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Salary: USD 150,000 - 220,000 / annual
Kikoff is a profitable, pre-IPO fintech company on a mission to empower financial security at scale. The company has achieved record revenue growth and a unicorn valuation, serving millions of users with products for credit building, liquidity access, and savings.
You will be Kikoff's first government affairs leader, shaping and advancing the company's public policy agenda at federal and state levels. This is a high-impact, hands-on role requiring regular nationwide travel. You will be Kikoff's primary voice with legislators, regulators, trade associations, consumer advocates, and other stakeholders, with an initial focus on earned wage access (EWA) policy.
Key responsibilities include:
- Develop and execute government affairs strategy focused on federal and state policy affecting earned wage access and consumer credit-building products
- Represent Kikoff before legislators, legislative staff, federal and state financial regulators, attorneys general, and other public officials
- Serve as Kikoff's representative to relevant trade associations and industry coalitions, taking active roles on committees and working groups
- Build and maintain constructive relationships with consumer advocacy groups, community organizations, think tanks, and stakeholders with differing views
- Monitor, analyze, and report on legislative and regulatory developments; assess business impact and recommend responses including testimony, comment letters, and model legislative language in coordination with Legal and Compliance
- Identify, hire, and manage outside lobbyists and consultants across priority states and at the federal level, including setting objectives, overseeing budgets, and evaluating performance
- Advise executive leadership and communications team on public relations positioning, messaging, and reputational considerations related to policy issues
- Partner with Legal, Compliance, Product, and Executive teams to ensure policy strategy aligns with business priorities and product roadmaps
- Oversee compliance with lobbying registration, reporting, and political activity rules in coordination with Legal
- Represent Kikoff at hearings, conferences, industry events, and stakeholder meetings nationwide
Requirements:
- 4–10 years of experience in government affairs, public policy, legislative or regulatory affairs, or advocacy, gained in-house, at a trade association, at a public affairs firm, or in government service
- Self-starter with a founder's mindset, comfortable establishing and honing processes where little internal infrastructure exists
- Demonstrated track record of building and leveraging relationships with policymakers, regulators, and stakeholders at state and/or federal level
- Experience developing and executing multi-state legislative or regulatory strategies
- Experience engaging, directing, and managing outside lobbyists or consultants
- Experience in fintech, consumer financial services, or payments
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including ability to distill complex financial and regulatory issues for diverse audiences
- Sound judgment on messaging and public positioning; comfort advising senior leadership
- Ability to work independently and manage competing priorities in fast-paced, high-growth environment
- Willingness to travel nationally as needed
Nice to have:
- Familiarity with earned wage access, consumer lending, or credit-reporting policy issues
- Experience working with fintech or financial services trade associations
- Existing relationships with state financial regulators, state legislators, the CFPB, or other federal financial agencies
- Bachelor's degree or higher in public policy, political science, or related field
