Global Government Affairs Director

We are seeking a Global Government Affairs Director to support SpaceXSI's business and growth objectives primarily in London/UK through direct global lobbying efforts and strategic coalition building on a range of issues.

You will own SpaceXSI's market development and stakeholder engagement strategy for the region. You will lead efforts to position SpaceXSI as the trusted partner for frontier AI deployments across the European governments.

This role combines strategic market leadership, high-level stakeholder engagement, revenue acceleration, and cross-functional influence. You will operate as an individual contributor while collaborating closely with global and local leadership to ensure government priorities align with and inform SpaceXSI's broader international growth.

Responsibilities:

• Lead the identification, qualification, and development of European governments and strategic enterprise opportunities, building and managing a robust pipeline for Enterprise Sales teams to convert into revenue-generating agreements
• Conduct rigorous market research and competitive analysis to assess demand for SpaceXSI's technologies, map the European AI and public sector landscape, identify barriers to entry, and develop strategies that accelerate SpaceXSI's growth in Europe
• Elevate SpaceXSI's brand and presence in Europe as a mission-driven, trusted leader in frontier AI, positioning the company as the partner of choice for transformative public sector and critical national infrastructure initiatives
• Build and expand a senior-level network of advocates and partners across Europe national governments, local government, academia, industry bodies, and the private sector to champion SpaceXSI's growth and open strategic doors
• Drive significant increases in win rates on complex European government and strategic enterprise deals by providing strategic counsel, executive sponsorship, and high-touch enablement to pursuit and sales teams
• Shape favorable funding, procurement, policy, and regulatory conditions that enable SpaceXSI's successful market entry, expansion, and long-term positioning in Europe
• Provide executive-level air cover and personal leadership on the highest-priority European pursuits, including leading government briefings, negotiations, and strategic relationship management
• Accelerate deal velocity from opportunity identification through contract award, signature, and successful launch, removing obstacles and orchestrating cross-functional resources
• Partner with global Sales, Engineering, Product, and Legal teams to improve competitive positioning, tailor solutions to public sector requirements, and maximize win probability on strategic opportunities
• Lead cross-functional alignment with Sales, Marketing, Legal, Product, Engineering, and Finance to ensure European market strategy and execution are fully integrated with SpaceXSI's global priorities and product roadmap
• Deliver high-impact enablement resources, market intelligence, and thought leadership that accelerate opportunities. Systematically gather and synthesize European customer requirements and advocate for them with product and engineering teams to iterate and enhance SpaceXSI offerings for public sector use cases
• Shape customer and stakeholder thinking of aligning with SpaceXSI's unique strengths and value proposition, helping European governments understand how frontier AI can transform their missions
• Contribute to and help enable SpaceXSI's global government affairs strategy from the European vantage point, ensuring strong coordination and knowledge sharing across EMEA and other international markets
• Cultivate and sustain trusted senior relationships with ministers, senior civil servants, agency leaders, regulators, and strategic partners to create durable competitive advantage
• Proactively monitor, analyze, and mitigate geopolitical, economic, regulatory, policy, security, and reputational risks in the region that could affect market access, compliance, or ongoing operations; develop and execute mitigation and contingency plans
• Define, track, and report on key performance metrics , including pipeline value, win rates, deals closed, policy/regulatory milestones, and revenue impact , and provide regular strategic updates to global leadership

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree
• 10+ years of experience in government affairs, public policy, market access, strategic business development, or regulatory affairs
• 4+ years of direct people leadership experience managing government affairs teams/personnel

Preferred Skills and Experience:

• Demonstrated ability to build and leverage senior-level relationships with government officials, policymakers, and C-suite executives, and to influence outcomes in complex, matrixed environments
• Deep, current knowledge of the UK & European government ecosystem, AI and digital transformation policy priorities and public sector innovation agendas
• Direct experience engaging with or influencing government departments and agencies such as UK's DSIT, Cabinet Offices, Ministries, or equivalent
• Exceptional communication and executive presence , able to craft compelling policy briefs, proposals, briefings, and presentations, and to represent SpaceXSI effectively in senior government and industry forums
• Ability to translate complex technical AI concepts into clear policy, mission, and business value language for diverse audiences
• Experience leading or significantly contributing to cross-functional teams in fast-paced, matrixed organizations; comfort operating with high autonomy and ambiguity
• Passion for SpaceXSI's mission to understand the universe and a genuine interest in the responsible, high-impact deployment of frontier AI for public good