The Community You Will Join: 

Airbnb’s Public Policy team exists to further the interests of our community of hosts and guests with politicians, regulators, opinion leaders and others who shape the political and legal context for our business, helping them to understand the significant social and economic contributions of our platform. All around the world, we are engaged in local conversations with governments. We engage governments at local, regional and national levels directly, and also use innovative advocacy and partnership strategies that actively involve our community and our stakeholders in making the case for fair, progressive home sharing and short-term rental rules.

We organize ourselves in integrated campaign groups, drawing on a wide range of tools and disciplines - from detailed policy and government relations work, through high-impact partnerships, proactive media relations, community organizing, digital platforms and content, polling, and innovative data science and research. We use the combined might of these disciplines to progress our overall policy agenda.   

The Difference You Will Make:

We are looking for a Public Policy Associate to support our campaigns in the Southeast US region. In this role, you will help to define policy goals and positions and implement them, working closely alongside other functional experts who support those goals through content, community engagement, partnerships and media relations. This role will report to the  Regional Lead, Southeast US.

To do this role effectively you must be able to build trust and engage with a variety of stakeholders, including local and state governments, academia, industry associations, and the media, to help them understand our business and the contributions of our community in order to win hearts and minds in support of Airbnb’s growth and tourism as a whole.

The ideal candidate will be passionate about Airbnb’s mission and tourism, and have experience in regulatory, tax and political work in a relevant business or non-governmental organization, or in a political, governmental or regulatory context.

Frequent travel within the Southeast US should be expected, along with occasional travel to our global headquarters in San Francisco.

A Typical Day: 

• Support the Southeast Public Policy team in coordinating and executing the company’s public policy strategy in the region.
• Monitor legislative and regulatory activity in the region and advise the Southeast Public Policy Lead with respect to challenges and opportunities, developing and executing actionable strategies, ensuring progress is accurately tracked and reported regularly and roadblocks flagged in a timely fashion.
• Help operationalize legislative and stakeholder engagement strategy and partnerships.
• Engage in research, writing and other activities to provide analysis and critical thinking on developments affecting the policy in home-sharing or other Airbnb verticals in the Southeast US.
• Develop external facing documents, such as feedback to regulatory proposals or industry position papers in very short windows of time.
• Represent Airbnb in meetings and/or events with public officials and/or industry associations.
• Assist with administrative functions of the Southeast policy team including, but not limited to: legislative tracking and recording, project coordination, and budget-related matters.

Your Expertise:

• Four years or more of experience working on policy issues in a relevant business organization, or in a political, legislative or regulatory context (a mix of public and private sector experience is an advantage).
• Direct policy experience, preferably in one of the following fields: tourism, housing, or e-commerce/internet regulation – which must include a track record of influencing regulation and legislation at the state and/or local level in the region.
• First-rate personal, political, analytical and organizational skills.
• An eye for detail – with an ability to very quickly get up to speed on complex technical and regulatory issues.
• Highly organized, and able to help keep others organized, while managing multiple projects cross-functionally and navigating a complex matrix organization with multiple internal and external stakeholders.
• Excellent communicator with great interpersonal and presentation skills, both for subject matter experts and the layperson.
• Ability to work independently as well as a team player in a matrixed work environment while producing the highest caliber work product in a timely manner.
• Self-starter with a sense of humor and the ability to thrive in a fast-moving and sometimes stressful environment.
• Embraces challenges with a positive and solutions-oriented approach.
• Strong political acumen.
• Proficiency in the use of online collaboration and productivity tools.
• Fluency (reading/writing/speaking) in English is essential.  Spanish, a plus.
• Degree or advanced degree level in a related field.
• Willingness to travel frequently within the region, as needed.

Your Location:

Due to the nature of this position, the successful applicant will need to be based in Texas, Tennessee, or North Carolina to be able to conduct their work. Currently, employees can not be located in: Alaska, Indiana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Alabama, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Delaware And Rhode Island. This list is continuously being updated, please check back with us if the state you live in is on the exclusion list.  If your position is employed by another Airbnb entity, your recruiter will inform you what states you are eligible to work from. 

Our Commitment To Inclusion & Belonging:

Airbnb is committed to working with the broadest talent pool possible. We believe diverse ideas foster innovation and engagement, and allow us to attract creatively-led people, and to develop the best products, services and solutions. All qualified individuals are encouraged to apply.

We strive to also provide a disability inclusive application and interview process. If you are a candidate with a disability and require reasonable accommodation in order to submit an application, please contact us at: reasonableaccommodations@airbnb.com. Please include your full name, the role you’re applying for and the accommodation necessary to assist you with the recruiting process. 

We ask that you only reach out to us if you are a candidate whose disability prevents you from being able to complete our online application.