Community Engagement Partner

Firmus Technologies Pty Ltd.; Adelaide; On-site; AUD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Firmus Technologies Pty Ltd. is seeking a seasoned Community Engagement Partner to lead regional engagement in Adelaide and beyond.

You will build trusted partnerships with government, industry, education providers and local organisations to align regional priorities with project delivery and long-term value. The role covers planning through operation, advising executives, and shaping investments in community grants, while embedding culturally informed practices with First Nations communities.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience leading community engagement and partnerships.
• Proven ability to advise executives on complex stakeholder matters.
• Experience engaging First Nations communities with cultural awareness.
• Strong governance, reporting and evaluation capabilities.
• Excellent written, verbal and facilitation skills.

Responsibilities

• Set and lead the regional engagement and partnerships strategy for Firmus projects.
• Build partnerships with government, industry, education, and community groups.
• Establish forums that bring diverse partners together around regional opportunities.
• Provide senior counsel on stakeholder dynamics and risk.
• Lead engagement across planning, construction and operations.
• Shape investments and administer community grants for local benefit.
• Prepare executive briefs and decision papers linking community perspectives to priorities.
• Represent Firmus in senior stakeholder meetings and public forums.
• Embed culturally informed engagement with First Nations communities.
• Develop governance, reporting and evaluation practices for continuous improvement.

Skills

Stakeholder relations

Strategic partnerships

Public policy

Communications

Leadership

Influence and negotiation

Presentation skills

Governance and reporting

First Nations engagement

IAP2 accreditation

Education

Relevant tertiary qualifications in community development, communications, public policy, social planning or equivalent senior-level experience

Job description

Firmus Technologies is a global leader pioneering the development and operation of efficient AI infrastructure across Asia Pacific.

Founded in Australia in 2019, our mission is to create the most efficient AI infrastructure by combining cutting‑edge technology with a steadfast commitment to sustainability.

At Firmus, we are unique in our approach. We design, build, and operate a new class of digital infrastructure – the AI Factory. Through our model‑to‑grid technology approach, we have pushed the boundaries of multi‑generational liquid cooling systems, energy management, AI software orchestration, and construction. For our customers, this approach allows us to make every watt count and deliver low‑cost AI tokens globally.

Firmus AI Cloud

Our large‑scale GPU cloud platform, Firmus AI Cloud, is purpose‑built to deliver energy‑efficient AI compute at scale to customers.

It empowers developers, enterprises, educational institutions, and government users to train and deploy AI models with unmatched efficiency and cost savings. With an ever‑growing suite of services and applications, we are committed to delivering a cloud experience that is market‑leading, proprietary, and built to scale.

Why Firmus?

As an NVIDIA Cloud and Engineering partner in Asia Pacific, you will gain skills, experience, and exposure across the AI industry and be part of shaping what this industry looks like for decades to come.

We are founder‑led, not a big corporate. Decisions happen fast, our leaders are accessible, and there's minimal bureaucracy between you and the work.

Ownership comes early. Whatever your role, you will have a direct line to outcomes, helping shape how the business grows as we scale nationally across a long‑term, large‑scale roadmap.

Work alongside founders and experts in AI infrastructure, energy systems and next‑generation compute.

What we build here has impact beyond the business. Our AI Factories are designed to operate as assets to the energy grid to actively strengthen the communities and regions they operate in rather than drawing from them.

Considering applying? You don't need a perfect background to join our team. If you're driven and curious, there's a path for you. We back our people to grow into new domains and take on challenges beyond their previous experience.

Role Summary

The Community Engagement Partner leads Firmus’ regional engagement strategy in their dedicated states. The role builds trusted partnerships with communities, government, industry, education providers and local organisations, connecting regional priorities with project delivery and long‑term shared value. Working across the asset development lifecycle, the manager brings community insight, local knowledge and stakeholder intelligence into executive decisions, approvals, delivery planning, operational readiness and social licence.

