Vice President, Public Policy, NA

Vantage Data Centers•Ashburn, VA

2d•$275,000 - $285,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Vantage Data Centers powers, cools, protects and connects the technology of the world’s well-known hyperscalers, cloud providers and large enterprises. Developing and operating across North America, EMEA and Asia Pacific, Vantage has evolved data center design in innovative ways to deliver dramatic gains in reliability, efficiency and sustainability in flexible environments that can scale as quickly as the market demands. Global Public Policy Department Vantage’s Global Public Policy team, a part of the Vantage Data Centers Legal organization, is responsible for the company’s government relations, economic development, and community engagement efforts worldwide. We believe the world needs more digital infrastructure to create a better future with opportunities for all. We strive every day to lead in the creation and maintenance of a public policy environment where reliable, flexible, secure, and sustainable data centers are encouraged. We want to be welcomed by the communities where we operate and to be seen as responsible actors. We do so by approaching the challenges and opportunities before us, head on, with an outward mindset, living our Core Values, creatively solving problems, and following through on our commitments. We also endeavor for excellence in our work, continuously improving upon our efforts as we seek to become the best possible public policy team for our company and the world. Position Overview This role is based out of Ashburn, VA office with flexibility to work between that office and our workspace in Washington, DC. In this newly created role, the Vice President, Public Policy, North America will serve as Vantage Data Centers’ senior public policy leader across the United States and Canada, accountable for setting strategy, leading people, and delivering favorable outcomes in a complex, fast‑evolving regulatory and political environment for a fast-growing company. This role requires someone who is a proven builder and leader of high‑performance teams, an experienced policy strategist in capital‑intensive and regulated industries, and a trusted advisor to senior executives. The role oversees a multidisciplinary, hybrid team covering federal, state, provincial, and local government relations (including legislative and regulatory), economic development, and community engagement. This leader will set direction, develop talent, and create operating discipline while partnering closely with: Business Development; New Site Development; Construction; Marketing; Sustainability; Environment, Health, and Safety; Finance; Operations; Product; other departments as needed; and the North America Leadership Team to support Vantage’s growth and risk‑management objectives. The Vice President will be expected to anticipate policy risk, shape policy outcomes, and build durable relationships, while cultivating a team culture grounded in trust, accountability, respect, and agility. Success in this role will be measured not only by policy outcomes, but also by the strength, clarity, and resilience of the team the Vice President builds and leads. Success will look like: 1) a cohesive, motivated, and accountable North America Public Policy team with clear priorities and strong internal credibility aligned with the business; 2) improved policy outcomes that reduce risk, enable growth, and strengthen community trust; and 3) strong executive confidence in the public policy function as a strategic asset and not as a reactive support role.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience required; graduate degree or equivalent preferred.
15+ years of progressive hands-on experience in public policy, especially corporate government relations, in North America.
Demonstrated success leading and scaling high-performance teams, including managing and developing leaders.
Reputation as a trusted, credible, humble, and principled team leader.
Proven ability to set and implement successful advocacy strategies, prioritize effectively, and drive execution through others.
Deep experience engaging directly with policymakers at the federal, state/provincial, and local levels in North America.
Background in capital-intensive, regulated, or infrastructure-heavy sectors such as energy, technology, telecom, real estate, and transportation.
Strong understanding of legislative, regulatory, and executive interagency processes.
Experience in managing budgets and relationships with third parties including consultants and trade associations.
Familiarity with political campaigns and engaging with candidates and campaign organizations.
Knowledge of lobbying ethics and campaign finance laws, and experience operating in compliance with applicable laws.
Exceptional written and verbal communications skills, including briefing executives, policymakers, and public speaking.
High degree of political acumen, calculated risk taking, and sound judgment required.
Demonstrated ability to navigate ambiguity, manage risk, and make timely and good ethical decisions under pressure.

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with digital infrastructure issues, especially energy and land use, preferred.
Preferred experience operating in high-growth or rapidly-scaling organizations.
Media training and interview experience preferred.

Responsibilities

Define and execute a cohesive North America public policy strategy aligned with Vantage’s business objectives across the asset lifecycle.
Anticipate and assess emerging political, regulatory, and reputational risks, translating them into clear priorities and action plans.
Serve as a senior policy advisor to executive leadership, providing clear, actionable, and candid counsel on complex policy tradeoffs.
Ensure consistent positioning across federal, state/provincial, and local engagements.
Build, lead, and retain a high‑performing public policy team with clear roles, expectations, and accountability.
Set a leadership standard that emphasizes ownership, good judgment, follow‑through, collaboration, and professional growth.
Coach and develop senior leaders and managers, creating succession depth and institutional resilience.
Establish operating rhythms, decision frameworks, and performance metrics that enable the team to scale effectively and with accountability.
Oversee senior‑level engagement with elected officials, regulators, economic developers, and communities.
Guide engagement with trade associations, coalitions, and third‑party advocates to ensure alignment with Vantage priorities.
Represent Vantage as a credible, constructive, and solutions oriented partner in relevant policy discussions affecting digital infrastructure issues, including energy, sustainability, land use, and economic development.
Partner closely with internal stakeholders across Business Development; New Site Development; Construction; Marketing; Sustainability; Environment, Health, and Safety; Finance; Operations; Product; other departments as needed; and the North America Leadership Team.
Work in collaboration with relevant teams to shape, align, and execute external narratives related to public policy, sustainability, and development — ensuring consistency across government, media, community, and customer audiences.
Ensure public policy considerations are integrated early into go-to-market, site selection, energy procurement, sustainability, communications, design, and community engagement strategies.
Model and reinforce Vantage’s values of trust, accountability, respect, and agility.
Translate policy developments into clear implications and actions for business teams.
Foster a team culture that balances urgency with judgment, and advocacy with credibility.
Support responsible growth by aligning policy engagement with community expectations and sustainability goals.
Additional duties as assigned by Management.