Director, Government Affairs

About the role

Interested candidates based outside of the designated areas are welcome to apply, provided they have the indefinite right to work in the job location. Cohesity is a leader in AI-powered data security and management. Aided by an extensive ecosystem of partners, Cohesity makes it easy to secure, protect, manage, and get value from data - across the data center, edge, and cloud. Cohesity helps organizations defend against cybersecurity threats with comprehensive data security and management capabilities, including immutable backup snapshots, AI-based threat detection, monitoring for malicious behavior, and rapid recovery at scale. We've been named a Leader by multiple analyst firms and have been globally recognized for Innovation, Product Strength, and Simplicity in Design. Join us on our mission to shape the future of our industry. The Government Affairs Director is a senior individual contributor responsible for leading Cohesity's federal public policy and advocacy strategy. Working together with the Global Head of Government Affairs, this role serves as a senior player of Cohesity's engagement with Congress, the executive branch, federal agencies, and key trade associations on issues of IT procurement, cybersecurity policy, and artificial intelligence governance. A self starter, the Director shapes long-term advocacy strategies, manages senior external relationships, drives direct sales-enablement outcomes through policy, and positions Cohesity as the go-to resource for data resilience in Washington. The Director will work in close partnership with Cohesity's federal sales team, legal and compliance functions, and executive leadership to convert policy engagement into market access and revenue growth. This role requires political acumen, fluency in federal IT procurement and cybersecurity policy and the ability to represent Cohesity at the highest levels of government and industry. HOW YOU'LL SPEND YOUR TIME HERE: Federal Advocacy & Congressional Engagement Develop and advance appropriations and NDAA legislative language that supports federal sales priorities, including data resilience, cyber modernization, and zero-trust architecture. Build and maintain senior-level relationships across key congressional committees: Armed Services, Appropriations, Homeland Security, Intelligence, Commerce, and the AI Caucus. Represent Cohesity in meetings with Members of Congress, staff, and key federal officials; prepare and support executive principals for high-profile Hill engagements and testimony opportunities. Monitor, analyze, and brief leadership on legislative and political developments with potential impact on Cohesity's business or regulatory environment. Executive Branch & Agency Engagement Provide early warning to legal, compliance, and engineering teams on emerging executive orders and agency rulemakings (e.g., cybersecurity EOs, AI procurement guidance, SBOM requirements, etc) Seek and secure opportunities for Cohesity executives to participate in agency advisory panels, OSTP working groups, and IT Security Cross-Community (IT-SCC) meetings. IT Procurement Policy Shape federal IT procurement policy and spending priorities on cyber resilience, data management, and AI-enabled security through direct engagement with OMB and congressional appropriators. Monitor and influence relevant legislation, appropriations riders, and FAR/DFAR rulemaking that affect federal IT and data security procurement decisions. Provide strategic counsel to sales leadership on legislative barriers to entry and policy levers available to drive government customer adoption. WE'D LOVE TO TALK TO YOU IF YOU HAVE MANY OF THE FOLLOWING: 10+ years of experience in federal government affairs, congressional affairs, or public policy, including experience shaping and leading a federal advocacy agenda for a technology or enterprise software company Congressional experience strongly preferred. Prior role as a Hill staffer, committee staff, or in a federal agency with significant congressional interaction Deep working knowledge of the NDAA, the federal appropriations process, and the cybersecurity and data-security policy landscape, with the ability to set strategy and engage across the full legislative cycle Familiarity with federal technology procurement, cybersecurity, data protection and cyber resilience, IT modernization, zero trust, and AI policy, and the legislative and regulatory vehicles that drive them Cross-industry experience a strong plus, candidates who have navigated the federal landscape across technology, data security, defense, or adjacent sectors will stand out Established relationships with staff across relevant committees and agencies, including Armed Services, Appropriations, Homeland Security, and Oversight and Government Affairs is a strong plus Strong bipartisan political instincts and situational awareness. Candidates should be able to identify moments of leverage, shape policy positions, and flag risk

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