Public Policy Director

Apto; Greater London; On-site; GBP 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Apto seeks a Public Policy Director to shape and deliver the company’s EU public affairs. You will lead policy engagement, ESG, energy, and tech policy across Europe, and coordinate with regulators to anticipate regulatory changes.

You’ll work with internal teams and external partners, travel up to 50% across Europe, and report to the Chief Strategy & Acquisitions Officer. This is a senior, impact-driven role in a fast-growing data-centre platform.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Public Policy, Political Science, Economics, Law, Environmental Studies, or related discipline.
• 8-12+ years in government affairs, public policy, or legislative advocacy across Europe, with at least 5+ years in digital infrastructure, data centres, energy utilities or industrial real estate development.
• Deep experience engaging with policymakers at all government levels across Europe.
• Deep understanding of public policy issues around European data centre industry, utility sector and sustainability.
• Proven network within the data centre industry and beyond.
• Confident communicator with demonstrated experience in driving change and stakeholder management.
• Experience of presentation preparation and research.
• Execution experience with ability to prioritize and meet multiple deadlines.
• Proficiency in written and spoken English.
• Willingness to travel up to 50% within Europe.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute a strategic public policy engagement plan to advance business objectives at the EU level.
• Assist in crafting and implementing policy messaging and engagement plans on program-level policy topics, including ESG, energy policy, and technology policies at the member state level.
• Research, identify, monitor, and report on current and emerging policy issues at the EU level that are relevant to the data center sector and Apto’s business strategies.
• Lead and/or contribute to public policy efforts in cross-functional program-level initiatives in collaboration with teams such as operational compliance, sustainability, energy, design and engineering, legal, and corporate compliance.
• Assisting on project-specific permitting and local community engagements to understand and respond to concerns and, thereby, advance development goals.
• Support the development and execution of multi-market policy advocacy strategies in response to the transposition of EU directives.
• Oversee third-party public affairs agencies and industry associations supporting EU and program-level efforts.
• Build and maintain relationships with public affairs counterparts in the industry and with Apto customers.
• Lead on early market intelligence gathering, risk analyses, and early stakeholder engagement in select EU countries as it relates to policy landscape

Skills

Public policy

Stakeholder mgmt

Policy communication

Analytical thinking

English fluency

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

Join us to help lead the next wave of the digital economy.

The world depends on the infrastructure that keeps us connected. From the way we work to how we live, every moment depends on it. Yet most of that infrastructure sits in the same crowded hubs, running up againstconstraints ofspace,powerand permits.That’swhere you come in.

At Apto, we design,buildand operate hyperscale data centres wherethey’reneeded most - in Europe’s fastest-growing markets,working with customers to unblock capacitybottlenecks. These are the places our customers need to be next, where land and power can be unlocked and where growth is possible - so the digital economy can thrive.

You’lljoin a business formed to develop andoperatethe European data centre assets of global investment manager PIMCO, webenefitfrom the scale,resourcesand land sourcing capabilities of one of the largest real estate platforms in Europe.

We have the firepower to deliver - but it’s our people who make the difference: a leadership team behind some of the most ambitious data centre projects in the world, and colleagues who will push you, back you and bring you into the decisions that shape our future.From day one,we’vebeen deliberate about the companywe’rebuilding - values-led, customer-obsessedand ambitious for each other’s success.

If you want to work somewhere you can see the direct impact of what you do, this is your moment. AtApto, wedon’tjust build data centres. We build careers,capabilitiesand a culture where everyone owns the outcome.

Position Overview

The Public Policy Director (PPD) will be responsible for shaping, executing, and reporting onApto’spublic affairs at the European Union (EU) level, as well as on regulatory topics that affectAptoacross various markets, such as the implementation of EU directives in member states.

