Head of Public Policy, Malaysia, AWS Public Policy

Amazon Web Services (AWS); Kuala Lumpur; On-site; MYR 450,000 - 700,000; Full time

Job summary

Amazon Web Services Malaysia SDN. BHD. in Kuala Lumpur seeks a seasoned Head of Public Policy to lead Malaysia's cloud and AI policy agenda. You will navigate government relations, shape strategy, and advocate policy positions to enable AWS investment and growth.

You will manage minister-level relationships, assess regulatory risks, and drive cross-functional collaboration to align regional and local policy with AWS business objectives.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or above in a relevant discipline (e.g. Law, Political Science, Public Policy, Public Affairs, Economic Development)
• 12+ years of public policy, government relations, community relations, public affairs, or corporate social responsibility experience
• 12+ years of working directly with government officials and regulatory bodies experience
• 12+ years of regulatory frameworks and policy analysis methodologies experience
• Speak, write, and read fluently in English and Bahasa Malaysia.

Responsibilities

• Own and lead the full scope of AWS's public policy strategy in Malaysia end-to-end — from problem identification through strategy development to execution — with the goal of facilitating an enabling environment for cloud and AI adoption, protecting AWS's investment interests, and advancing strategic policy opportunities.
• Serve as AWS's single-threaded country policy leader, cultivating and maintaining minister-level and senior official relationships with key government agencies to drive alignment, unblock issues, and secure favorable policy outcomes.
• Demonstrate strong political acumen and geopolitical awareness, with the ability to monitor and navigate Malaysia’s evolving political environment, anticipate emerging risks and opportunities to AWS’s policy and business priorities.
• Anticipate and assess policy risks and opportunities with significant business impact (e.g., incentive programs, infrastructure deployment, market access), make recommendations to senior leadership, and drive mitigation strategies independently.
• Create and drive policy programs that support business enablement, including public sector engagement to unlock government cloud adoption, advancing government partnerships and capacity‑building initiatives, and enabling cloud and AI adoption in regulated sectors such as financial services.
• Manage and coordinate external advocacy efforts, outreach programs, and key initiatives in concert with AWS business objectives. Drive strategic third‑party engagement through industry coalitions, academia, and think tanks.
• Facilitate high‑level engagements between AWS executives and senior government officials, regulators, industry associations, and alliance partners to promote and advocate AWS's public policy positions.
• Contribute to regional ASEAN and APJ strategic initiatives, ensuring Malaysia activities are integrated into broader regional policy strategy and sharing best practices across markets.

Skills

Public policy

Government relations

Regulatory analysis

Stakeholder engagement

English fluency

Bahasa Malaysia fluency

Independent judgment

Strategic thinking

Education

Bachelor's degree or above

Master's degree preferred

Job description

Description

Would you like to be part of a public policy team that is shaping the environment for cloud computing and AI adoption across Asia-Pacific? Do you have the government affairs experience and policy expertise to independently lead our public policy agenda in one of AWS's most strategically important and complex markets? AWS is looking for a talented and seasoned policy leader to serve as Head of Public Policy, Malaysia.

The Head of Public Policy, Malaysia will join a growing and dynamic team that works across Asia Pacific and Japan (APJ) in support of AWS's global cloud and digital businesses. Like our business interests, our policy issues are broad, forward-thinking, and driven by what is best for our customers. The AWS Global Public Policy team works with a wide range of national and supranational policymakers, industry organizations, and non-governmental organizations across policy issues spanning the digital economy — including cloud computing, AI, cybersecurity, data protection, digital trade, infrastructure investment, and sustainability.

Reporting to the Director, Public Policy ASEAN & APJ Strategic Engagements, this role is based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Key job responsibilities

• Own and lead the full scope of AWS's public policy strategy in Malaysia end-to-end — from problem identification through strategy development to execution — with the goal of facilitating an enabling environment for cloud and AI adoption, protecting AWS's investment interests, and advancing strategic policy opportunities. Exercise independent judgment on high-stakes policy positions and engagement strategies.
• Serve as AWS's single-threaded country policy leader, cultivating and maintaining minister-level and senior official relationships with key government agencies to drive alignment, unblock issues, and secure favorable policy outcomes.
• Demonstrate strong political acumen and geopolitical awareness, with the ability to monitor and navigate Malaysia’s evolving political environment, anticipate emerging risks and opportunities to AWS’s policy and business priorities.
• Anticipate and assess policy risks and opportunities with significant business impact (e.g., incentive programs, infrastructure deployment, market access), make recommendations to senior leadership, and drive mitigation strategies independently.
• Create and drive policy programs that support business enablement, including public sector engagement to unlock government cloud adoption, advancing government partnerships and capacity‑building initiatives, and enabling cloud and AI adoption in regulated sectors such as financial services.
• Manage and coordinate external advocacy efforts, outreach programs, and key initiatives in concert with AWS business objectives. Drive strategic third‑party engagement through industry coalitions, academia, and think tanks.
• Facilitate high‑level engagements between AWS executives and senior government officials, regulators, industry associations, and alliance partners to promote and advocate AWS's public policy positions.
• Contribute to regional ASEAN and APJ strategic initiatives, ensuring Malaysia activities are integrated into broader regional policy strategy and sharing best practices across markets.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or above in a relevant discipline (e.g. Law, Political Science, Public Policy, Public Affairs, Economic Development)
• 12+ years of public policy, government relations, community relations, public affairs, or corporate social responsibility experience
• 12+ years of working directly with government officials and regulatory bodies experience
• 12+ years of regulatory frameworks and policy analysis methodologies experience
• Speak, write, and read fluently in English and Bahasa Malaysia.
• Demonstrated experience representing a large company, strategic consultancy, government agency, or industry association before national policymakers and regulators in Malaysia.
• Strong understanding of Malaysia's political and regulatory environment, including the machinery of government and key policy stakeholders.
• Experience enabling or supporting sales outcomes through government affairs or public policy engagement — e.g., facilitating public sector procurement, removing regulatory barriers to enterprise adoption, or supporting customer acquisition through policy engagement.
• Proven ability to operate independently and exercise sound judgement on high‑stakes policy matters with significant business impact.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree or above in a relevant discipline (e.g. Law, Political Science, Public Policy, Public Affairs, Economic Development)
• Experience in the technology sector, particularly knowledge of cloud computing, AI, data protection, cybersecurity, and digital economy policy issues.
• Experience working at a senior level in a highly‑matrixed, multinational environment, influencing cross‑functional teams (Legal, PR, Communications, business units) without direct authority.
• Demonstrated track record of achieving meaningful changes to regulatory environment through public policy advocacy, and demonstrated ability to influence, negotiate with, and persuade senior government officials.

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Company

- Amazon Web Services Malaysia SDN. BHD.