Community and Social Impact Manager

CDC Data Centres; Canberra; On-site; AUD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

CDC Academy

CDC Day

Parental Leave

Volunteer Leave

Employee Assistance

Social Events

Job summary

CDC Data Centres is seeking a Community Engagement Specialist to be the on-the-ground presence across metropolitan and regional areas, building trusted relationships with residents, community groups, councils, Traditional Owners and local stakeholders.

You will run listening and two-way feedback programs, gather community intelligence, and feed insights into CDC’s engagement strategy, helping to shape approvals, construction and ongoing operations while promoting an inclusive, diverse workplace.

Qualifications

• 5+ years’ experience in community engagement or related fields.
• Experience delivering community engagement for major infrastructure projects.
• Familiarity with IAP2 spectrum and closed‑loop feedback.
• Understanding planning and approvals processes and their impact on development.
• Ability to travel across metropolitan and regional areas; valid driver’s license.

Responsibilities

• Act as CDC’s local, visible point of contact for host communities across metropolitan and regional areas; build trusted relationships with residents, community groups, councils, Traditional Owners, elected representatives and local stakeholders.
• Run listening, consultation and two-way feedback in line with the IAP2 spectrum, using a closed-loop system that captures concerns, acts on them and shows communities what changed through ‘you said, we did’ updates.
• Gather community intelligence through direct engagement, local media and social monitoring, council-minute scanning and surveys, and feed it into CDC’s traffic-light sentiment view.
• Contribute frontline insight to CDC’s community engagement strategy, standards, tools and assurance, keeping the enterprise approach practical and grounded in community experience.
• Help build and continuously improve CDC’s repeatable engagement and benefit-sharing approach so each new site starts from proven practice.

Skills

Community engagement

Stakeholder relations

Social impact

External affairs

Job description

About us:

Established in 2007, CDC Data Centresis Australia's leading operator of sovereign, secure, world-class data centre facilities.

Headquartered in Canberra with multiple facilities in the ACT, NSW, VIC and New Zealand, CDC's diversified operationsprovide secure data centre configurations that support co-location, containerised and hyperscale compute environments with all campuses interconnected with high-speed carrier grade networks.

At CDC we are passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity. We believe that everyone's unique experiences enable us to deliver meaningful benefits for our people, our clients and communities. Our mission is to attract, retain and grow the world's best data centre team.

Our people are committed, tenacious and meticulous in supporting our customers. Together, we configure the landscape to meet the security, reliability, connectivity and sustainability needs for today and tomorrow.

About the Role:

The Community Engagement Specialist is CDC’s on-the-ground presence across metropolitan and regional areas. The role supports the relationship between CDC and the communities that host our campuses through planning, approvals, construction and operations.

Responsibilities:

• Act as CDC’s local, visible point of contact for host communities across metropolitan and regional areas, building trusted relationships with residents, community groups, councils, Traditional Owners, elected representatives and local stakeholders.
• Run listening, consultation and two-way feedback in line with the IAP2 spectrum, using a closed-loop system that captures concerns, acts on them and shows communities what changed through ‘you said, we did’ updates.
• Gather community intelligence through direct engagement, local media and social monitoring, council-minute scanning and surveys, and feed it into CDC’s traffic-light sentiment view.
• Contribute frontline insight to CDC’s community engagement strategy, standards, tools and assurance, keeping the enterprise approach practical and grounded in community experience.
• Help build and continuously improve CDC’s repeatable engagement and benefit‑sharing approach so each new site starts from proven practice.

What's in it for you:

CDC offers excellent employment conditions and benefits such as:

• CDC Academy -Make your mark by enhancing your professional development with the CDC Academy. Enrol in specialised training courses that will help you develop skills and ensure you thrive in your chosen career.
• CDC Day - An additional day of paid leave dedicated to nurturing your health and wellbeing.
• Parental Leave - Inclusive and above legislative tenure of parental leave entitlements to help you start, grow and care for your family.
• Volunteer Leave - Make a meaningful difference with 2 days of volunteering leave for any cause or charity of your choice.
• Employment Assistance Program - Be confident that you and your family are supported with access to our comprehensive Employee Assistance Program.
• CDC Social Events - CDC's offers staff and their family's inclusive events that nurtures relationships, connection and friendships across the business. CDC hosts BBQs, family picnics and community events, bringing together CDC staff in different settings.

About You:

• 5+ years’ experience in community engagement, stakeholder relations, social impact or external affairs, including hands‑on delivery in host communities.
• Experience delivering community or stakeholder engagement for major projects in infrastructure, property, energy, utilities, renewables or another complex, asset‑intensive or regulated sector.
• Practical command of engagement practice and frameworks such as the IAP2 spectrum, consultation, complaints handling and closed‑loop feedback.
• Understanding of the planning and approvals environment and how community sentiment affects development application and consenting outcomes.
• Experience working alongside delivery partners and agencies to deliver local engagement.
• A current driver’s licence and willingness to travel and work across metropolitan and regional areas, including occasional after‑hours community events.

Essential:

Australian Citizenship with ability to obtain and maintain a NV1 Security Clearance.

We are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace where all individuals are valued and respected. We believe that diversity of backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences leads to innovation and success. We actively promote equality and strive to create a welcoming environment for all employees. We are dedicated to building a team that reflects the diversity of our community and encourages everyone to bring their authentic selves to work.