Government Relations Manager

Quality Technology Services•Ashburn, VA

About The Position

It’s exciting to find yourself standing at a pivotal moment in time. It’s even more exciting to be out front leading it. At QTS, our world-class data centers support our customers’ most strategic growth initiatives, positioning us at the forefront of today’s dynamic digital transformation. As AI and cloud technologies drive unprecedented demand for speed, scale, and reliability, QTS has emerged as a global digital infrastructure leader—committed to connecting the world for good. QTS is a portfolio company of Blackstone and is Powered by People. People who innovate, lead with purpose, and are committed to creating positive impact in the communities where we operate. Who You Are You are a strategic, outcome-oriented government relations professional who thrives at the intersection of public policy, business strategy, and stakeholder engagement. You are a trusted partner who can translate complex legislative and regulatory environments into actionable insights that reduce risk and create value for the business. You bring a leader-doer mindset, operate comfortably across multiple workstreams, and value long-term relationship building grounded in credibility, alignment, and win-win outcomes. The Impact You Will Have As Manager, State Government Relations, you will advance QTS’s growth and operational objectives by supporting effective state-level government relations strategies across the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions. You will help identify and mitigate legislative and regulatory risk, support site selection and project development, and strengthen QTS’s reputation as a constructive, solutions-oriented partner to state and local governments. You will work closely with internal teams—including Economic Development, Public Relations, Pre-Development, Legal, and Operations—to ensure government engagement is aligned with business priorities and critical-path timelines.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience in government, political campaigns, public policy, public affairs, or a related field
Experience working in state government relations, public policy, or advocacy roles
Strong understanding of state legislative and regulatory processes
Excellent communication, organizational, and time-management skills
Ability to build trust and credibility with public-sector stakeholders
Strategic thinker able to align public policy engagement with business objectives
Self-starter comfortable operating in a fast-paced, dynamic environment

Nice To Haves

Political campaign and/or economic development experience
Real estate experience and/or real estate development experience
Experience managing vendors, lobbyists, and internal teams
Strong communications, time management, and organizational skills
Strategic thinker with ability to align economic goals and overarching business objectives with public policy initiatives
Ability to cultivate relationships and negotiate successful outcomes
Ability to think outside the box and anticipate industry and political trends

Responsibilities

Monitor, analyze, and engage on state legislative and regulatory developments impacting data center development, energy, land use, and infrastructure across the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast
Support the development and execution of state government relations strategies aligned with QTS business objectives
Advocate for QTS priorities through proactive, strategic engagement with policymakers and regulators
Cultivate and maintain relationships with state and local government officials, regulatory agencies, industry associations, and advocacy organizations
Serve as a spokesperson for QTS on assigned state government relations matters
Represent QTS at conferences, forums, and industry events
Partner closely with the Economic Development team to support incentive strategies, market positioning, and project enablement
Collaborate with Public Relations and Communications teams to manage reputational risk and ensure coordinated external engagement
Provide government-relations support across the project lifecycle, from early site diligence through development and operations