Government Affairs Manager

About You and The Role 

Zipline operates an autonomous delivery network that moves essential goods quickly and reliably. In Nigeria, durable government and public-sector relationships are critical to establishing operations, expanding access, and sustaining support across institutions and administrations.

Based in Abuja, you will lead government engagement for Nigeria and coordinate public-sector pathways for market entry and growth. You will build trusted relationships with national and subnational leaders, understand the priorities and decision-making structures that shape our work, and help Zipline navigate policy, partnerships, public-sector opportunities, and non-aviation approvals. You will connect government priorities with the right Zipline teams and help company leaders make informed decisions. Success means decision-ready market-entry pathways, durable stakeholder coverage, clear internal ownership, and credible advocacy on non-aviation issues.

What You'll Do

• Set Zipline’s government engagement strategy in Nigeria, mapping federal, state, and local stakeholders, their priorities, decision rights, and influence on Zipline’s services.
• Build durable relationships across ministries, agencies, legislatures, public-health institutions, and relevant community or traditional leaders.
• Coordinate cross-functional government pathways for market entry and expansion, clarifying agency dependencies, internal owners, decisions, and next steps.
• Monitor non-aviation laws, regulations, budgets, and policy developments; develop evidence-based positions with subject-matter experts and engage responsible officials.
• Assess political and institutional risks affecting facilities, shipments, partners, employees, or service continuity; coordinate relevant government relationships with Security and Operations.
• Prepare stakeholder briefs, meeting objectives, talking points, and follow-up plans that give leaders clear options, likely outcomes, commitments, and open questions.
• Track engagement progress through pathway readiness, stakeholder coverage, resolved dependencies, and advocacy outcomes; maintain accurate records and ensure owners complete commitments.
• Represent Zipline with sound judgment, communicating the company’s goals accurately and maintaining high ethical standards in all interactions with public officials, partners, and community stakeholders.
• Partner with the Commercial Director to move priority state opportunities toward approval and signature.
• Map each state’s decision-makers, funding and procurement route, required approvals, legal reviewers, and authorised signatory.
• Plan Governor-level engagements with a clear decision requested, the right participants, and agreed follow-up actions.
• Track proposal, budget, procurement, legal, and approval milestones; flag blockers and recommend next steps.
• Monitor state policy and process changes that could affect commercial opportunities, and brief the team on their impact.
• Build a stakeholder and commitment tracker with named owners, deadlines and escalation routes.
• Coordinate regular check-ins with federal partners to review progress, resolve dependencies and keep commitments on track.
• Support the Country Director maintain relationships with key sponsors and decision-makers, including preparing for senior-level updates.
• Monitor federal policy, budget and leadership changes that could affect implementation; brief the Country Director on implications and recommended action.
• Surface opportunities to expand or strengthen the partnership, while coordinating with Commercial, Legal and Operations on next steps.

What You'll Bring

• Substantial experience in government affairs, public policy, public-sector partnerships, or a closely related field in Nigeria, with a record of navigating complex government institutions and advancing organizational objectives.
• Strong, credible relationships and connections with senior government leaders and decision-makers in Nigeria, including relevant federal stakeholders and the ability to build effective relationships with state and local leaders. You can open doors while also earning trust through preparation, candor, and reliable follow-through.
• A practical understanding of Nigeria’s political and institutional landscape, including how federal and subnational governments, public agencies, public health systems, community and traditional leaders, and regional institutions influence policy and implementation.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and execute a stakeholder engagement strategy, assess political and institutional dynamics, and adapt as leadership, priorities, or decision-making structures change.
• Experience coordinating across functions to solve market-entry or policy challenges, with the judgment to distinguish coordination from ownership of legal, regulatory, operational, security, or commercial work.
• Strong policy analysis, advocacy, writing, and briefing skills. You can turn complex developments into clear options, recommendations, and next steps for senior leaders.
• Excellent relationship-building, negotiation, and communication skills, including discretion and sound judgment in politically sensitive situations.
• Fluency in English and the ability to travel within Nigeria as business needs require. Fluency in Yoruba, Hausa, or Igbo are an advantage.
• A bachelor’s degree in public policy, political science, law, international relations, communications, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
• Experience navigating state government approval, budget, procurement, and contract-signing processes.
• Ability to turn senior government access into well-prepared meetings, clear decisions, and reliable follow-through.
• Sound judgment about the distinct roles of Government Affairs, Commercial, Legal, Finance, and Operations.

What Else You Need To Know

Zipline is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion or religious creed, mental or physical disability, medical condition, genetic information, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, military or veteran status, citizenship, or other characteristics protected by state, federal or local law or our other policies.

We value diversity at Zipline and welcome applications from those who are traditionally underrepresented in tech. If you like the sound of this position but are not sure if you are the perfect fit, please apply!