Government Partnerships Manager, Southern California

About Us

Highland Electric Fleets’ electrification-as-a-service (EaaS) model aims to make electric school buses and other clean heavy duty vehicles attainable for every district across the US and Canada. Our turnkey solution tackles financing, vehicle procurement, infrastructure upgrade and maintenance to create a reliable and affordable fleet for our customers.

We know that cleaner buses create healthier communities and it’s our mission to eliminate the barriers to better student health and cleaner air - just 10 electric buses will reduce the pediatric asthma risk for 1,500 students!*

We are looking for candidates that want to help support this mission…

*Source: American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. Based on estimates for Highland customer with large fleet

The Southern California Government Partnerships (GP) Manager is a key engagement role that will facilitate the company’s expansion and integration into specific markets in southern California, including Los Angeles, San Diego, etc.

This individual will join a growing team to cover government partnerships and market development activities, including building and managing relationships with local politicians, decision-makers, government agencies and their stakeholders at various levels. These relationships should allow this individual to educate on electrification project benefits, secure project support, advocate for project deployment opportunities, and implement key campaigns with critical targets.

The GP Manager will leverage their experience with government partnerships, advocacy, political and public policy engagement, and/or local commercial project development to build relationships with people in school districts and municipalities that will help these institutions decide to electrify their fleets.

This individual will conduct this work in close coordination with the commercial team to support the development of projects with the school districts and municipalities. This individual will also work with the team to evaluate new product offerings, devise strategies for approaching different customers, and build Highland’s presence and standing with the goal to enable market entrance and expansion.

Responsibilities:

• Build and maintain strategic relationships with local, municipal, state, and regional politicians, policy makers and program administrators as well as their stakeholders
• Develop and execute strategies/campaigns designed to secure project support and advocate for project deployment opportunities 
• Work with lobbyists, consultants, and other influencers who can advance campaigns
• Serve as a political relationships and power-mapping expert in the region
• Support the development of GTM strategy, identification of high value potential customers, and key account strategy
• Coordinate closely with Highland’s sales, origination, marketing, operations and project development teams on projects in the region 
• Professionally represent Highland at various school, business, local government, and community activities throughout the region
• Present to groups, classes, and organizations in a variety of settings about the value of electrifying school bus and municipal  fleets
• Plan and coordinate events and Highland’s participation in events
• Create materials (e.g., letters, written comments, presentations, handouts) designed to support market education and EVSB policy development

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree with 5 years of experience in local project development (e.g., renewable energy development), government partnerships, community organizing, political campaigns, and/or policy advocacy, 
• A background with transportation electrification, energy, clean/climate technology is considered a plus
• Located in the Southern California, comfortable with travel across the So Cal region.
• Strong time-management, planning, and organizational skills
• Motivational self-starter with ability to multi-task, prioritize, and work within the parameters of a gated and deadline driven environment
• Ability to recognize and address problems with expedited solutions
• Demonstrated leadership and relationship management skills
• Ability to take part in collaborative efforts with peers and colleagues
• A strong commitment to building community
• Relevant Master’s Degree (MBA, MPA, etc.) considered a plus
• High attention to detail
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite

What You Can Expect from Highland:

· Competitive base salary and performance-based bonus program

· A supportive, highly collaborative, team-oriented environment

· Opportunities to make a difference, be heard, add value, and be recognized

· Growth and development with a leader in this new and exciting industry

· Ability to work with bright, innovative, and forward-thinking colleagues

· Health, Vision, and Dental coverage for employees & their dependents

· Life insurance, public transportation assistance

· Generous Paid Time Off

· 401(k) program and company match

Highland Electric Fleets provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, Highland Electric Fleets complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.