NIPSCO Economic Development Community Manager

NiSource Corporate Services Co; Merrillville (IN); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

The Community & Economic Development Manager represents NIPSCO and GENCO in growth communities, building relationships with local governments, economic development groups, businesses, and officials to support energy infrastructure investments.

The role leads public outreach and stakeholder partnerships, coordinating with Operations, Generation, Transmission, Engineering, Government Affairs, Regulatory, and Communications teams to advance economic growth and project readiness.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required.
• 5+ years of experience in community relations, public administration, engineering, economic development and planning, government affairs, public affairs, external affairs, communications, utility operations, or related fields.
• Local government experience - working directly with elected officials, municipalities, and economic development organizations.

Responsibilities

• Serve as NIPSCO and GENCO liaison with mayors, councils, commissioners, chambers, and economic development groups.
• Build and maintain strategic relationships within service territory communities.
• Represent NIPSCO and GENCO at community meetings, public forums, conferences, and stakeholder events.

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

Job Summary

The Community & Economic Development Manager serves as the primary representative for NIPSCO and NiSource Generation Company (GENCO) in communities experiencing economic growth, large-load development, and energy infrastructure expansion. This role builds and maintains relationships with local governments, economic development organizations, businesses, community stakeholders, and elected officials to support generation, transmission, and electric and gas infrastructure investments.

The Manager leads community engagement efforts, public outreach, and stakeholder partnerships while serving as a key liaison between the company and external stakeholders. Working closely with Operations, Generation, Transmission, Engineering, Government Affairs, Regulatory, Customer Growth, and Communications teams, this role supports economic development opportunities, large-load customer growth, community investment initiatives, and major capital projects.

As a trusted advisor to community leaders, the position helps advance regional economic growth, strengthen stakeholder relationships, and support community alignment for current and future generation, transmission, and infrastructure investments.

Essential Functions

• Serve as NIPSCO's primary liaison with mayors, town councils, county commissioners, chambers of commerce, economic development organizations, and community leaders in communities experiencing large projects and growth. Serve as the community engagement lead for generation and transmission projects, supporting stakeholder outreach, relationship management, and public acceptance efforts throughout project development and implementation.
• Build and maintain strategic relationships within communities throughout the service territory.
• Represent NIPSCO and GENCO at community meetings, public forums, industry conferences, economic development events, and stakeholder engagements.
• Develop and execute community engagement strategies that support business objectives and operational initiatives.
• Act as a trusted resource and point of contact for community concerns, opportunities, and partnership discussions tied to economic development and growth projects.
• Partner with Economic Development, New Business, Major Accounts, Engineering, and Operations teams to support seamless infrastructure growth in targeted communities.
• Engage with developers, site selectors, economic development organizations, and large-load customers regarding prospective projects, including data centers, advanced manufacturing facilities, electrification initiatives, transmission expansion opportunities, and generation-related growth.
• Support responses to economic development inquiries, prepare high-level project responses, and create economic benefit proposals.
• Identify emerging growth opportunities tied to generation expansion, transmission development, and community investment initiatives, while communicating market intelligence to internal stakeholders.
• Assist in advancing strategic projects that enhance economic growth and utility development.
• Plan, facilitate, and lead public meetings, stakeholder sessions, and community engagement activities.
• Present NIPSCO and GENCO initiatives, infrastructure projects, generation investments, reliability improvements, and economic development opportunities to community and public audiences.
• Deliver communication strategies that foster transparency, trust, and positive stakeholder relationships.
• Address community concerns related to utility projects, energy infrastructure development, and economic growth initiatives.
• Collaborate closely with Government Affairs and Public Affairs teams to coordinate outreach efforts. Lead public engagement activities associated with generation, transmission, and infrastructure projects, helping communicate project benefits, timelines, economic impact, and reliability outcomes to stakeholders.
• Support local government engagement strategies and municipal relationships tied to community investment and growth.
• Partner with project development, transmission, generation, regulatory, and government affairs teams to support local stakeholder alignment and community readiness for major capital projects.
• Identify opportunities for community partnerships and local investment. Ensure community investments align with business priorities, infrastructure strategies, and regional needs.
• Support workforce development and community development initiatives. Ensure community investments align with business priorities and regional needs.
• Support workforce development and community development initiatives. Ensure community investments align with business priorities and regional needs.

Required Qualifications for Position

• Bachelor's degree
• 5+ years of experience in community relations, public administration, engineering, economic development and planning, government affairs, public affairs, external affairs, communications, utility operations, or related fields.
• Local government experience - working directly with elected officials, municipalities, and economic development organizations.
• Strong relationship-building skills with the abili