Director of State Policy and Government Partnerships

Overview

Power Lines is a national nonprofit organization that aims to modernize the utility regulatory system for American energy consumers to lower utility bills and grow the economy. It focuses on state public utilities commissions (PUCs), which play a critical role in determining how much people pay for utility bills, how utilities invest in different types of energy, and where new energy projects are built.

These 200 commissioners oversee more than $200 billion in utility spending each year and have significant influence over the future of our energy system.

Rising utility bills are quickly becoming a national economic and political issue. In 2025, utilities requested a record-setting $31 billion in rate increases, double the previous record, while 80 million Americans are struggling to pay their utility bills. Meanwhile, the U.S. grid is experiencing the fastest rise in electricity demand in decades with the growth of AI data centers and manufacturing.

Utility bills have become a defining national economic and political issue with a growing bipartisan set of policymakers voicing concern over these issues and conveying a desire to advance policy solutions to respond to these issues.

Recognized on the 2025 “TIME
100 Next” list, Power Lines is rapidly becoming a go-to source and leader in informing the national discussion of this issue and has already shaped the conversation in the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Politico, Bloomberg, CBS News, NPR, Marketplace, Financial Times, TIME, Vox, The Daily Mail, and MIT Technology Review. Power Lines is quickly establishing credibility as a nonpartisan expert on utility regulatory and energy affordability issues while reaching a bipartisan set of policymakers, including initial partnerships with the National Governors Association, National Conference of State Legislatures, and Western Governors Association.

Power Lines is in a period of significant organizational growth and seeks a full-time Director of State Policy and Government Partnerships as it seeks to strategically build relationships with policymakers across the states and advance policy impact. The majority of the role will focus on state-level policymakers, including governors and state legislators, and engagement with state-level advocacy groups. The ideal candidate will be a senior leader who has experience building relationships with state policymakers, working on bipartisan initiatives, engaging with a politically diverse set of stakeholders, and managing a team.

Power Lines is a rapidly growing, early-stage startup nonprofit organization. This person will be expected to expand Power Lines’ base of partnerships with state-level policymakers, manage coalitions, tackle complex problems, and translate strategy and ideas into execution. The Director of State Policy and Government Partnerships will be able to build on an existing platform to interface with a variety of public sector stakeholders, have a front row seat in settings with the potential to shape the energy landscape, and tackle an important national problem at a critical time.

Power Lines is headquartered in Washington, DC. The Director of State Policy and Government Partnerships is a remote position, with travel of up to 25% expected. The Director of State Policy and Government Partnerships will work closely with and report directly to the Founder and Executive Director. As the organization scales, this position is expected to oversee a team to broaden and deepen our state engagement.

• Policymaker Engagement
  • Lead development of Power Lines’ state policymaker engagement strategy
  • Build relationships with state policymakers, including governors and state legislators
  • Attend policymaker convenings such as National Governors Association (NGA) and National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) and manage Power Lines’ engagement with these partners
  • Develop state policymaker-relevant external engagement strategy for the organization, including internal calendar with key dates and timelines, conferences, media engagement and speaking opportunities, and strategic events and convenings
  • Lead engagement…