Director, Government Relations

Description

Role overview:

Clearwave Fiber is seeking a proven relationship-builder to serve as Director, Government Relations. In this role, you will be the primary face of Clearwave Fiber to municipal leaders, civic organizations, and community stakeholders across our Southeast and Midwest markets. Your mission is to foster trusted partnerships that pave the way for market entry, enable smooth permitting and construction, and support Clearwave’s ongoing operations in the communities we serve. You will engage directly with local leaders and agencies, represent the company at public forums and events, and ensure Clearwave remains a valued long-term partner in each market. Internally, you will work across construction, operations, legal/regulatory, and sales to align community relationships with business objectives, helping accelerate growth while sustaining the company’s reputation as a responsible and responsive provider. This is a high-visibility, high-impact role that requires both strategic acumen and operational discipline.

Responsibilities include:

• Develop and manage primary working relationships with municipal leaders, council members, government agencies, chambers of commerce, economic development councils, and non-government influencers across Clearwave Fiber’s current, under-construction, and future target markets
• Maintain regular meeting/touchpoint cadence with key individuals in each municipality to sustain ongoing dialogue and provide regular updates during construction process; represent the company at public hearings, council meetings, and civic events
• Serve as the primary Clearwave Fiber liaison/point-of-contact/escalation point and work proactively to maintain and improve Clearwave Fiber’s relationships and standing within the communities we serve
• Collaborate internally to help navigate local permitting, regulatory, and other governmental processes
• Partner with the market expansion and lelga/regulatory departments to ensure registration and compliance with appropriate regulation (either state or county / municipality-level) in new markets
• Ensure alignment with internal stakeholders from market approval through formal market launch / initial customer activation
• Evaluate, engage, and oversee external government relations agencies, consultants, legal counsel, lobbyists as needed in new or legacy markets
• Monitor, analyze, and make internal recommendations around government funding (federal, state, county, and municipality level) or public/private partnerships; partner with Market Expansion leadership to operationalize these opportunities, as appropriate
• Closely monitor competitors and other fiber overbuilders’ actions across the Southeast and Midwest and have a detailed understanding of the industry, market, and product/service trends affecting competitiveness, both short term and long term
• Build new market and competitive intelligence reports, dashboards and tracking structures
• Prepare and present findings, proposals, and ongoing updates to senior executives of the company

Requirements

You will have:

• 10+ years in business development, market expansion, sales or M&A roles
• MBA or relevant graduate degree preferred or similar academic / professional experience
• Deep knowledge and understanding of Cable/Telecom industries
• Experience building new organizational capabilities
• Superior analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills, with demonstrated intellectual and analytical rigor
• Experience working with cross functional teams like construction, sales, engineering, and operations
• Strong leadership skills and experience leading teams running multi-faceted projects across several geographies
• Ability to structure and manage complex cross-enterprise projects and processes with multiple stakeholders at all levels
• Experience with project management and project team management to include developing new markets
• Ability to organize and manage multiple priorities
• Ability to clearly communicate compelling messages to senior executives and external business partners

Other:

• Travel required: 50 – 60+%

What We Offer:

At Clearwave Fiber, we value our people, and we show it with an outstanding benefits package, including:

• Competitive Salary plus Bonus Plan
• Paid Time Off – Up to 20 Days in Your First Year
• Comprehensive Health Benefits (medical, dental, vision) – starting on Day 1!
• Company-Paid Life, Short-Term & Long-Term Disability Insurance
• 401(k) with 100% Com