The PPD will collaborate with internal stakeholders to establishApto’spriorities and positions on key policy areas, including ESG (e.g., energy efficiency, carbon accounting, and waste heat), planning and permitting policy (e.g., environmental impact assessments), energy (e.g., self-generation of electricity, renewable energy), and technology-related policy (e.g., cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and data sovereignty). This role involves engaging with relevant EU government and trade bodies, advocacy groups, public bodies, and industry-wide representative groups to research and assess the direction of legislation and regulation to ensureAptois able to anticipate the direction of regulatory changes to best serve its customers, thereby fostering a long-term policy and political environment that supports the company’s growth, ESG objectives, and research and development strategies.

The role will also require engagement with local communities and local permitting bodies to understand and respond to local development concerns.

The role

• Develop and execute a strategic public policy engagement plan to advance businessobjectivesat the EU level.
• Assistin crafting and implementing policy messaging and engagement plans on program-level policy topics, including ESG, energy policy, and technology policies at the member state level.
• Research,identify, monitor, and report on current and emerging policy issues at the EU level that are relevant to the data center sector andApto’sbusiness strategies.
• Lead and/or contribute to public policy efforts in cross-functional program-level initiatives in collaboration with teams such as operational compliance, sustainability, energy,designand engineering, legal, and corporate compliance.
• Assistingon project-specific permitting and local community engagements to understand and respond to concerns and, thereby, advance development goals.
• Support the development and execution of multi-market policy advocacy strategies in response to the transposition of EU directives.
• Oversee third-party public affairs agencies and industry associations supporting EU and program-level efforts.
• Build andmaintainrelationships with public affairs counterparts in the industry and withAptocustomers.
• Lead on early market intelligence gathering, risk analyses, and early stakeholder engagement in select EU countries as it relates to policy landscape

Duties

• Monitor policy and political developments at the EU level, and track and report on issues that are important toAptoand the data center industry.
• Coordinate and draftApto'spositioning statements and external-facing documents for public policy matters. This includes responding to official requests for information, preparing slidedecksand talking points for internal and external meetings, and managing briefings for executives and key internal stakeholders related to EU matters and program-level policy topics.
• Engage with public stakeholders by advocating forApto’sposition in full compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
• RepresentAptoat government and industry meetings at the EU level to testify or comment on Apto’s behalf.
• Partner with marketing and business teams to develop messaging, collateral, and public relations materials to drive the public narrative aroundAptoand the data center industry.
• Act as a strategic advisor and subject matter expert to market and central teams on policy topics within the scope of this role.
• Coordinate and lead cross-functional or cross-market working groups on topics with significant policy impact or influence.

What we offer

Aptooffers competitive salaries and bonuses alongside a full package of benefits thatyou’dexpect. All employees are part of the Long-Term Incentive Plan, which offers a meaningful incentive to align the wholeAptoteam on the success of the platform. Further details will be provided during the interview process.

You will be joiningAptoat an early stage in our development and the opportunities for career growth are limited only by your ambition, we will offer a breadth of exposure to senior executives,investorsand daily interaction with a world class team. Everyone takes accountability for the success ofApto- this mindsetisn’tfor everyone but if it is for you -we'dlove to have a conversation.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree inPublic Policy, Political Science, Economics, Law, Environmental Studies, or related discipline.
• 8-12+ years ingovernmentaffairs, public policy, or legislative advocacy,in Europe and across multiple markets,with at least 5+ years directlyfocusedon digital infrastructure, data centres,energyutilities orindustrialscalecommercial realestatedevelopment.
• Deep experience of engaging with policymakers at all levels of government across Europe.
• Deep understanding of public policy issues around the European data centre industry, utility sector and sustainability.
• Proven network within the datacentreindustry and beyond.
• Confident communicator withdemonstratedexperience in driving changeand stakeholder management.
• Experience of presentation preparation, and research.
• Execution experience withabilityto prioritize and meet multiple deadlines.
• Proficiencyin written and spoken English.
• Willingness to travel up to 50% within Europe.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience of working with large data centre providers across Europe.
• Ability to converse in Italian, German, Spanish or French is advantageous.
• Experience working inrapidly scaling organisations andhigh-performance, cross-functional teams.

Location

Dublinor London.Travel across Europeasrequired.

Reporting

Mark Dolan- Chief Strategy &AcquisitionsOfficeratApto.

Aptois an equal opportunities employer.