Director, Stakeholder Engagement South Region

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

Functional area:

Sustainability/ Corporate Social Responsibility;
Regulation / Risk Management
Remuneration:
Exempt

The Director, Stakeholder Engagement will lead the strategy, execution, and management of stakeholder & community engagement activities in the South Region (Texas, Plains and Southeast states) that identify and mitigate social impacts and risk to enable license and social license to operate across RWE Americas’ portfolio of onshore wind, solar, battery energy storage system (BESS), and flex-gen projects. Manage two Stakeholder Engagement Managers as part of a regionally matrixed Corporate Affairs team, ensuring close collaboration and partnership with Development, Project Execution / Construction, Operations, and other relevant departments, leading to successful project permitting, favorable energy policies, and positive long-term relationships with local communities.

• Design and execute strategic social risk assessment and mitigation programs for all development, construction and operational projects (project lifecycle) in the South Region (Texas, Plains and Southeast states)
• Develop and execute stakeholder engagement plan to create and nurture long-term relationships in project communities (community members, landowners, local officials, NGOs, and other stakeholders) and secure RWE’s social license to operate through the project lifecycle
• Utilize CRM to track interactions with local stakeholders, record grievances and commitments, ; coordinate communications internally; ensure continuity of relationships across project lifecycle; and identify trends, risks, and supporters through centralized data
• Manage two Stakeholder Engagement Managers, coordinating close partnerships with the Development, Operations, Project Execution, Communications, Government Affairs, and other relevant teams
• Monitor local sentiment, identify emerging issues, and elevate risks to Corporate Affairs and project leadership as needed
• Support proactive problem-solving to maintain community trust and minimize project delays
• Work closely with Development, Permitting, Operations, and Corporate Affairs teams to provide localized insights and engagement strategies and ensure necessary budgets and resources are secured to mitigate risks
• Provide regular updates, reports, and insights to internal stakeholders to inform decision-making
• Create strategic frameworks to guide team in identifying, evaluating, and directing external consultants in promoting the Company’s projects, negotiate contracts, and ensure compliance with all RWE policies and performance standards
• Coordinate coalition building and strengthen relationships with strategic non-profit organizations, associations, and other national or regional partners who support renewable and flex-gen energy siting
• Manage community benefit initiatives from early‑stage contributions to long‑term Community Benefit Agreements and partnerships
• Work closely with Stakeholder Engagement Team and Senior Director on cross-team initiatives to create, implement and improve team workflows, processes, tools and practices
• Track and report on social performance metrics when required

• Bachelor's degree in marketing, communications, political science or other relevant areas
• Minimum 7years of community engagement, campaign and advocacy experience for energy-related projects, campaign or community organizing, social risk and impact management
• Previous management experience and collaboration with multiple internal and external stakeholders, including for projects requiring navigation of complex community engagement issues
• Experience working in renewable energy or infrastructure…