Community Relations & Public Affairs Manager

Socket.dev; Houston (TX); Hybrid; USD 85,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

Giga Energy seeks a Community Relations & Public Affairs Manager to own community-entry and license-to-operate programs from late-stage site development through construction and operations.

You will build trusted relationships with residents, local media, civic organizations, local businesses, and other stakeholders; translate complex project information into clear community-facing communications; manage community investments; and identify and resolve issues before they become reputational or

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in community relations, public affairs, or related field.
• Experience with construction, energy, infrastructure, or real estate projects.
• Ability to build trust with residents, officials, and organizations.
• Strong writing, speaking, facilitation, and issue-management skills.
• Willingness to travel frequently and spend time in Texas communities.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute a community-engagement plan for every new Giga data center project.
• Create stakeholder maps, community briefs, risk assessments, project FAQs, presentations, construction updates, and public-information materials.
• Lead direct outreach to nearby residents and maintain a system for recording, responding to, and resolving concerns.
• Coordinate on project announcements, reporter inquiries, local media opportunities, and issues that could attract broader public attention.
• Identify credible local voices and partners to provide informed perspectives on projects and contributions.

Skills

Community relations

Public affairs

Public speaking

Meeting facilitation

Issue management

Project management

Travel willingness

Job description

About Giga Giga is building gigawatts of AI data centers to hasten a future of intelligence and abundance. We build data centers fast and at scale by combining the capabilities of an equipment supplier, engineering firm, general contractor, and real estate developer under one roof. Our team moves quickly and thinks practically. If you're ready to make an impact in an industry that matters, we're looking for people like you.

Why join Giga

The Pace: We're building at a speed most companies talk about but never actually operate at. If you've been bored somewhere else, you won't be here.

The Impact :

Every person at Giga touches the work that matters. No layers, no waiting for approval chains. You'll see your fingerprints on what we ship.

The Team:

A team of operators defining the future of AI infrastructure. We recruit A-players from the most innovative companies in the world, and they choose Giga because the work here means more.

The Moment :

AI doesn't run without power, and that's us. Giga is the picks and shovels behind the AI revolution. This industry is about to explode, and you'll be in the room where it's already happening.

What you’ll do

The Community Relations & Public Affairs Manager will own the execution of Giga Energy’s community-entry and license-to-operate program from late-stage site development through construction and operations. You will build trusted relationships with residents, local media, civic organizations, local businesses, and other stakeholders; translate complex project information into clear community-facing communications; manage community investments; and identify and resolve issues before they become reputational or project risks. This role leads communications and relationship management within individual project communities. Success requires spending substantial time on the ground before and during major development, construction, and operational milestones.

Where you’ll work

We are an in‑office culture — velocity matters when you're building physical infrastructure, and the best decisions happen in the room. This role is ideally based in our San Francisco, Long Beach, or Houston offices, with full‑time onsite expectations outside of bi‑weekly WFH Fridays. That said, we will make exceptions for truly exceptional talent if you live outside one of our hubs. If you're the right person for this role, we'll have a conversation about what works.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute a community‑engagement plan for every new Giga data center project.
• Create stakeholder maps, community briefs, risk assessments, project FAQs, presentations, construction updates, and public‑information materials.
• Lead direct outreach to nearby residents and maintain a consistent system for recording, responding to, and resolving concerns.
• Coordinate property‑specific mitigation and voluntary‑acquisition discussions with Projects, Real Estate, and Legal.
• Plan and run listening sessions, town halls, site tours, community meetings, and construction updates.
• Manage local donations, volunteer fire and emergency‑service partnerships, workforce initiatives, and local vendor programs.
• Build relationships with city and county officials, civic leaders, chambers, schools, nonprofit organizations, local businesses, and other trusted community stakeholders.
• Maintain working relationships with local media
• Monitor public meetings, local stakeholder conversations, social channels, and community sentiment.
• Escalate emerging reputational issues and coordinate local response activities with the Director of Content & Communications.
• Coordinate on project announcements, reporter inquiries, local media opportunities, and issues that could attract broader public attention.
• Identify credible local voices, organizations, and partners who can provide informed perspectives on Giga’s projects and community contributions.
• Maintain the project commitments tracker, community‑investment budget, stakeholder database, and performance dashboard.
• Ensure commitments made to residents, officials, first responders, and community organizations are documented and delivered.
• Provide regular reporting and recommendations to the Director of Content & Communications and project leadership.
• Spend substantial time in project communities before and during major development, construction, and operational milestones.

Requirements

• 5+ years of experience in community relations, public affairs, local government, economic development, infrastructure communications, utility communications, or a similar field.
• Experience working in communities affected by construction, industrial development, energy, infrastructure, or real‑estate projects.
• Demonstrated ability to build trust with residents, elected officials, first responders, civic leaders, and community organizations.
• Strong writing, public‑speaking, meeting‑facilitation, and issue‑management skills.
• Ability to operate calmly and professionally in contentious public meetings and difficult one‑on‑one resident conversations.
• Strong judgment when handling sensitive community, property, legal, or reputational matters.
• Strong project‑management discipline and comfort working with technical, legal, construction, communications, and executive teams.
• Ability to translate technical project information into clear and accessible language.
• Willingness to travel frequently and spend substantial time on the ground in Texas communities.

Bonus points

• Data center and AI industry experience
• Experience managing community‑investment programs, local partnerships, or stakeholder databases.
• Experience supporting local media engagement or maintaining relationships with local reporters.
• Familiarity with data center, energy, infrastructure, utility, or industrial‑development projects.

Who we hire

We hire people who thrive in chaos and get sharper under pressure. You don't wait to be told what to do, you spot the gap and fill it. When there's work to be done, you do it. You make decisions with the information you have, move fast, and adjust along the way. We're not looking for perfect; we're looking for people who get things done.

Equal Opportunity Employer Statement

Giga Energy is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace.

We do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic as outlined by federal, state, or local laws.

Giga Energy complies with all applicable labor laws, including the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) and other relevant state and federal regulations.

We provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and encourage applicants who require accommodations during the hiring process to contact us.