, and building multi-stakeholder coalitions. • Skills: Exceptional written and oral communication skills; ability to translate complex technical or business models into clear, compelling policy narratives for lawmakers, regulators, and internal leadership; strong political acumen and cross-functional alignment skills to gain consensus across internal teams. • Travel: Willingness to regularly travel (aligned with state legislative sessions, municipal council calendars, and industry conferences). Employee Benefits Verkada is committed to fostering a workplace environment that prioritizes the holistic health and wellbeing of our employees and their families by offering comprehensive wellness perks, benefits, and resources. Our benefits and perks programs include, but are not limited to: • Healthcare programs that can be tailored to meet the personal health and financial well-being needs - Premiums are 100% covered for the employee under at least one plan and 80% for family premiums under all plans • Nationwide medical, vision and dental coverage • Starting January 2027, Verkada will match a portion of an employee’s 401(k) contributions based on eligible earnings. Match vests on 2 year anniversary • Health Saving Account (HSA) with annual employer contributions and Flexible Spending Account (FSA) with tax saving options • Expanded mental health support • Paid parental leave policy & fertility benefits • Time off to relax and recharge through our paid holidays, firmwide extended holidays, flexible PTO and personal sick time • Professional development stipend • Wellness/fitness benefits • Healthy lunches provided daily • Commuter benefits Additional Information You must be independently authorized to work in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment visa for this role, at this time. Annual Pay Range At Verkada, we want to attract and retain the best employees, and compensate them in a way that appropriately and fairly values their individual contribution to the company. With that in mind, we carefully consider a number of factors to determine the appropriate starting pay for an employee, including their primary work location and an assessment of a candidate's skills and experience, as well as market demands and internal parity. A Verkada employee may be eligible for additional forms of compensation, depending on their role, including sales incentives, discretionary bonuses, and/or equity in the company in the form of restricted stock units (RSUs) Below is the annual on-target earnings (OTE) range for full-time employees for this position, comprised of base compensation and commissions (if applicable). Estimated Annual Pay Range $205,000 — $265,000 USD Verkada Is An Equal Opportunity Employer As an equal opportunity employer, Verkada is committed to providing employment opportunities to all individuals. All applicants for positions at Verkada will be treated without regard to race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age, marital status, veteran status, pregnancy, or any other basis prohibited by applicable law. Your application will be handled in accordance with our Candidate Privacy Policy .