Director, US Federal Relations – Congress, Global Government Affairs

Company Introduction:

We exist to wow our customers. We know we’re doing the right thing when we hear our customers say, “How did we ever live without Coupang?” Born out of an obsession to make shopping, eating, and living easier than ever, we’re collectively disrupting the multi-billion-dollar e-commerce industry from the ground up. We are one of the fastest-growing e-commerce companies that established an unparalleled reputation for being a dominant and reliable force in South Korean commerce.

We are proud to have the best of both worlds — a startup culture with the resources of a large global public company. This fuels us to continue our growth and launch new services at the speed we have been since our inception. We are all entrepreneurial surrounded by opportunities to drive new initiatives and innovations. At our core, we are bold and ambitious people that like to get our hands dirty and make a hands-on impact. At Coupang, you will see yourself, your colleagues, your team, and the company grow every day.

Our mission to build the future of commerce is real. We push the boundaries of what’s possible to solve problems and break traditional tradeoffs. Join Coupang now to create an epic experience in this always-on, high-tech, and hyper-connected world.

The position:

The successful candidate will be responsible for contributing to the development of and executing our government affairs strategy with the US Congress, with a strong emphasis on trade and multilateral relationships involving economic and security policy, particularly as relates to international commerce, retail, and digital services. The Director role is newly established, and the candidate selected to handle this area of responsibility will identify relevant emerging business and policy issues, develop policy and advocacy solutions and government engagement strategies to protect Coupang’s business model and enable scaling of our platforms while remaining focused on our core businesses. The Director will monitor, engage and carryout Coupang’s interaction with Congress, including all relevant Members, leaders, committees, caucuses and staff.

The person who assumes this role will exhibit excellent interpersonal communication capability and the skills required to effectively build and leverage working relationships with key Congressional players across the continuum of trade, economic, security and tech policy activities. This will be done in partnership with, among others, Coupang business, legal, compliance and government affairs colleagues and outside resources.

This position is responsible for working with other company executives and outside consultants to plan and implement strategies to protect market access, build Coupang’s reputation, mitigate risks from adverse international policies, and analyze, manage and address complex political and policy issues affecting the company. The position requires effective interaction with senior and working level government officials, including all relevant Members, leaders, committees, caucuses and staff.

Key responsibilities:

• Educating Congressional officials, focusing on those with responsibility among committees such as Commerce, Foreign Relations, Finance, Way & Means, and Intelligence, among others.
• Building trusting and sustainable working relationships, internal and external, based on integrity, transparency and professional excellence. Developing and maintaining productive relationships with key members of the political and opinion leader community to foster an understanding of Coupang, its objectives, and mission.
• Developing support for Coupang’s public policy objectives and driving collaborative efforts to align US Government interests with Coupang’s “doing business” needs in other parts of the world.
• Advising and informing the company’s senior leadership on priority matters. Responding to inquiries on policy issues from management and business leaders; managing the development of positions to advance Coupang’s objectives, including policy-related talking points and messages for use by the company’s leaders.
• Advising and informing the company’s senior leadership team on opportunities to engage with decision makers across the government and private sector.
• Monitoring the development of federal political and related business issues that affect the company's reputation and business model; developing and executing strategies to address each issue and deploying resources to effectively manage priority matters and utilizing best practices to approach threats.
• Translating business priorities into measurable results through the development and execution of government engagement strategies and advocacy.
• Representing the company at industry trade groups and developing key relationships with industry peers and other stakeholder groups.
• Identifying and coordinating external resources and stakeholders to support Coupang’s policy goals.
• Hiring and developing the best team members, as the organization grows.

Qualifications: 

