Federal Affairs Lead

Airbnb was born in 2007 when two Hosts welcomed three guests to their San Francisco home, and has since grown to over 4 million Hosts who have welcomed more than 1 billion guest arrivals in almost every country across the globe. Every day, Hosts offer unique stays and experiences that make it possible for guests to connect with communities in a more authentic way.

The Community You Will Join

Airbnb’s public policy team exists to further the interests of our community of hosts and guests with politicians, regulators, opinion leaders and others who shape the political and legal context for our business, helping them to understand the significant social and economic contributions of our platform. We engage governments at local, regional and national levels directly and also use innovative advocacy and partnership strategies that actively involve our community and our stakeholders in making the case for fair, progressive home sharing rules.

We organize ourselves in integrated campaign groups, drawing on a wide range of tools and disciplines - from detailed policy and government relations work, through high-impact partnerships, proactive media relations, community organizing, digital platforms and content, polling, and innovative data science and research. We use the combined might of these disciplines to progress our overall policy agenda

The Difference You Will Make

The ideal candidate will be passionate about Airbnb and the sharing economy, and have experience with or in government, politics, campaigns or advocacy groups. Our ideal candidate is also a creative and effective strategist; has broad business and people interests and knowledge; and can create and execute ideas. S/he should be inclined to boldly take on issues and challenges; to comfortably navigate the ever-changing political environment; to communicate messages without hesitation. S/he should be self-aware; responsive to feedback; and, flexible, adaptable and thrive in a dynamic environment. S/he should have the ability to work on various projects simultaneously, requiring strong organizational and time management skills.

S/he should also have demonstrated experience in building trust and credibility with both internal and external stakeholders; a solid ability to connect business strategies to relevant policy campaigns. S/he should be a passionate, thoughtful and clear communicator, and be able to articulate policy strategies to the team. S/he will also create and maintain an inclusive culture in line with Airbnb’s Core Values, and is committed to embracing diversity and fostering belonging. It is a bonus to have worked in a startup, ecommerce, or other high growth, fast paced company.

This position will report directly to Airbnb’s North America PolicyDirector. While Airbnb, Inc. embraces a remote work culture, this position must be based in Washington, DC.

A Typical Day

• Direct the development and enactment of overarching strategy for the Federal office with an eye toward effecting positive outcomes on key legislative and regulatory fronts involving Airbnb’s core interests, including identifying and acting on proactive opportunities and risk mitigation, research, writing, and analysis and critical thinking on policy (and political) developments affecting Airbnb’s priorities.
• Work collaboratively with the North America Policy Director, and the regional Policy Leads across North America, the Global Campaign Director, the broader Policy team, and global Policy leadership to develop and implement Airbnb’s US Federal legislative and public policy initiatives; including contextualizing global priorities, positions, and strategies.
• Manage the US Federal Affairs Team as a committed people leader who invests in the professional growth of team members.
• Serve as active peer member in team of North America Leads, developing and enacting priorities, under direction of North America Policy Director.
• Serve as active thought leader in identifying and establishing new Federal priorities as Airbnb’s business and priorities expand and change.
• Oversee and execute the goals of the corporate Political Action Committee (PAC).
• Lead advocacy on key priorities before the US Congress and the Executive Branch on corporate issues.
• Manage and represent Airbnb at strategic engagements with national partners including trade associations, industry peers, and policy and political advocacy groups to ensure the success of Airbnb’s overall business, community and mission.
• Direct, guide and advise Airbnb’s teams on Federal public policy matters to shape development of products, services and policies.
• Ensure executives and corporate leaders are well informed of developments that may impact business operations and brand perception.
• Represent Airbnb in high-level meetings with government officials and other stakeholders.
• Attend and act as a proxy for the Director of North America Policy and/or other Policy Leads at senior-level meetings.
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Your Expertise

• Degree or advanced degree level in related field.
• At least 10 years experience working in politics, government, regulatory, or relevant business or non-governmental organization (a mix of public and private sector experience is a strong plus), including experience in an established senior role with significant public exposure and leadership responsibilities.
• Experience managing a team, overseeing a budget, and crafting short- and long-term strategic plans.
• Demonstrated experience and success obtaining results in one or more of the following policy areas: tech privacy, tax, housing and financial services, travel and tourism, and judicial matters including anti-discrimination and antitrust.
• Extensive knowledge of the US Federal political and regulatory environments.
• Strong platform within Federal policy, regulatory, and political community, with proven ability to work within established network of peers and contact to advance strategic priorities.
• Competence and comfort publicly representing past employers in public, high-stakes, on-the-record settings.
• First-rate personal, political, analytical and organizational skills.
• Ability to push back/pressure test ideas and initiatives as needed.
• An empathetic leader who cares about providing opportunities for growth for their team, and has experience working with and managing people from all backgrounds in a way that will allow them to succeed and motivate others.
• Ability to create an environment that fosters and promotes diversity and inclusion within the team.
• Guided by a personal integrity that reflects Airbnb’s core values and commitment to our stakeholders.
• Record of maintaining the highest personal levels of ethical conduct, confidentiality, and integrity.
• Makes decisions for the good of the whole organization and fosters a culture of mobility and individual growth.
• Ability to quickly get up to speed on complex technical and regulatory issues.
• Excellent communicator, written and verbal, with great interpersonal and presentation skills, both for subject matter experts and the layperson.
• Ability to work independently as well as a team player in a multi-task work environment while producing the highest caliber work product in a timely manner
• Self starter with a sense of humor and the ability to thrive in a fast moving and sometimes stressful environment.
• Candidates with experience setting the legislative priorities for a Federal Affairs Team and/or executing the goals of the corporate PAC strongly preferred.
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Your Location:

Due to the nature of this position, the successful applicant will need to be based in Washington DC to be able to conduct their work. Currently, employees can not be located in: Alaska, Indiana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Alabama, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Delaware And Rhode Island. This list is continuously being updated, please check back with us if the state you live in is on the exclusion list. If your position is employed by another Airbnb entity, your recruiter will inform you what states you are eligible to work from.

Our Commitment To Inclusion & Belonging

Airbnb is committed to working with the broadest talent pool possible. We believe diverse ideas foster innovation and engagement, and allow us to attract creatively-led people, and to develop the best products, services and solutions. All qualified individuals are encouraged to apply.

We strive to also provide a disability inclusive application and interview process. If you are a candidate with a disability and require reasonable accommodation in order to submit an application, please contact us at: reasonableaccommodations@airbnb.com. Please include your full name, the role you’re applying for and the accommodation necessary to assist you with the recruiting process.

We ask that you only reach out to us if you are a candidate whose disability prevents you from being able to complete our online application.

How We'll Take Care Of You

Our job titles may span more than one career level. The actual base pay is dependent upon many factors, such as: training, transferable skills, work experience, business needs and market demands. The base pay range is subject to change and may be modified in the future. This role may also be eligible for bonus, equity, benefits, and Employee Travel Credits.

Pay Range

$196,000—$254,000 USD