Director, State & Local Government Affairs

Zillow

2d•$191,000 - $321,000•Remote

About The Position

Zillow is seeking a strategic and experienced Director, State & Local Government Affairs to lead the company's state advocacy organization across a multi-region portfolio. This leader will oversee regional government affairs managers, direct complex legislative campaigns, manage external lobbying partners, and help translate Zillow's enterprise priorities into coordinated execution across priority markets. This role goes beyond traditional lobbying. As Zillow continues to grow and expand its impact across housing and technology, Government Affairs plays an increasingly important role in enabling business strategy, supporting product innovation, protecting consumer trust, and navigating an evolving legislative landscape. The Director will build a high-performing regional organization capable of executing consistently across multiple states while strengthening the operating model that connects Government Affairs, Policy, Legal, Communications, Product, and business leaders. Success requires an executive mindset, strong political judgment, and the ability to lead through influence, ambiguity, and organizational change.

Requirements

12+ years of experience in government relations, public policy, legislative affairs, or a closely related field, including significant experience advising senior leaders on complex policy and regulatory matters.
Demonstrated experience developing and executing integrated government relations or public affairs strategies that support business or organizational objectives.
Proven success building and maintaining influential relationships with legislators, regulators, associations, and advocacy partners in highly regulated or politically complex environments.
Experience leading cross-functional efforts on policy or regulatory issues in a corporate, industry association, or government setting, with accountability for outcomes and executive-level communication.
Or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Required travel up to 25%.

Nice To Haves

Experience within a technology, marketplace, housing, fintech, mortgage, real estate, or highly regulated consumer platform company.
Experience leading regional government affairs functions within a Fortune 500 company, trade association, or comparable organization.
Familiarity with housing policy, listings, rentals, consumer finance, AI policy, competition policy, or digital marketplace regulation.
Experience building or scaling government affairs organizations during periods of company growth.
Enterprise thinking and business acumen
Exceptional political judgment
Strategic prioritization and resource allocation
Organizational leadership and team development
Executive influence without formal authority
Cross-functional collaboration
Operational excellence and disciplined execution
Adaptability in complex, fast-changing environments

Responsibilities

Develop and lead Zillow's state and local government affairs strategy across multiple regions and legislative environments.
Translate enterprise business priorities into coordinated state advocacy strategies that advance Zillow's long-term objectives.
Prioritize campaigns, allocate resources, and ensure consistent execution across regional portfolios.
Lead complex legislative and regulatory campaigns from strategy through execution, including sponsorship strategy, coalition management, negotiation, amendment strategy, and legislative engagement.
Help determine where Zillow should proactively lead, partner, or monitor across priority issues.
Guide regional leaders through rapidly changing political environments while maintaining alignment to enterprise priorities.
Lead, coach, and develop experienced regional government affairs leaders across multiple geographies.
Foster a collaborative, high-accountability culture while empowering regional expertise and decision-making.
Build long-term organizational capability through talent development, succession planning, and scalable operating practices.
Establish and continuously improve the operating rhythms, governance, planning processes, and reporting mechanisms that enable effective execution across the state affairs organization.
Improve coordination between Government Affairs, Public Policy, Legal, Communications, Product, Economics, and executive leadership.
Create greater visibility into legislative priorities, campaign progress, emerging risks, and strategic opportunities.
Oversee Zillow's network of outside lobbyists, consultants, and strategic advisors across multiple jurisdictions.
Establish clear performance expectations, deployment strategies, accountability measures, and budget priorities.
Ensure external partners operate as integrated extensions of Zillow's Government Affairs team.
Monitor legislative, regulatory, and political developments across priority markets.
Identify emerging risks and opportunities that may influence product strategy, market expansion, consumer trust, or business operations.
Provide timely recommendations and executive briefings that enable informed business decisions.
Work closely with Public Policy to translate policy priorities into executable field strategies.
Partner with Legal to navigate regulatory developments and legislative risk.
Collaborate with Product and business leaders to ensure advocacy strategies support evolving business priorities.
Coordinate with Communications and Public Affairs on stakeholder engagement and external messaging.
Align closely with Federal Government Affairs on issues that require coordinated state and federal engagement.