Local Government Relations Manager

Zohorecruit; Kirkland (WA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Ziply Fiber is seeking a Local Government Relations Manager to advance our fiber network expansion by building strong relationships with city and county officials, utilities, and community leaders in Kirkland, WA.

You will guide permitting, right-of-way processes, construction coordination, and local code interpretation, ensuring projects stay on schedule and on budget while protecting Ziply Fiber's reputation.

Qualifications

• Building and maintaining strategic relationships with local government officials.
• Strong communication and public engagement skills.
• Ability to interpret municipal codes and construction standards.

Responsibilities

• Continuous engagement with local leadership to address right-of-way, permitting, and joint-use issues.
• Coordinate with mayors, city councils, county officials, and staff to communicate Ziply Fiber initiatives and secure support.
• Act as main contact for Network Operations on local government issues and constituent inquiries.
• Build relations with chambers of commerce and local community groups to facilitate project progress.
• Identify and remove obstacles to keep projects on schedule and within budget.
• Track progress against performance objectives and report results to leadership.

Job description

Position Title: Local Government Relations Manager

Benefits:

Medical, dental, vision, 401k, flexible spending account, paid sick leave and paid time off, parental leave, quarterly performance bonus, training, career growth and education reimbursement programs.

Ziply Fiber is a local internet service provider dedicated toelevating the connected livesof the communities we serve. We offer the fastest home internet in the nation, arefreshingly great customer experience,andaffordableplans that putcustomersin charge.

As ourstate-of-the-artfiber network expands, so does our need for team members who can help us grow and realize our goals.

OurCompany Values:

• Genuinely Caring: We treat customers and colleagues like neighbors, with empathy and full attention.
• Empowering You: We help customers choose whatisbest for them,andwesupport employeesin implementingnew ideasand solutions.
• Innovation and Improvement: We constantly seek ways to improve how we serve customers and each other.
• Earning Your Trust: We build trust through clear, honest,human communication.

Job Summary

The Local Government Relations Manager supports Ziply Fiber’s network expansion by building strong relationships with local governments, public works departments, utilities, and community leaders. This role serves as a key liaison across multiple jurisdictions, helping navigate permitting, right-of-way, construction coordination, and community issues. A strong understanding of city ordinances and construction standards enables this role to guide internal teams through local requirements and support their efforts to deliver builds on time and on budget. It also provides critical local insight to internal teams to support timely project execution and maintain positive community partnerships. The position plays a central role in strengthening Ziply Fiber’s presence and reputation as a collaborative and community-focused infrastructure partner.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

The Essential Duties and Responsibilities listed below are a range of duties performed by the employee and not intended to reflect all duties performed.

Leadership and Issue Resolution

• Continuous engagement with and understanding the objectives of local leadership (FDC, Field Ops, Marketing) ensuring issues are attended to timely and professionally. Support local leadership in the resolution of right-of-way, permitting, pole attachment/joint use and similar issues with states, counties, and cities and third parties.
• Work with the local leadership team (FDC, Field Ops, Marketing) on known issues providing support to resolve issues in a timely manner.
• Ensures teams are aware of current field issues, community inquiries, and work together towards a satisfactory resolution.
• Focuses on meeting and maintaining consistent service levels.
• Carefully and thoroughly tracks complaint resolution performance.

Community and Government Relations

• Cultivating and maintaining strategic relationships with key community, public and government officials.
• Meeting regularly with mayors, city council members, county commissioners, administrators, and staff of key cities and counties to articulate the Company’s vision and plans and to obtain support for Ziply Fiber’s initiatives.
• Act as principal contact for Ziply Fiber’s Network Operations team on local government issues and resolution of constituent inquiries.

Stakeholder and Business Engagement

• Establishing and maintaining relationships with local chambers of commerce, economic development councils, and local community groups.
• Works with residents and businesses to resolve issues related to all construction efforts and to create a win-win solution for the resident, business, and the company.

Construction and Build Area Support

• Work with local jurisdiction and community for active build areas ensuring we are attending to all issues as they arise.
• Serve as a champion for internal teams by proactively identifying solutions, removing obstacles, and consistently finding a path forward to keep projects on track.
• Review and interpret right of way agreements/franchises, municipal codes, and construction standards to advise construction and installation teams, helping them achieve their build obligations on budget and on schedule.
• Track and report progress on support against organizational performance objectives, providing leadership with clear visibility into local market results.

Other Duties

• Performs other duties as required to support the business and evolving organization .
• Interpersonal Skills – Focuses on resolving conflict; maintains confidentiality; listens to others; keeps emotions under control. Responds promptly to resident/business needs; solicits feedback to improve service; responds to requests, inquiries, issues with sense of urgency; meets commitments.
• Professional Integrity - Must demonstrate a high degree of personal and professional integrity due to the nature of information involved and the public visibility of this position.
• Adaptability - Must thrive working independently as well as with cross functional teams, and exhibit energy, intelligence, and a drive for success.
• Cross-Functional Leadership - Acts as the primary liaison between the organization and local government, serving as an informal leader who bridges all business functions with a comprehensive understanding of operations and accountability for driving performance against collective goals.
• Ability to effectively present information in one-on-one and small group situations to residents, businesses, municipal leadership, community members, and other employees of the organization. Must be comfortable presenting in public meetings and receiving immediate feedback.
• Communication – Writes and speaks clearly and persuasively in positive or negative situations. Listens and gets clarification, responds well to questions, demonstrates group presentation skills, active participation in internal and public-facing meetings. Tailors communication to engage effectively with a range of key stakeholders, including construction or engineering staff, city planners, contractors, legal staff, the general public, other utility operators, and municipal leadership.
• Strong problem-solving, partnership, and collaboration skills.
• Results-Driven Translator - Ability to communicate clearly and bridge understanding between stakeholders who operate in different disciplines and speak different professional "languages," driving toward shared outcomes.
• Negotiation and Composure - Skilled at navigating complex, high-pressure situations with diplomacy, humility, and the ability to think on one’s feet while maintaining a constructive tone