Director of Public Affairs, Government Relations, Permitting

Taylor Hopkinson; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

Taylor Hopkinson is seeking a Director of Public Affairs, Government Relations, and Permitting for the US. Based in Texas, you will drive strategy, engage with state and local officials, manage permitting for major projects, and lead a small team with external partners.

Ideal candidate has 10+ years in government relations or regulatory affairs, with strong leadership and communications skills. Travel to Texas sites and national engagements may be required.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in government relations, public affairs, permitting or regulatory affairs.
• Strong leadership and stakeholder management experience.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Develop and lead U.S. public affairs, government relations, and permitting strategy.
• Represent the company to state and local government, agencies, and industry groups.
• Oversee permitting and regulatory processes for major capital projects.
• Mentor the Public Affairs, Government Relations & Permitting team and coordinate with external providers.
• Provide counsel on policy, regulatory and reputational matters to executive leadership.
• Support investor relations and media communications where needed.

Job description

Exciting opportunity to join a leading international vertically-integrated solar manufacturing company as a Director of Public Affairs, Government Relations, and Permitting for their US Business. Strong experience with Texas state government is a must (open to government officials), additional government and investor relations experience is highly preferred. Ideally on-site in Houston or Austin, Texas.

Position Overview

The Director, U.S. Public Affairs, Govemment Relations & Permitting will lead the Company's government relations, public affairs, and permitting strategy across its U.S. manufacturing platform, with particular focus on the development of a solar cell manufacturing facility in the Texas. This is a senior leadership role responsible for setting strategy, managing executive-level relationships with government officials and agencies, overseeing the permitting and regulatory approval process for major capital projects, and providing strategic counsel to company leadership on policy, regulatory, and reputational matters. The Director will also oversee the Public Affairs, Govemment Relations & Permitting Manager and any external service providers engaged in support of the function. This is primarily a Public Affairs, Government Relations, and Permitting leadership role rather than a traditional Marketing or PR position; PR/media relations and Investor Relations (IR) support will be secondary responsibilities.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and lead the U.S. public affairs, government relations, and permitting strategy across current and future manufacturing sites, aligning government and community engagement with the company's broader growth and investment plans.
• Serve as the senior representative to state and local government officials, agency leadership, economic development organizations, and industry associations; build and maintain executive-level relationships that support the company's long-term interests in Texas.
• Provide senior oversight ofthe permitting and regulatory approval process for major capital projects, ensuring the permitting workstream remains aligned with master project schedules, and escalating critical-path risks and mitigation plans to executive leadership.
• Manage and mentor the Public Affairs, Government Relations & Permitting Manager, and oversee external service providers engaged on behalf of the company.
• Monitor and proactively engage on federal, state, and local policy developments - including trade, energy, and tax incentive policy - that may affect the U.S. manufacturing operations, and represent the Company's interests before relevant policymakers and industry coalitions.
• Serve as a key advisor to executive leadership on government-relations, regulatory, and reputational risk matters, including scenario planning and issue management for major projects.
• Provide strategic oversight of media relations and public communications for major company and project milestones, including press releases, media inquiries, interviews, and groundbreaking/ribbon cutting events, in coordination with the Marketing team.
• Provide senior-level support to the Investor Relations (IR) team on U.S.-related investor and analyst communications, including investor visits, project tours, and analyst meetings, ensuring externally communicated information is accurate and consistent with company disclosures.

Qualifications

• Bachelor' s degree required; advanced degree (JD, NIPA, or NBA) in Public Policy, Political Science, Government Affairs, Law, Business Administration, or a related field strongly preferred.
• 10+ years of progressively responsible experience in Govemment Relations, Public Affairs, Permitting, or Regulatory Affairs, including senior-level engagement with government officials and agencies.
• Demonstrated experience leading government relations and permitting strategy for large-scale manufacturing, energy, or infrastructure projects, ideally in Texas; proven track record managing multi-year project timelines and cross-functional stakeholders.
• Established relationships with Texas / Harris County / Houston-area government officials and agencies strongly preferred; federal-level relationships a plus.
• Proven leadership experience managing direct reports and/or external service providers.
• Strong executive presence and the ability to represent the company before senior government officials, media, and industry stakeholders; excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Adapt to domestic business trip or travelling abroad.