Director, Government Affairs

At Cadence, we hire and develop leaders and innovators who want to make an impact on the world of technology.

Job Title

Director, Government Affairs

Key Qualifications

The ideal candidate is a strategic, highly credible leader with experience building government affairs capabilities in complex, technology-driven environments.

For consideration, we are looking for someone that possesses the following skills and attributes:

• Demonstrated experience engaging senior officials across the Executive Branch (Commerce/BIS, DoD, State, NSC) and Congress across a broad range of global public policy matters including global trade (exports), national security, AI, appropriations and related geopolitical matters.

• Strong fluency in semiconductors, AI, software or electronics and ability to translate technical concepts into policy and business risk.

• Proven ability to translate policy developments into actionable business insights.

• Track record of designing structured government engagement strategies and collaborating with internal stakeholders to identify, prioritize and pursue critical policy objectives for the organization.

• Experience establishing and managing relationships with external lobbying firms and policy advisors.

• Familiarity and experience working with trade associations and building external coalitions.

• Physically located in the greater Washington D.C. area including ready access to the U.S.G.

Responsibilities

This position will serve as Cadence’s leader for Government Affairs, responsible for defining and executing policy strategy aligned with the company’s values, mission and strategic objectives:
 

• Define policy priorities across global trade (exports), national security, AI regulations, U.S.-China relations and industrial policy.

• Translate policy developments into actionable insights impacting products, customers and operations.

• Analyze legislative and regulatory proposals and provide recommendations for cross-functional internal and external collaboration and engagement.

• Identify and evaluate current and emerging policy trends and developments and advise stakeholders and business partners across the company on risk management and business strategies.

• Represent the Company before various administrative, regulatory, legislative, and executive levels of government, and in some instances, local jurisdictions, or ensure company leaders are well represented at major events, conferences, etc.

• Identify, analyze, and report to the Company business, legislative and regulatory issues that could potentially impact the business and recommend and manage a course of action.

• Coordinate a cross-functional team that would include engineering, sales, marketing, communications, compliance and legal as well as external lobbying firms and policy advisors.

• Organize and drive communication with Cadence senior leadership, including meetings, and briefings.

• Establish and maintain effective relationships with regulators, elected officials, civil servants, and other key stakeholders.

• Develop and oversee the production of high-quality written recommendations, briefings, publications, presentations, and other collateral that communicate complex messages clearly and effectively to audiences, with a focus on government stakeholders.

• Coordinate strategy with trade association representatives to ensure active engagement on areas of interest to Cadence and that all are aligned in support of our business strategies. 

• Participate, serve, and assume leadership positions on industry-related associations, steering committees, and networking organizations to protect & promote the Company interests.

Additional Requirements

• 10+ years of relevant public policy and/or government affairs work, including with a global technology company, preferably semiconductor/electronics ecosystem-related.

• Outstanding communicator who can advocate for issues externally in public settings as well as explain their impacts internally.

• Excellent written, verbal and interpersonal communication skills, including the ability to distill and present complex information plainly and succinctly.

• Ability to excel and maintain a positive attitude in a high-performance, fast-paced professional environment, while managing multiple projects under tight deadlines.

• Highest level of integrity and professionalism.

• Demonstrated familiarity with AI/semiconductor/software regulatory policy landscape, including major legislative & regulatory trends and ability to grasp technical details quickly.

• Demonstrated ability to interact directly with key government stakeholders.

• Self-starter with the ability to prioritize, as well as excellent oral and written communication skills.

The annual salary range for Washington DC is $140,000 to $260,000. You may also be eligible to receive incentive compensation: bonus, equity, and benefits. Sales positions generally offer a competitive On Target Earnings (OTE) incentive compensation structure. Please note that the salary range is a guideline and compensation may vary based on factors such as qualifications, skill level, competencies and work location. Our benefits programs include: paid vacation and paid holidays, 401(k) plan with employer match, employee stock purchase plan, a variety of medical, dental and vision plan options, and more.

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