Community Relations Manager

Island Green Power; West Burton; Hybrid; GBP 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

Island Green Power is delivering the West Burton Solar Project, one of the UK’s NSIPs. We are seeking an experienced Community Relations Manager to lead engagement with communities around the site and help deliver the project responsibly and collaboratively.

You will be the primary contact for residents, parish councils and local councillors, shaping engagement frameworks and ensuring proactive management of community impacts throughout the delivery lifecycle.

Qualifications

• Experience in community engagement or public affairs.
• Proven ability to build relationships with diverse stakeholders.
• Experience managing complaints or sensitive communications.
• Excellent written, verbal and presentation skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills and credibility.
• Ability to work across multidisciplinary teams and manage priorities.
• Experience in infrastructure, construction, energy or renewables.
• Understanding of planning, environmental or construction obligations.
• Experience on major infrastructure or NSIPs.
• Knowledge of West Lincolnshire and/or East Nottinghamshire area.

Responsibilities

• Lead community engagement and chair Community Liaison Group activities.
• Build relationships with residents, councils, authorities and representatives.
• Be first point of contact for community enquiries and complaints.
• Coordinate community communications and engagement materials.
• Ensure consistent messaging with internal teams.
• Support media engagement where required.
• Identify impacts and implement mitigation measures with project teams.
• Organise public meetings and site visits.
• Capture lessons learned and develop scalable engagement framework.

Skills

Community engagement

Stakeholder relations

Public affairs

Communication skills

Interpersonal skills

Cross-functional collaboration

Infrastructure knowledge

Energy sector experience

Job description

Island Green Power (IGP) is delivering the West Burton Solar Project, one of the UK's Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs). As the project moves into delivery, we are looking for an experienced Community Relations Manager to lead engagement with the communities surrounding the site and help ensure we deliver the project responsibly and collaboratively.

This is a highly visible role at the heart of our relationship with local stakeholders. You will be the primary point of contact for residents, parish councils and local councillors, acting as a trusted representative of IGP throughout the construction phase and beyond.

Working closely with our contractors and project teams, you will help anticipate and address community concerns before they escalat, ensuring issues such as traffic, noise and construction impacts are managed proactively, transparently and fairly.

This role also offers the opportunity to shape the future of community engagement across IGP. As one of the first dedicated community-facing roles within the business, you will help develop the frameworks, processes and best practices that can be applied across our growing portfolio of projects.

Key Responsibilities

Community Engagement & Stakeholder Management

• Act as IGP's lead representative within local communities and chair or support Community Liaison Group activities.
• Build strong and trusted relationships with residents, parish councils, local authorities and elected representatives.
• Serve as the first point of contact for community enquiries, concerns and complaints.

Communications & Reputation Management

• Coordinate community communications, including newsletters, project updates, notices and engagement materials.
• Work alongside internal communications and government affairs teams to ensure consistent messaging.
• Support media engagement where required.
• Work closely with contractors and project teams to identify potential community impacts and implement mitigation measures.
• Manage complaints and concerns professionally, ensuring timely responses and effective resolution.
• Monitor emerging issues and recommend proactive interventions.

Community Outreach

• Organise and facilitate public meetings, drop-in events, information sessions and site visits.
• Promote meaningful dialogue between the project and local stakeholders.
• Help ensure communities remain informed and engaged throughout the project lifecycle.
• Develop and embed a scalable community engagement framework that can be replicated across future IGP projects.
• Capture lessons learned and establish best practice approaches for community relations across the business.

What We're Looking For

• Experience in community engagement, stakeholder relations, public affairs or a similar role.
• Demonstrable success in building relationships with a broad range of stakeholders.
• Experience managing complaints, issues or sensitive communications.
• Excellent written, verbal and presentation skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build credibility and trust.
• Ability to work effectively across multidisciplinary teams and manage competing priorities.
• Experience within infrastructure, construction, energy or renewable energy projects.
• Understanding of planning, environmental or construction-related obligations and stakeholder requirements.
• Experience working on major infrastructure or nationally significant projects.
• Knowledge of the West Lincolnshire and/or East Nottinghamshire area.

The Opportunity

This is an opportunity to play a key role in one of the UK's most significant renewable energy projects while helping to define how Island Green Power engages with communities as our portfolio grows.

If you're passionate about building trusted relationships, creating positive outcomes for communities and ensuring major infrastructure projects leave a legacy, we'd love to hear from you.

Location & Contract

• Location: Remote or hybrid, with regular travel to the project site and local communities.
• Contract: Permanent or contract arrangements considered.
• Start Date: As soon as possible.