Community Engagement & Social Impact Specialist

Iren Group; Badajoz; On-site; EUR 30,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

IREN seeks a Community Engagement & Social Impact Specialist to manage relationships with local communities across data center projects in Spain. You will implement engagement plans, map stakeholders, and coordinate community commitments from development through construction.

Reporting to the Environmental, Sustainability & Social Senior Manager, you will work with project teams, public affairs, and legal functions to ensure open dialogue, address concerns, and provide verified social

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences, Sociology, Communications, or related field.
• Experience in community engagement or social impact for infrastructure projects.
• Knowledge of stakeholder mapping and engagement planning.
• Experience handling enquiries and grievances; strong listening and conflict resolution.
• Fluency in Spanish and English; ability to visit project sites in Spain.

Responsibilities

• Identify and map stakeholders and maintain a stakeholder register.
• Implement Stakeholder Engagement Plan and coordinate with milestones.
• Organise community meetings and prepare materials with internal teams.
• Maintain relationships with community reps and escalate sensitive matters.
• Administer the community grievance mechanism and track actions.
• Support social impact assessments and mitigation measures.
• Coordinate community initiatives with internal teams and partners.
• Prepare management updates for ESG reporting.

Skills

Stakeholder engagement

Communication

Facilitation

Conflict resolution

Listening

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences / related field

Tools

Word

Excel

PowerPoint

Job description

Company Description

IREN is a vertically integrated AI Cloud provider, delivering large-scale data centers and GPU clusters for AI training and inference.

IREN’s platform is underpinned by its expansive portfolio of grid-connected land and power in renewable-rich regions across the U.S. and Canada.

We have partnered with our client in their search for a Community Engagement & Social Impact Specialist, based in Badajoz, Spain.

Job Description

The Community Engagement & Social Impact Specialist manages relationships with local communities and other stakeholders across IREN’s data center projects in Spain. The role implements the Stakeholder Engagement Plan, identifies and follows up on social impacts, and coordinates community commitments and grievance resolution throughout project development and construction.

Reporting to the Environmental, Sustainability & Social Senior Manager, the position works with project development, construction, public affairs, communications, legal teams and local stakeholders. The role maintains accessible channels for dialogue, helps project teams respond to community concerns and provides verified social performance data to the Sustainability, Reporting & Certifications Specialist for corporate ESG reporting.

Responsibilities

• Identify and map affected and interested stakeholders, including residents, community organisations, local authorities and potentially vulnerable groups. Maintain an up-to-date stakeholder register and assess engagement needs throughout the project lifecycle.
• Implement and update the Stakeholder Engagement Plan, defining activities, audiences, communication channels, responsibilities and schedules. Coordinate engagement with project milestones and ensure that participation is accessible to relevant groups.
• Organise community meetings, information sessions and consultations. Prepare clear materials with the relevant internal teams, document feedback and communicate agreed responses and project updates through appropriate channels.
• Maintain day-to-day relationships with community representatives and local organisations. Record concerns and commitments, coordinate follow-up with project teams and escalates sensitive matters to the Environmental & Social Senior Manager.
• Administer the community grievance mechanism by registering enquiries and complaints, coordinating investigations and responses, tracking agreed actions and documenting closure. Handle personal information confidentially and identify recurring concerns.
• Support social impact assessments and due diligence, identifying risks associated with project development and construction. Work with site teams, contractors and relevant corporate functions on mitigation measures and the follow-up of social and labour-related concerns.
• Coordinate approved community initiatives and local benefit commitments with internal teams and external partners. Track delivery, participation and outcomes, and propose improvements based on stakeholder feedback and evidence.
• Maintain engagement records, commitments registers and social performance indicators. Prepare management updates and verified inputs for corporate ESG reporting, due diligence and relevant certification requirements in coordination with the sustainability reporting specialist.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences, Sociology, Communications, International Relations, Community Development, Environmental Sciences or a related field.
• Relevant experience in community engagement, stakeholder management or social impact work for infrastructure, construction, energy, industrial or territorial development projects.
• Practical knowledge of stakeholder mapping, engagement planning, consultation methods and inclusive participation, including approaches suited to potentially vulnerable or underrepresented groups.
• Experience handling community enquiries and grievances, maintaining commitments registers and coordinating responses. Strong listening, facilitation and conflict resolution skills, with judgement in escalating sensitive matters.
• Understanding of social impact assessment, social risk management and community development. Familiarity with IFC Performance Standards or similar environmental and social frameworks is desirable.
• Ability to organise meetings, produce accessible communications and build working relationships with residents, local authorities, contractors and internal teams. Ability to analyse qualitative and quantitative information and track social outcomes.
• Proficiency in Word, Excel, PowerPoint and collaboration tools. Experience with stakeholder databases, grievance registers or systems for monitoring community programmes is desirable.
• Professional fluency in Spanish and English and availability for community meetings and project site visits. Experience working with local communities in Spain or in international infrastructure environments is an advantage.

Additional Information

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.