The Community Affairs Manager supports successful market entry, development, construction, and ongoing operations by building trusted stakeholder relationships and proactively managing community, political, regulatory, and reputational risks. Working across assigned markets, this role develops and executes community engagement strategies, supports permitting and entitlement efforts, and serves as a primary CyrusOne representative throughout the project lifecycle.
The Community Affairs Manager works in close coordination with the Government Affairs and Public Policy team and collaborates with Land Planning & Strategy, Development, Marketing, Legal, Engineering, Construction, Operations, Community Investment, and external partners to foster community trust, ensure alignment on local government engagement and related policy matters, identify emerging risks, and support successful project execution and long-term market success.
Development, Due Diligence & Market Entry
- Partner with Land Planning & Strategy to assess community sentiment, stakeholder dynamics, and social risk factors throughout site evaluation and due diligence activities, supporting successful market entry and project advancement.
- Develop community outreach and stakeholder engagement strategies for new developments in partnership with the Vice President, Community Affairs and external consulting partners.
- Lead execution of community affairs strategies throughout assigned markets, serving as a primary CyrusOne representative from due diligence through development, construction, and operations.
- Identify, prioritize, and manage relationships with key external stakeholders including elected officials, municipal staff, economic development organizations, school districts, community organizations, business leaders, and neighboring property owners.
- Partner with Marketing to develop project microsites, presentations, fact sheets, talking points, FAQs, and other community-facing materials.
- Plan, coordinate, and facilitate public meetings, stakeholder briefings, open houses, and community engagement events.
- Engage and prepare appropriate executives, subject matter experts, and internal stakeholders to participate in community-facing activities.
- Support tax incentive and economic development initiatives through engagement with local, regional, and state government agencies.
Permitting, Entitlements & Risk Management
- Support permitting, zoning, and entitlement efforts through proactive stakeholder engagement and partnership with Land Development, Legal, Engineering, and Construction teams.
- Monitor local political, regulatory, economic, and community developments that may affect prospective or active projects.
- Identify, assess, and proactively mitigate community-related risks that could impact project approvals, development activities, construction, operations, or company reputation.
- Provide stakeholder intelligence, community insights, and risk assessments to support business decisions and project planning.
- Escalate emerging issues appropriately and recommend engagement strategies to address concerns before they become material risks.
Construction, Operations & Community Relationships
- Build and maintain trusted relationships with elected officials, municipal staff, school districts, economic development organizations, business groups, community leaders, and other key stakeholders.
- Serve as a liaison between Design & Construction, Operations, and neighboring communities when questions, concerns, or issues arise.
- Maintain a visible and positive CyrusOne presence in communities where the company develops and operates campuses.
- Partner with Community Investment to recommend and execute appropriate community investments, sponsorships, partnerships, charitable initiatives, and external memberships that align with company values and business objectives.
- Work with local teams to monitor community sentiment and emerging issues, escalating concerns before they become reputational, entitlement, construction, or operational risks.
- Leverage established relationships and community goodwill to support successful project execution and future development opportunities.
Communications & Stakeholder Engagement
- Serve as a trusted and credible representative of CyrusOne with community stakeholders, government officials, business organizations, and local influencers.
- Support external communications and stakeholder messaging related to assigned markets and projects.
- Coordinate closely with Marketing, Communications, and executive leadership to ensure alignment of community engagement efforts and messaging.
- Contribute to the development of communication plans and stakeholder engagement strategies designed to strengthen community trust and support project objectives.
Reporting & Administration
- Maintain records of stakeholder engagement activities, community commitments, emerging issues, and outreach efforts.
- Track community engagement outcomes and provide recommendations for ongoing stakeholder relationship management.
- Prepare regular reports and updates regarding community affairs activities, project risks, opportunities, accomplishments, and resource needs.
- Support strategic planning and reporting activities for the Community Affairs function.
Travel Requirements: Approximately 30% travel to CyrusOne sites and surrounding communities, primarily within the Chicagoland area, Springfield, IL, Columbus, OH, and Raleigh, NC. Periodic travel to the Dallas headquarters is also required. The Community Affairs Manager will play a key role in cultivating and maintaining relationships in emerging growth markets, including Yorkville, Wood Dale, Sangamon County, Columbus, Lebanon, and Lee County.
Qualifications
Education
- Bachelor's degree in Public Affairs, Communications, Government Relations, Political Science, Economic Development, Business, Public Administration, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Experience
- 7+ years of experience in community affairs, public affairs, government relations, economic development, stakeholder engagement, external affairs, communications, or a related field.
- Experience independently leading stakeholder engagement efforts supporting complex development, infrastructure, real estate, energy, industrial, or construction projects.
- Experience supporting projects through multiple phases, including due diligence, market entry, permitting, entitlement, construction, and ongoing operations.
- Working knowledge of zoning, permitting, entitlement, economic development, tax incentives, or related governmental processes.
- Demonstrated success building trusted relationships with elected officials, municipal staff, community leaders, business stakeholders, and economic development organizations.
- Experience planning and facilitating public meetings, stakeholder briefings, community engagement events, or similar public-facing activities.
- Experience working across cross-functional teams including development, engineering, construction, legal, operations, communications, and executive leadership.
Knowledge, Skills & Abilities
- Strong understanding of stakeholder engagement, community relations, risk management, and public affairs principles.
- Ability to identify, assess, and effectively escalate political, community, operational, and reputational risks.
- Strong written, verbal, presentation, facilitation, and relationship-building skills.
- Strong judgment, professionalism, and ability to navigate sensitive stakeholder situations.
- Ability to manage multiple projects and priorities in a fast-paced, evolving environment.
- Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively across diverse stakeholder groups.
- Must be able to travel up to 30%
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience supporting external communications, media engagement, or public-facing communications efforts.
- Prior experience representing an organization before public bodies, community groups, or governmental entities.
- Experience supporting mission-critical infrastructure, data center, utility, energy, industrial, or large-scale real estate development projects.
- Media spokesperson experience preferred but not required.
Geographic Scope: Northern U.S. portfolio, supporting all assigned markets outside Texas and Arizona.
CyrusOne is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, disability, veteran status, or other legally protected status.
CyrusOne provides reasonable accommodation for qualified individuals with disabilities in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and any other state or local laws. We will respond to requests for reasonable accommodations to assist you in applying for positions at CyrusOne, or to submit a resume.
