Senior Community / Stakeholder Engagement Manager
Utility Scale Renewable Energy Development
Location: Cambridge area (hybrid office set up)
Salary: competitive salary plus bonus, excellent benefits and car allowance.
Overall Objectives
* Reporting into the Sustainability and Community Director, responsible for stakeholder engagement, public affairs and community activity across England as a brand, ensuring each project has a marketing and engagement strategy to deliver results—from bringing new projects into the planning system and gaining consent, to their construction and operation.
* Embedding social, economic and environmental good practice into the project design to meet and exceed the expectations of key stakeholders and the company’s sustainability strategy.
* Utilising strong communication, interpersonal, presentation and negotiation skills to open doors and engage with and influence a wide range of people, developing a deep knowledge of local communities and key stakeholders around each of our projects to translate this into strategies that result in large renewable energy projects gaining consent.
Key Duties & Responsibilities
* Devise, manage and deliver project communications and community engagement strategies in support of new developments, promoting the benefits for the environment, the local community and the regional economy. Where a project is a significant distance from our head office you may be required to hire a community manager or appoint a consultant to manage the consultation activity.
* Develop relationships through a careful, thoughtful stakeholder engagement strategy, including MPs, councillors and parish councillors, local communities, local businesses, charities and voluntary organisations in the vicinity of renewable energy developments to encourage support for each of the projects and to keep the community informed about our development proposals in their area.
* Work with the Director of Sustainability & Community and other senior leaders to devise regional and national stakeholder engagement activity across England which positions the company as the leading, sustainable energy developer in this market and influences policy in commercial areas, supporting project consents in tandem. This will include events such as site visits to wind farms, producing & launching collaborative reports and other activity which highlights area of common interest with politicians, statutory consultees and civil servants.
* Organise and attend community meetings, workshops, public exhibitions and surgeries, open days, presentations and community surveys to promote projects, explain the benefits of the proposals, record feedback, seek support and identify opportunities for local economic, environmental and social benefits that could be delivered by the development.
* Promote the community funds in the communities around developments and work with project teams to ensure that tangible economic, environmental and social benefits are delivered in the vicinity of renewables developments.
* Identify, foster, and cultivate strategic partnerships with organisations which help deliver excellent sustainability initiatives and increase the likelihood of planning consents in tandem.
* Investigate and resolve community enquiries, complaints and feedback regarding any energy projects.
Key Contacts
The successful candidate will have contact with a variety of stakeholders including politicians, local community representatives, local residents, council officers and statutory consultees, as well as internal project teams and external PR and digital marketing agencies.
Working Environment
Based in Cambridge. The role involves extensive travel throughout England, a full UK driving licence, and occasional evening events, meetings, workshops, surgeries and exhibitions which may require overnight stays.
Qualifications, Knowledge and Experience
Essential
* Educated to degree level with experience in public affairs, sustainability, sales, community relations, stakeholder engagement, marketing, or customer relations.
* Experience in delivering excellent customer or community care by developing trusting relationships with a variety of stakeholders, including politicians, local residents, council officers or statutory consultees.
* Experience dealing with challenging environments where influencing skills were employed to deliver commercial results, demonstrating the ability to get people on board in the face of adversity.
Desirable
* Experience of working within strategic marketing and communications such as preparing written copy for promotional material, websites and social media.
* Experience communicating with local communities and a good understanding of planning and environmental/sustainability issues.
* Experience delivering senior stakeholder engagement, event management, corporate affairs, government affairs, policy advocacy and public affairs activity.
* Leadership experience either through managing people or consultants.
* Experience with renewable energy projects and the planning system.
Seniority level
* Mid-Senior level
Employment type
* Full-time
Job function
* Engineering, Public Relations, and Strategy/Planning
Industries
* Services for Renewable Energy, Semiconductor Manufacturing, and Manufacturing
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