• Global government affairs experience: 10+ years of successful experience within the US government and/or the private sector. Prior US government experience involving substantive and complex issue analysis and related decision-making. Hands on experience in a federal government affairs function with a solid reputation for integrity, trustworthiness and follow-through. An eagerness to execute a committed approach to build credibility, relationships and knowledge within the company and externally.
• An applicable bachelor’s degree is required. An advanced degree in a relevant field is helpful. Ability to travel, as necessary.
• Relevant network: Strong working relationships with political leaders and Congress. Demonstrated track record of working with and earning the trust and confidence of senior level corporate and government leaders and serving as a trusted advisor and counselor to them.
• Relevant geopolitical experience: Experience working within the context of an important bilateral and/or multilateral corporate diplomacy environment, preferably with exposure to the protection of non-discriminatory market access; experience working with policies and business issues of relevance to allied interests in the Indo-Pacific region is a plus.
• Leadership experience: Proven ability to contribute to the direction and strategy for government advocacy initiatives, as well as innovative solutions. The ability to motivate others to advance goals, and the ability to effectively manage multiple projects in a rapidly evolving environment. A collaborative style and proven ability to positively work on and with a team, support alignment on objectives and tactics, and have the courage and conviction to propose, challenge and defend ideas and strategies, as appropriate.
• Wow the customer and take a company-wide perspective: Coupang government affairs professionals take on the company’s mission of “wowing” the customer in the manner in which they work with, develop and support the success of internal and external customers, including business and functional colleagues, government officials, and third-party stakeholders. While working with this mindset, act like an owner of the company.
• Dive deep and simplify: A detail-oriented professional committed to accuracy and substance, with excellent written, analytical, and organizational skills. At the same time, boil down challenges, messages and actions to their essence.
• Drives for priority results and moves with urgency: Promotes execution by making appropriate tradeoffs and setting the pace for action. Evokes ownership and accountability, streamlines process/structure, and reallocates resources quickly and flexibly.
• Shapes strategy and finds a way: Anticipates and interprets political environment changes, envisions the future, and shapes strategic approaches to support priorities.
• Inspires and influences others, both with and without operational authority: Builds empowering relationships, helps others find meaning and purpose in their work, inspires through engagement and operational excellence. Ability to influence people at all levels of the organization, regardless of reporting relationships. The ability to persuasively communicate complex concepts and programs into concise and credible messages at the highest levels of government and business.
• Entrepreneurial business partner who delivers with grit: The ability to analyze emerging trends and identify future issues. In addition, possesses strong analytical and conceptual reasoning skills, easily handling complexity. Strong business acumen and a roll-up-the-sleeves approach; s/he must be a strategist as well as doer.
• Strong communicator who continues to learn: Executive presence and strong verbal, written and public speaking and presentation skills, for both internal and external audiences. Outstanding personal communicator who leans on constant learning to inform advocacy on Coupang’s objectives; possesses the stature and presence to represent the company in legislative arenas and at industry forums and events; and a track record of nurturing positive relationships with policymakers and stakeholders, as well as with senior management.
• Problem-solver who thinks systematically while avoiding waste: While addressing critical challenges and public policy objectives, develop efficient solutions and recommendations that are scalable and lead to repeatable results by establishing government affairs infrastructure and process improvements for Coupang.
• Integrity and excellence: Clear and understood reputation for ethical conduct and unquestionable integrity while performing at the highest standards of professionalism.

Pay & Benefits:

A competitive compensation package, involving cash and equity, will be offered to the candidate selected for this role. Our compensation reflects the cost of labor across several US geographic markets. At Coupang, your base pay is one part of your total compensation.The base pay for this position ranges from $140,000/year in our lowest geographic market to $180,000/year in our highest geographic market. Pay is based on several factors including market location and may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.

General Description of All Benefits

• Medical/Dental/Vision/Life, AD&D insurance
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) & Health Savings Account (HSA)
• Long-term/Short-term Disability
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) program
• 401K Plan with Company Match
• 18-21 days of the Paid Time Off (PTO) a year based on the tenure
• 12 Public Holidays
• Paid Parental leave

General Description of Other Compensation

“Other Compensation” includes, but is not limited to, bonuses, equity, or other forms of compensation that would be offered to the hired applicant in addition to their established salary range or wage scale.

Coupang is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to actual or perceived race (including traits historically associated with race, including but not limited to hair texture and protective hair styles), color, religion, religious creed (including religious dress and grooming practices), sex or gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and medical conditions related to pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding), gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, ,ancestry, national origin (including language use restrictions), age (40 and over), physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, HIV/AIDS or Hepatitis C status, family status (including but not limited to marital or domestic partnership status), military or veteran status, use of a trained dog guide or service animal, political activities or affiliations, ancestry, citizenship, family and medical leave status, status as a victim of any violent crime, or any other characteristic or class protected by the laws or regulations in the locations where we operate. Coupang is also committed to providing a safe work environment for its employees and its consumers. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation in the application of recruiting process due to a disability, please contact us at [email protected].