Sr. Stakeholder Engagement Manager (West)

RWE Americas, LLC
To start as soon as possible, full time, permanent

Functional area: Regulation / Risk Management
Remuneration: Exempt

The Stakeholder Engagement Senior Manager – West Region works with internal Development, Operations, Project Execution, and other relevant teams to identify and mitigate social risks to achieve a social license to operate for RWE Americas’ energy generation projects in the West Region (California, Intermountain West states). This position will be responsible for helping to develop and executing the regional community engagement strategy in the West, in coordination with the Sr. Director, Stakeholder Engagement. In coordination with a regionally matrixed Corporated Affairs team, this position will be responsible for creating and implementing community engagement plans, educating local stakeholders, organizing public events and recruiting attendees, building relationships with project supporters, managing external vendors, and representing RWE in communities that host our projects. This position reports to the Sr. Director of Stakeholder Engagement.

Role Responsibilities:

• Lead, manage, and support stakeholder and community engagement strategy, outreach, and activities across RWE’s portfolio of operating and development projects in the West Region (California, Intermountain West states)
• Collaborate with energy project development, construction, and operations teams to integrate community engagement and public education into project plans in order to achieve a “social license to operate” for RWE’s projects
• Conduct Social Risk and Community Assessment research and stakeholder mapping exercises to analyze relative likelihood of organized opposition and identify strategies to ensure local approval of development projects
• Create and implement community engagement plans for development, construction, and operational projects
• Support development and operations teams with maintaining a contact or Customer Relationship Management (CRM) database for local stakeholders at each assigned RWE project in the West Region
• Plan and attend in-person community events, including site tours, open houses, landowner dinners, school or community group presentations, and local fairs or festivals
• Provide input to Communications on project-specific marketing needs, such as project websites, newsletters, fact sheets, and other communications materials
• Manage community relations purchases, invoices, and external consultants supporting social media, digital marketing, media relations, grassroots and grasstops organizing, local public affairs or other community engagement campaign activities
• Work with project development teams to set up local offices and, when necessary, recruit local hires as community liaisons
• Meet with project stakeholders, engage with local government officials and decisionmakers, track community concerns, and report on organized opposition around development projects
• Design social investment plans that help RWE achieve its corporate goals while meeting the particular needs of local communities
• Enhance relationships and networks with senior internal/external partners who are not familiar with the subject matter often requiring persuasion. Adapt style to differing audiences and advise as an SME on difficult matters
• Devise solutions based on limited information and precedent and adapt existing approaches to resolve issues. Use evaluation, judgment, and interpretation to select right course of action. Work is done independently and is reviewed at critical points. Complete knowledge and full understanding of area of specialization, principles and practices within a professional discipline. Assess unusual circumstances and use sophisticated analytical and problem solving techniques to identify cause. Resolve a wide range of issues in creative ways and suggest variations in approach

Job Requirements and Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in marketing, communications, political science or other relevant areas
• Minimum 5 years experience in political or issue-based campaign management or community organizing and/or advocacy experience for energy/infrastructure development projects.
• Previous experience working within a large organization & collaboration with multiple internal and external stakeholders
• Experience working in renewable energy, energy development, rural communities, community developme