Key Responsibilities

• Set and lead the regional engagement and partnerships strategy for Firmus projects, ensuring community priorities, regulatory commitments and business objectives are addressed through clear plans and accountable delivery.
• Build and steward community partnerships with local and state government, industry, education and training providers, community organisations and community leaders.
• Establish forums and collaborative initiatives that bring diverse partners together around regional opportunities, shared challenges and practical outcomes.
• Provide senior counsel on stakeholder dynamics, community expectations, emerging issues and regional sentiment, translating intelligence into decisions, mitigations and delivery priorities.
• Lead engagement across planning, construction and operational phases, maintaining consistency while tailoring approaches to the needs and character of each region.
• Shape partnership investments and administer Firmus’ community grants program to strengthen local capability, workforce pathways, industry participation and enduring regional benefit.
• Prepare executive briefings, strategic advice and decision papers that connect community perspectives, partnership intelligence and organisational priorities.
• Represent Firmus in senior stakeholder meetings, public forums and regional networks, building confidence through clear communication, sound judgment and reliable follow-through.
• Embed respectful, culturally informed engagement with First Nations communities and organisations, recognising the importance of Country, local knowledge and community‑led priorities.
• Develop governance, reporting and evaluation practices that demonstrate partnership value, track commitments and support continuous improvement across the engagement function.

Skills & Experience

• Relevant tertiary qualifications in community development, communications, public policy, social planning or a related discipline, or equivalent senior-level experience.
• At least 10 years’ relevant experience leading community engagement, strategic partnerships, stakeholder relations, regional development or corporate affairs, preferably in infrastructure, energy, construction, technology or other complex project environments.
• A strong record of establishing and sustaining trusted partnerships across government, industry, education, community and advocacy sectors.
• Demonstrated experience advising executives on complex stakeholder matters, emerging issues, reputation risk and community expectations.
• Experience designing place-based engagement strategies, partnership programs, community investment initiatives or multi‑party forums from concept through to evaluation.
• Highly developed written, verbal, facilitation and presentation skills, with the judgment to make complex technical and commercial information meaningful to varied audiences.
• Proven ability to work through influence, create alignment across competing interests and maintain momentum in ambiguous or rapidly changing environments.
• Commercial and organisational acumen, supported by strong governance, time management, prioritisation and reporting capability.
• Experience working respectfully with First Nations communities and organisations is strongly valued.
• IAP2 accreditation or comparable professional development is highly regarded.
  
• Strategic partnership development and stewardship.
• Regional and place‑based engagement leadership.
• Executive judgment, influence and stakeholder negotiation.
• Synthesis of evidence, community insight and partner intelligence.
• Issues, reputation and social licence risk management.
• Culturally informed and respectful First Nations engagement.
• Program governance, evaluation and outcomes reporting.

Personal Attributes

• A credible and composed senior leader who earns trust across communities, partners and internal teams.
• Naturally collaborative, with the confidence to convene diverse perspectives and create alignment without relying on formal authority.
• Strategic and pragmatic, able to move between long‑term partnership building and immediate project priorities.
• Curious, perceptive and attentive to local context, with sound judgment in sensitive or contested environments.
• Accountable and outcome-focused, with the resilience to lead through uncertainty and organisational growth.
  

Success Measures

• Regional engagement strategies are adopted across priority projects and demonstrably improve decision quality, delivery readiness, stakeholder confidence and overall corporate reputation.
• A strong portfolio of partnerships produces measurable value for Firmus and host regions, including clearer pathways for local capability, participation and community shared benefit.
• Senior leaders receive timely, balanced advice on community sentiment, stakeholder risk and emerging regional opportunities.
• Commitments to communities and partners are governed transparently, delivered reliably and reported against agreed outcomes.
• Engagement risks are identified early, escalated appropriately and addressed through coordinated action across project and corporate teams.
• Firmus is recognised as a constructive, responsive and long‑term regional partner throughout development, construction and operations.

Location & Reporting

Location : Adelaide, South Australia, Australia

Reporting to : Head of Community Engagement

Employment Basis

Permanent full-time

Diversity

At Firmus, we are committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace. We encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds who are passionate about creating a more sustainable future through innovative engineering solutions.