Government Affairs Manager, Nigeria

Zipline - Do you want to change the world? Zipline uses drones to deliver critical and life-saving medicine to thousands of hospitals serving millions of people in multiple countries. Our mission is to provide every human on Earth with instant access to vital medical supplies. Join Zipline and help us make this a reality for billions of people.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Government Affairs Manager, Nigeria

Location: Abuja

What You'll Do

• Set Zipline’s government engagement strategy in Nigeria, mapping federal, state, and local stakeholders, their priorities, decision rights, and influence on Zipline’s services.
• Build durable relationships across ministries, agencies, legislatures, public-health institutions, and relevant community or traditional leaders.
• Coordinate cross-functional government pathways for market entry and expansion, clarifying agency dependencies, internal owners, decisions, and next steps.
• Monitor non-aviation laws, regulations, budgets, and policy developments; develop evidence-based positions with subject-matter experts and engage responsible officials.
• Assess political and institutional risks affecting facilities, shipments, partners, employees, or service continuity; coordinate relevant government relationships with Security and Operations.
• Prepare stakeholder briefs, meeting objectives, talking points, and follow-up plans that give leaders clear options, likely outcomes, commitments, and open questions.
• Track engagement progress through pathway readiness, stakeholder coverage, resolved dependencies, and advocacy outcomes; maintain accurate records and ensure owners complete commitments.
• Represent Zipline with sound judgment, communicating the company’s goals accurately and maintaining high ethical standards in all interactions with public officials, partners, and community stakeholders.
• Partner with the Commercial Director to move priority state opportunities toward approval and signature.
• Map each state’s decision-makers, funding and procurement route, required approvals, legal reviewers, and authorised signatory.
• Plan Governor-level engagements with a clear decision requested, the right participants, and agreed follow-up actions.
• Track proposal, budget, procurement, legal, and approval milestones; flag blockers and recommend next steps.
• Monitor state policy and process changes that could affect commercial opportunities, and brief the team on their impact.
• Build a stakeholder and commitment tracker with named owners, deadlines and escalation routes.
• Coordinate regular check-ins with federal partners to review progress, resolve dependencies and keep commitments on track.
• Support the Country Director maintain relationships with key sponsors and decision-makers, including preparing for senior-level updates.
• Monitor federal policy, budget and leadership changes that could affect implementation; brief the Country Director on implications and recommended action.
• Surface opportunities to expand or strengthen the partnership, while coordinating with Commercial, Legal and Operations on next steps.

What You'll Bring

• A Bachelor’s Degree in Public Policy, Political Science, Law, International Relations, Communications, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
• Substantial experience in government affairs, public policy, public-sector partnerships, or a closely related field in Nigeria, with a record of navigating complex government institutions and advancing organizational objectives.
• Strong, credible relationships and connections with senior government leaders and decision-makers in Nigeria, including relevant federal stakeholders and the ability to build effective relationships with state and local leaders. You can open doors while also earning trust through preparation, candor, and reliable follow-through.
• A practical understanding of Nigeria’s political and institutional landscape, including how federal and subnational governments, public agencies, public health systems, community and traditional leaders, and regional institutions influence policy and implementation.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and execute a stakeholder engagement strategy, assess political and institutional dynamics, and adapt as leadership, priorities, or decision-making structures change.
• Experience coordinating across functions to solve market-entry or policy challenges, with the judgment to distinguish coordination from ownership of legal, regulatory, operational, security, or commercial work.
• Strong policy analysis, advocacy, writing, and briefing skills. You can turn complex developments into clear options, recommendations, and next steps for senior leaders.
• Excellent relationship-building, negotiation, and communication skills, including discretion and sound judgment in politically sensitive situations.
• Fluency in English and the ability to travel within Nigeria as business needs require. Fluency in Yoruba, Hausa, or Igbo are an advantage.
• Experience navigating state government approval, budget, procurement, and contract-signing processes.
• Ability to turn senior government access into well-prepared meetings, clear decisions, and reliable follow-through.
• Sound judgment about the distinct roles of Government Affairs, Commercial, Legal, Finance, and Operations.