Government Affairs and Community Partnerships Manager

Strategic Partnerships & Government Affairs Manager

We are seeking a highly motivated and experienced Strategic Partnerships & Government Affairs Manager to join our growing team. This role will be crucial in driving both policy advocacy and direct sales enablement to expand adoption of our school bus safety solutions across the Southeast. The ideal candidate combines political savvy with a strong business orientation, capable of influencing legislation and accelerating deal cycles. The ideal candidate will have a strong passion for public safety and a proven track record of success in building and maintaining relationships with government officials at the municipal and state levels.

Responsibilities

• Identify, qualify, and advance priority accounts with complex political and regulatory dynamics.
• Build pipeline within your assigned territory, document that effort in the company's CRM, and report on that progress on a weekly basis
• Maintain a data and process-based forecast and report that to Sales leadership on a weekly basis
• Support the sales cycle by navigating gatekeepers and influencers in school districts and local government.
• Participate in account planning, deal strategy sessions, and proposal development, and ensure government relations insights are embedded in sales efforts.
• Assist in removing political and regulatory roadblocks to close high-value sales opportunities.
• In partnership with our Government Relations team, track and report on government engagement impact on pipeline progress and deal conversion.
• Develop and execute strategic go-to-market and government relations plans within the Southeast, focusing on municipal and state-level initiatives.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders, including:
• Mayors, City Councilors, and other municipal officials
• School Superintendents, School Boards, and Transportation Directors
• Court staff, Prosecutors, and Law Enforcement Agencies
• State Legislators and their staff (including former Chiefs of Staff)
• Advocate for legislative and regulatory changes that support the use of AI-powered school bus safety technology.
• Conduct research and analysis on relevant legislation, regulations, and policy issues.
• Represent BusPatrol at public hearings, conferences, and other relevant events.
• Develop and implement grassroots campaigns to raise awareness of school bus safety issues.
• Collaborate with internal teams, including Government Relations, Marketing, and Legal, to achieve business objectives.
• Monitor and report on legislative and regulatory developments.

Qualifications

• 3-5 years of experience in government relations, public affairs, or strategic partnerships/business development in a public sector context.
• Experience as a member of or supporting public sector sales teams or working in a B2G (business-to-government) environment
• Proven experience working with elected officials at the municipal and/or state level.
• Experience working with school districts, law enforcement agencies, and other relevant community stakeholders is a strong plus.
• Strong understanding of the legislative and regulatory processes in GA, FL, TN, and AL.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and presentation skills.
• Ability to build and maintain strong relationships with diverse stakeholders.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Passion for public safety and a commitment to making a positive impact on children's lives.
• Bachelor's degree in Political Science, Public Policy, or a related field preferred.

Bonus Points:

• Experience working on school safety or transportation issues.
• Experience with lobbying and grassroots advocacy campaigns.
• Experience working with technology companies.
• Experience supporting enterprise or consultative sales into public sector environments.
• Familiarity with long-cycle, multi-stakeholder sales typical in municipal or state government procurement.
• Experience working with numerous municipality stakeholders on public policy initiatives in FL/GA/TN/AL.

BusPatrol Value Proposition

BusPatrol is a technology company with a public safety mission. Through relentless innovation and discovery, we are strengthening trust, safety, and transparency across the student transportation space and making the trip to and from school safer for students. As a leader in smart transportation, BusPatrol brings cutting-edge AI, machine learning and IoT safety tech solutions to school buses across North America. BusPatrol's technology has been deployed onto more buses and has been used to issue more school bus stop arm citations than any other company in the world.

BusPatrol employees get:

• A competitive salary and benefits package
• Comprehensive personal time off, including volunteering and birthday days off
• An opportunity to help build a company dedicated to children's safety
• The chance to join an innovative and dedicated team, focused on leading edge technology
• The occasion to participate in BusPatrol's culture of safety, learning, and teamwork

BusPatrol's school bus safety programs are violator-funded, meaning that those who break the law pay for the technology that protects children. We build solid partnerships in the communities in which we operate which, coupled with our innovative business model, leads to sustainable efforts to change driver behaviors.

On our mission to make the journey to and from school safer for children, the way we work together and with our partners is built on foundational cultural pillars.

• Safety: Safety is our focus, for the children we protect and for each other. We follow the letter and spirit of occupational safety law, relentlessly employ safety best practices, and foster learning and development on our worksites. We are safe to be ourselves and to make mistakes, and we create safe environments for our teams.
• Connection: We build strong relationships and teams in support of our mission. We promote and provide opportunities for employees to grow together.
• Excellence: We commit to innovation and quality work in support of our mission and each other. The children we safeguard are at the forefront of our decisions and actions and we excel on their behalf.
• Impact: We measure success by fulfilling our mission and keeping the company strong. We invest our time and energy in the actions that deliver results for students and for their communities.

Minimum US Base Salary

USD $130,000.00/Yr.

Maximum US Base Salary

USD $150,000.00/Yr.