Private Sector with Purpose: Global Public Affairs, Public Policy, & Government Relations Roles
On July 31, 2025, Zaid A. Zaid (Cloudfare), Brionne Dawson (Public-Private Partnerships and Global Policy Advocacy Advisor), and Jane Adams (Johnson & Johnson) offered their tips and insight into the process of pivoting to global public affairs, public policy, and government relations roles from international development. Katryna Mahoney (Georgetown SFS) moderated this session, and Steve Radelet (Georgetown SFS) also provided additional commentary.
This session was the third in our Pivot to New Career Paths seminar series, designed to offer attendees the opportunity to hear from colleagues who have already made these important career transitions and glean how to best embark on these changes themselves.
Similar to the first two sessions, each panelist relayed their past experiences and informed participants how they were able to transition into new career paths. Despite their varied backgrounds, all featured speakers honed in on key lessons they gleaned through their past experience transitioning into new careers.
The panelists recommended we all lean on the skills we already have, embrace our past lived (non-professional!) experiences or interests, and seize new opportunities to develop new capabilities. While the job market is in flux, there are opportunities in this space that we can – and should – pursue!
We all possess attractive skills and capabilities, and the vast majority of private companies or professional associations are eager to draw and hire from our diverse pool of expertise.
The panelists also reminded session attendees that many of us have already made transitions in our careers previously. Whether you decided to pursue a new area of expertise within your field or moved countries to assume a new role, the core skills we have nurtured in our careers will help us in our next vocation.
Perhaps most important, we should lean on our personal background and interests when identifying our next career moves. All three speakers, to varying degrees, drew from their prior knowledge, collegiate experience, or personal lives to direct their transitions.
Indeed, every panelist agreed that their prior experience in international development was a major benefit to them in their new careers. All the skills we all have learned while serving for USAID, its implementing partners, or other organizations are translatable to the private sector!
As discussed in previous sessions (please browse our other event summaries! ), our communications, analytical, stakeholder engagement, and creative problem-solving skills are in high demand! In fact, some employers will look for international experience specifically when hiring.
Still, there are some important facts and exceptions to keep in mind. Most important, the private sector’s mindset differs from that found across the international development space. For many of us, when working for our previous employers, we worked in service to “the mission,” whatever it may have been. There was always a broader objective in mind and a longer-term (and perhaps less clearly-defined) set of variables by which we would define success in the international development community.
In the private sector, however, you will likely be judged on the value-add your work offers for the company, its clients or customers, and its various stakeholders. In other words, we should shift our mindsets from mission to industry, and adopt a more tactical approach to outlining potential goals or defining successful outcomes.
For government and public affairs professionals, this “value-add” is often measured by our ability to offer and deliver a service across all units or sectors within a company or industry. In Washington, DC, for instance, this work usually encapsulates efforts to advance or promote the interests of business on the political stage.
Moreover, these efforts will require us to lean on our existing connections within government and other areas of the public sector to communicate our firm’s goals and interests while maintaining strong working relationships with individuals across Washington. In this case, our ability to harness our networks and communication skills would prove highly valuable for any private sector company looking to expand its government relations or public affairs portfolios.
Unsurprisingly, Many companies are looking to partner with the U.S. Government (or benefit from this relationship) to pursue their business interests or help strive for CSR and sustainability goals. As such, there is a lot of room for our background and expertise in this space.
Though there are many opportunities to pursue this line of work, current political considerations are noteworthy.
We must remember that politics surrounds us all and is a fact of life. Political considerations (i.e., political affiliation or policy positions) will play a factor in a company’s policy plan or hiring decisions. Companies often prioritize individuals with strong existing connections with those in power when seeking out government relations professionals. These party-based relationships are vitally important and often go hand-in-hand with political affiliation.
Yet not all companies weigh their hiring decisions in the same manner. Thus, political concerns should not discourage us from pursuing a role, even if we cannot dismiss them entirely.
For Adams, it is critical to remember that politics and policies change with the times. Government relations, public affairs, and other related professions are all tasked with addressing short-term challenges, but planning for long-term objectives. While the means and tools we use may change (as well as the individuals with whom we work), a companies’ long-term priorities will likely remain consistent.
She argued that government relations and public affairs work requires us to translate business challenges, interests, opportunities, priorities, and platforms into actionable public policy measures or internal initiatives that align with a company’s long-term objectives.
Ultimately, we will be expected to work within the dynamics in which we find ourselves, and analyze, navigate, and curate our offerings depending on those circumstances.
As a result – and despite prevalent anxiety around the current administration’s behavior and policy – all three speakers were aligned in their belief that current events will not change the government relations or public affairs professional landscapes to any significant extent. To repeat: a company’s long-term goals (e.g., profitability, providing certain services to their clients) are consistent and unlikely to shift dramatically.
That being said, how companies achieve their goals and with whom they work will change. While some companies are more explicit than others, government relations professionals must figure out how to speak in a way that ensures their interests are heard. Of course, depending on the party in government, our audience may be more or less receptive to our message. Therefore, we must be able to communicate and execute our goals in the most effective way possible, given our clients, stakeholders, and political partners.
Here, once again, our backgrounds in international development make us strong candidates for these roles.
For example, navigating these challenging political circumstances would require us to analyze current events and advise our clients based on those observed realities. As part of this work, forecasting potential future developments for policymakers within businesses is also crucial. In both cases, our international expertise and prior experience working abroad is an invaluable asset – particularly for companies seeking new markets or operations models abroad.
Private sector companies also look for individuals with expertise in geopolitical risk. As highlighted in our previous session , a wide variety of firms are expanding their footprint across the globe (be it in their supply chain, target client-base, or in their respective public affairs initiatives). Our ability to advise companies on business decisions demonstrate our value-add clearly and contribute to the company’s long-term goals.
The panelists closed their remarks by admitting that there is no “one size fits all” approach. Career paths are rarely linear. Instead it is up to us to upskill and diversify our job searches to identify and pursue these opportunities successfully. There is no question that we possess the skills to thrive in this field – it is simply a question of translating those skills for a new audience and being brave enough to pursue new opportunities.
Other Previous Sessions
Please feel free to browse our other previous sessions to access summaries, video content, and more information about our other events!