Senior Director, Corporate Affairs and Government Relations Strategy & Operations

As IonQ continues its rapid growth trajectory and expands engagement with government-funded initiatives, we need a strategic leader to serve as a Senior Director, Corporate Affairs and Government Relations Strategy & Operations who will be partnered with the SVP, Federal and Chief Corporate Affairs (CCA) and Government Relations Officer (GRO) while simultaneously building and operationalizing our Federal, Government Relations and Corporate Affairs Teams. This role requires an exceptional operator who can think strategically, execute flawlessly, and build scalable infrastructure across multiple high-priority domains.  

In this role you will serve as the strategic advisor and operational lead for the SVP, Federal and CCA/GRO. You will create customer mapping, operational playbooks, systems, and strategic frameworks for Federal, government relations and corporate affairs.  

 

Responsibilities: 

• Shape strategic priorities, messaging and strategic initiatives to maximize organizational impact and ensure alignment 
• Anticipate needs, emerging risks, policy shifts and stakeholder dynamics and provide solutions-oriented recommendations 
• Represent the SVP, Fed & CCA/GRO and drive special projects as appropriate
• Drive strategic planning processes and cadence, including quarterly business reviews, annual planning and board engagements 
• Monitor and manage operating frameworks, performance tracking and governance to ensure accountability and measurable impact 
• Oversee prioritization and execution of key initiatives across Federal, Corporate Affairs, Government Relations, Go-to-Market, Business Development, Legal, HR and executive teams to advance shared goals
• Create and institutionalize playbooks, protocols, communications governance and engagement strategies for M&A activities that are scalable 
• Orchestrate executive communications and information flow to ensure clarity, consistency and alignment  
• Prepare high-impact briefing materials, executive summaries and external engagement materials for senior leadership, elected officials, trade associations and key stakeholders
• Support enterprise issues management and crisis response in coordination with cross-functional teams
• Strengthen talent development, onboarding and culture within the Fed & CCA/GRO 

 

You’d be a good fit with: 

• 15+ years of progressive experience in government, public policy, corporate affairs or chief of staff roles, with at least 5 years at the director level or above
• Proven experience advising C-suite executives and influencing enterprise strategy  
• Demonstrated ability to lead complex, competing priorities and drive execution across matrixed organizations
• Exceptional strategic thinking with strong operational and execution  
• Experience building functions or operational infrastructure from the ground up  
• Strong understanding of government contracting requirements and public sector stakeholder management
• Exceptional writing, editing, and executive communication abilities
• Superior judgmen