Community Engagement Lead

Job description

It's fun to work in a company where people truly BELIEVE in what they're doing! We're committed to bringing passion and customer focus to the business. Does the thought of joining one of the fastest-growing, privately held data center companies sound exciting to you? Do you enjoy collaborating with team members to drive and operate some of the industry’s leading and most innovative infrastructure solutions? At Aligned Data Centers , not only do we celebrate success across our platform, we celebrate the very teams that drive and support that success! Our culture is founded in passion, engineered from innovation, and driven by the pursuit of operational excellence. We are a company dedicated to driving positive change in the industry through continuous data center innovation, diversity and inclusion, and corporate sustainability. We realize not only is providing a comprehensive benefits package important, but we also provide a generous 401k match with immediate vesting, free membership to Gympass which provides our employees a rich health and wellness benefit and competitive time off plan. Giving back and having fun is important to our team whether it be serving our communities or employee and customer events. Our Aligned DNA is what makes us unique and successful! As part of our exciting growth, we are currently searching for a Community Engagement Lead. The Community Engagement Lead plays a key role in advancing Aligned's development lifecycle by cultivating deep-rooted local partnerships, fostering alignment with local communities as well as internal stakeholders, and creating pathways for a smooth project execution. This role provides leadership and strategic direction for the Community Engagement Liaison team, setting the vision, standards, and operating approach that enables Aligned to successfully expand into new markets through strong community partnership. Operating at a senior level, the Community Engagement Lead bridges regional site priorities with Aligned’s broader business objectives, helping foster trusted community relationships while reinforcing Aligned’s reputation as a responsible, long-term neighbor across the industry and its host communities. Key performance indicators include a positive impact on sentiment across all Aligned host communities, mitigating risks to project timelines and success. Core Responsibilities Assist in designing and overseeing the execution of Aligned’s national community engagement strategy, helping to define the standard for how the company enters, develops, and integrates within its host communities. Lead and mentor a high-performing team of regional Liaisons, providing the strategic leadership and resources necessary for them to succeed in local environments. Serve as the senior advisor for sensitive political and reputational issues from Community Liaisons. Monitor macro-sentiment across all markets to identify risks and improvements to Aligned’s operations; Leverage this data and insights gleaned from Community Engagement Liaisons to provide cross-functional teams with actionable insights, developing strategies to increase effectiveness at both the corporate and site levels. Partner with cross functional development, energy, government / public affairs, communications, and operations teams to ensure that community feedback directly influences capital investment and project design decisions. Standardize, scale and continuously refine Aligned’s community engagement playbook and digital workflow, ensuring a consistent, high-quality engagement model across all geographies. Represent Aligned alongside Community Engagement Liaisons in high-level engagements with community members and major NGO partners, and at critical industry conferences to shape the narrative of data centers as vital infrastructure. Direct the strategy for Aligned’s community investment initiatives; work with internal teams and Community Engagement Liaisons to ensure they materialize successfully. In partnership with the Communications team, design and execute a proactive outreach strategy to shape the project narrative, while leading the response framework for addressing public concerns and mitigating project risks. Partner with Aligned’s Sales and Finance/Investment teams to provide data-driven insights and messaging related to Aligned’s community engagement health and social impact to fortify customer and investor confidence. Partner with customer and communications teams to architect and execute high-impact, collaborative community engagement programs that align with shared corporate social responsibility goals. Required Skills and Qualifications 5–10+ years in public affairs, community relations, or government affairs, with at least 5 years in a leadership or people-management capacity. Experience in the data center, energy, or large-scale infrastructure sectors is required. Experience navigating political environments and building consensus among diverse stakeholder groups. The ability to take disparate data points from various regions and synthesize them into a cohesive national strategy that advances Aligned’s long-term development pipeline. Experience building scalable systems (such as CRMs or sentiment tracking workflows) to manage community engagement data across a growing regional or national portfolio. Maintains a calm, steady presence in complex environments, with a proven ability to guide teams through sensitive public discussions and build consensus among diverse community groups. BENEFITS & PERKS: Aligned Data Centers is proud to offer a comprehensive benefits package to support the health, well-being, and financial security of our team members. Eligible employees have access to: Health Coverage : Medical, dental, and vision insurance Health Savings and Flexible Spending Accounts: HSA with employer contribution for eligible participants. FSA's offered for health and dependent care to increase tax savings. Retirement Savings : 401(k) plan with company match Paid Time Off and Holiday Pay Company-Sponsored Insurance : Short-Term Disability, Life Insurance, and Long-Term Disability (with medical election) Optional Benefits : Voluntary life, critical illness, legal, and additional disability coverage Wellness Programs : Employee assistance program (EAP), Wellhub gym membership, and other wellness initiatives