VP, Government Affairs

Peregrine is seeking a Vice President of Government Affairs to build and lead the company’s federal, state, and local government engagement strategy as we transition from early-stage execution to scaled programs, increased government visibility, and deeper engagement with federal, state, and international stakeholders. In this role, you will report to the Company’s Chief Legal Officer and be a trusted advisor to the CEO and the Executive Team.  

You will be responsible for building a disciplined policy and engagement strategy for both our US federal business and our long-standing and growing State and Local Government business, managing relationships across the executive and legislative branches, supporting government-funded programs and contracts, and ensuring consistent alignment between public policy objectives and business priorities as the company grows in size and complexity.  

This leader will skillfully balance organizational leadership and strategic judgment with hands-on execution. The ideal candidate will possess a deep understanding of US public safety and/or law enforcement policy and players; established relationships across key federal agencies and Capitol Hill; and the ability to translate complex business and technical issues into effective advocacy positions. 

This is not a traditional policy or compliance-only role. It’s a senior, operator-minded position for someone who can build and lead a Government Affairs department that functions as a growth-aligned force multiplier across the federal landscape as well as in priority states—while managing political, regulatory, and reputational risk. 

You will own Peregrine’s external federal, state and local political infrastructure (lobbyists, associations, advisors), establish clear compliance guardrails, and partner closely with federal and state strategy and growth leaders to ensure government affairs can accelerate execution. 

Your North Star 

Build a disciplined, outcome-driven Government Affairs function that supports Peregrine’s priority US Federal and State strategies, unlocks funding and market access, and protects the company as it scales across complex political and regulatory environments. 

What You’ll Do 

• Lead Lobbyist & External Partner Strategy: Own strategy, oversight, and performance management for all contract lobbyists, Public Affairs/Government relations firms, and external advisors. 
• Establish Political Compliance & Guardrails: Build a practical, scalable political compliance framework for federal, state and local activities including political contributions, lobbying registrations and sales team policies in partnership with Legal team. 
• Support US Federal Business team: Design and execute the company’s federal government relations strategy aligned with top business priorities, including U.S. government customers, program execution, policy and legislative developments, regulatory considerations, and future growth.  
• Support Priority State Strategies: Partner with state strategic owners (e.g., AZ, FL, TX) to align government affairs activity with revenue, funding, and deployment goals; helping to design and execute legislative, budget, and regulatory strategies in target states. 
• Risk & Crisis Response: Partner with Legal and Communications to lead Peregrine’s GA response to political, regulatory, or public-sensitivity issues involving government stakeholders. 
• Build Event, Association & Relationship Infrastructure: Develop a clear engagement strategy for organizations such as RAGA, DAGA, NCSL, NLC, USCM, and key state-level associations. Recommend where Peregrine shows up, why, and with what objectives—and who should attend. 

What Success Looks Like 

• Government affairs is viewed internally as a strategic growth partner, not a blocker. 
• Lobbyists and external partners are high-performing, accountable, and aligned to outcomes. 
• Priority state teams have clear legislative, budget, and political strategies supporting growth. 
• Political and regulatory risks are anticipated early and managed effectively. 
• Peregrine shows up in the right rooms, with the right message, for the right reason. 

About You 

• 12+ years of experience in government affairs, public policy, political campaigns, or related roles with ownership of complex, multi-stakeholder initiatives. 
• Background in public safety policy or aligned industries. 
• Demonstrated experience managing lobbyists and federal-level strategies.  
• Strong working knowledge of state legislative, regulatory, and budget processes. 
• Proven ability to operate as a partner to revenue-owning and market-development teams. 
• Comfortable building from scratch in a fast-moving, entrepreneurial environment. 
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills; able to translate complexity into clear narratives and operator-ready tools. 
• Located in San Francisco and willing to work in our office 4x/week.

Salary Range: $300,000 - $385,000 Annually + Benefits + Equity (if applicable) + Bonus (if applicable)

Actual compensation is influenced by a wide array of factors including but not limited to skill set, level of experience, and specific work location. Information on the benefits offered is here.
Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.