US Education Strategic Initiatives Lead, State (West)

Summary

Imagine what you could do here. The people here at Apple don’t just create products — they create the kind of wonder that’s revolutionized entire industries. It’s the diversity of those people and their ideas that inspires the innovation that runs through everything we do, from amazing technology to industry-leading environmental efforts. Join Apple, and help us leave the world better than we found it.

Apple’s Sales organization generates the revenue needed to fuel our ongoing development of products and services. This in turn, enriches the lives of hundreds of millions of people around the world. Our sales team, is in many ways, the face of Apple to our largest customers.

The Strategic Growth & Advocacy team plays a pivotal role in accelerating Apple’s education business across the United States. As a US Education Strategic Initiatives Lead across western states, you will bridge the gap between public policy, strategic advocacy, and sales execution. You will shape policy, funding, and strategy on education issues and manage Apple’s interactions with state legislators.

Our team acts as a policy advisor and political consultant to sales account teams, shape education policy and funding allocations, cultivate key executive relationships across the K-20 and state government landscape, and direct advocacy efforts to unlock new market opportunities for Apple technology.

This role requires up to 50% domestic travel.

In this role, you will

• Develop, identify and enhance specific sales opportunities in the K-20 and government markets, as well as the health industry.
• Engage with elected officials, legislative staff, and department chiefs to champion policies and funding mechanisms that enable schools, higher education institutions, health and government entities to purchase Apple products.
• Create and maintain a level playing field in support of Apple products and solutions.
• Establish and maintain active partnerships with key education associations and other advocacy groups.
• Serve as a strategic advisor to regional sales managers and account teams, aligning public policy, state initiatives, funding, and market dynamics with sales strategies across the western states.
• Collaborate and coordinate with Apple’s Government Affairs team.
• Communicate Apple’s values and competitive advantages to elected officials, policymakers and public sector leadership.

Minimum Qualifications

• Typically requires a minimum of 7 years of related experience
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience
• Background in public policy, government, legislative advocacy, and/or similar function in business development across multiple government sectors
• Experience building coalitions to advance public policy and funding initiatives
• Ability to translate complex legislative language and statutory funding streams into actionable sales strategies and pipeline growth
• Outstanding communication skills and presentation skills, including ability to craft concise legislative reports, executive briefings, and policy presentations
• Excellent collaboration and relationship building skills with the ability to influence cross-functionally, navigate organizational structures, and lead complex negotiations

Preferred Qualifications

8+ years of related experience

Master's degree or law degree is preferred

• Familiarity with the Apple ecosystem and/or strong technical acumen is a plus
• Established network with state and local elected officials, legislative leaders, government agencies, and key associations is highly preferred
• Passion for continuous improvement with the curiosity to uncover gaps, resilience to manage ambiguity, and drive to optimize processes and create solutions
• Forward-thinking approach and tenacity to drive what matters
• Industry knowledge with deep understanding of public sector and state/local government (e.g., customer profiles, trends, challenges, opportunities, etc.) is highly preferred