Community affairs manager

Apex Systems US; City Of London; Hybrid; GBP 45,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading consulting firm is seeking a Community Affairs Manager to enhance community engagement across UK datacenters, primarily in London, Wales, and Leeds. The role involves extensive stakeholder management, developing community strategies, and handling communications effectively. Candidates should have experience in public relations and the ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment. This position requires around 30% travel nationally.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in community and local government affairs, preferably in large infrastructure.
• Ability to engage diverse stakeholders effectively.
• Fluent in English and able to communicate clearly.

Responsibilities

• Serve as primary contact between datacenters and UK communities.
• Build strong relationships with local stakeholders.
• Develop and implement community strategy plans.
• Monitor community concerns and manage communications.
• Travel nationally about 30% of the time.

Skills

Community and local government affairs experience

Stakeholder relationship building

Interpersonal skills

Fast-paced environment adaptability

Contractor and agency management

Job description

Title

Community Affairs Manager

Location

supporting sites in the areas of London, Wales and Leeds. Around 30% of the time will be travelling, equally divided.

Type

Contract

Top Must-Haves

• Extensive experience in community and local government affairs, preferably with a focus on large infrastructure and construction projects.
• Experience presenting/meeting and building trust with diverse stakeholders including government officials, community leaders, non-profits, environmental groups, STEM education partners and students in a variety of environments (rural, suburban and urban).
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced multinational environment working across multiple lines of business.
• Experience managing contractors, agencies, and/or other third parties.
• Strong team player with excellent interpersonal skills.
• Ability to communicate and work in English.

Job Description

Responsibilities

Local stakeholder & community engagement

• Act as the primary point of contact between datacenters and local communities in the UK.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with local stakeholders, including residents, NGOs, businesses, and municipal actors (e.g., Authorities Having Jurisdictions, mayors).
• Support government engagement at local and regional levels, ensuring clarity on roles, expectations, and processes.

Community Strategy & Social Impact

• Create and implement location specific community strategy plans aligned with mission and CO+I priorities.
• Coordinate qualitative (e.g., community listening sessions) and quantitative data collection and turn into actionable insights to understand community needs, risks, and opportunities.

Reputation, Risk & Issues Management

• Monitor and address community concerns proactively; support complaint management and crisis related communications.
• Coordinate hyper local narratives in collaboration with Comms.
• Ensure consistent, transparent, and community informed messaging across internal and external channels.
• Support storytelling efforts to highlight program impact, foster trust, and strengthen social license to operate.

Program Delivery & Execution Excellence

Internal & Cross Functional Collaboration

• National travel approximately 30% and limited international travel.