Government Affairs Director, Infrastructure

Microsoft•Washington, DC

About The Position

Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. As employees we come together with a growth mindset, innovate to empower others, and collaborate to realize our shared goals. Each day we build on our values of respect, integrity, and accountability to create a culture of inclusion where everyone can thrive at work and beyond. At Microsoft, we are growing fast to bring the Microsoft Cloud and AI closer to people and organizations around the world – and we are committed to sustainability, innovation, social responsibility, and supporting the communities in which we live and work.Customer demand for our cloud and AI services continues to increase as reflected by growthin revenue and customer commitments in Microsoft Cloud and AI. Datacenter capacity is the infrastructure that is the backbone of the cloud. In the last three years, we’vedoubled our capacity, adding more in 2025 than any other year in history. We expect to have another record year in 2026, and our global footprint continues to expand, across 70+ regions and 400+ datacenters worldwide. The U.S. Infrastructure Government Affairs Team engages with state and local governments and other community stakeholders tobuildsupport andadvance policiesnecessary toenableMicrosoft to build andoperatedatacenters around the country. This team provides the subject matter expertisetoissues related to land use, water use, energy, regulationand taxfor datacenters. It also works closely with Microsoft’s Public Affairs, TechSpark, State Government Affairs, Infrastructure Legal Affairs, andCommunity Affairs teams to engage with the public on issues related to Microsoft’s data center development in communities. We are seeking a Government Affairs Director, Infrastructurer to join our team. In this role you will play a critical role in working with state and local government leaders in multiple states/regions to develop and achieve the company’s policy, political, business and relationship goals in a way that reflects the values of Microsoft.

Requirements

Bachelor's Degree in Public Policy, Public Administration, Political Science, Business Administration, Technology, Law, Liberal Arts, Engineering, or related field AND 6+ years work experience in government affairs, corporate affairs, public policy, government, or related area
OR equivalent experience.
Experience in advocacy in technology, real estate development, or government space and experience in developing and implementing strategic plans to drive policy and development objectives

Nice To Haves

Experience with technology and related public policy issues at the state and local level and the ability to engage effectively in a variety of public settings
Experience in real estate development for complex projects, including working with community members, local elected officials, and other stakeholders
Experience managing outside resources, including lobbying firms and trade associations
Ability to multitask, prioritize, working with peers and managers with a bias for action.

Responsibilities

Promote Microsoft as a trusted local and worldwide leader in providing AI and cloud services and responsibly developing the infrastructure to host those services.
Develop and maintain strategic relationships with state and local government officials in your regions.
Advocate for public policy positions conducive to data center development including, but not limited to issues of energy, taxation, development, workforce and sustainability.
Work closely with Microsoft’s Public Affairs and TechSpark teams to provide communications and programming in communities surrounding data center development.
Work closely with data center development teams and their executive leadership to support their work with local government and regulators in key markets.
Represent Microsoft interests with governments, business and community organizations to enhance Microsoft’s state and local presence.
In consultation with Microsoft’s State Government Affairs team, coordinate government affairs consultants / lobbyists activities in furtherance of Microsoft’s policy agenda in select geographies.
Represent Microsoft at external events, meetings and conferences when needed.
Identify opportunities for collaboration with other organizations on issues of mutual interest.
Develop coalitions to support Microsoft’s policy agenda as appropriate.
Build effective advocacy campaigns focusing on improving perceptions and driving adoption of long-range public policy goals.
Ensure compliance of lobbying and political activities with state and local laws / regulations and Microsoft’s Standards of Business Conduct.