Community Affairs Manager

CyrusOne

. Support successful market entry, development, construction, and ongoing operations by building trusted stakeholder relationships and managing community, political, regulatory, and reputational risks .

Posted 9/17/2026full-timeRemote • Illinois • United StatesSeniorLeadWebsite

Core Competencies

Role fit

Core Competencies

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Demonstrates expertise in stakeholder engagement, community relations, and public affairs, with a strong ability to manage risks and build trusted relationships across diverse groups. Proficient in developing and executing community engagement strategies and facilitating public-facing activities to support project success.

Highest-signal resume keywords

Stakeholder EngagementCommunity RelationsPublic AffairsRisk ManagementProject Management

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills

Community Engagement StrategiesPermitting and EntitlementZoning KnowledgePublic Meeting FacilitationExternal CommunicationsRisk AssessmentProject PlanningPresentation DevelopmentStakeholder IntelligenceEconomic Development

Soft Skills

Relationship BuildingStrong JudgmentProfessionalismCollaborationFacilitation Skills

Industry Keywords

Public AffairsGovernment RelationsEconomic DevelopmentCommunity AffairsInfrastructure ProjectsReal Estate DevelopmentEnergy SectorIndustrial ProjectsMedia EngagementCommunity Investments

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Support successful market entry, development, construction, and ongoing operations by building trusted stakeholder relationships and managing community, political, regulatory, and reputational risks
Develop and execute community engagement strategies across assigned markets
Support permitting and entitlement efforts through proactive stakeholder engagement
Serve as a primary CyrusOne representative from due diligence through development, construction, and operations
Assess community sentiment, stakeholder dynamics, and social risk factors during site evaluation and due diligence
Develop and execute outreach and stakeholder engagement strategies with the Vice President, Community Affairs and external consultants
Identify, prioritize, and manage relationships with elected officials, municipal staff, economic development organizations, school districts, community organizations, business leaders, and neighboring property owners
Develop project microsites, presentations, fact sheets, talking points, FAQs, and other community-facing materials with Marketing
Plan and facilitate public meetings, stakeholder briefings, open houses, and community engagement events
Support tax incentive and economic development initiatives through engagement with government agencies
Monitor political, regulatory, economic, and community developments affecting projects
Identify, assess, mitigate, and escalate community-related risks
Provide stakeholder intelligence, community insights, and risk assessments for business decisions and project planning
Build and maintain relationships with community, government, business, and economic development stakeholders
Liaise between Design & Construction, Operations, and neighboring communities
Maintain a positive CyrusOne presence in communities where the company develops and operates campuses
Recommend and execute community investments, sponsorships, partnerships, charitable initiatives, and external memberships
Support external communications and stakeholder messaging for assigned markets and projects
Coordinate with Marketing, Communications, and executive leadership on engagement efforts and messaging
Maintain records of stakeholder engagement, commitments, emerging issues, and outreach
Track engagement outcomes and provide recommendations for stakeholder relationship management
Prepare regular reports and updates on community affairs activities, project risks, opportunities, accomplishments, and resource needs
Support strategic planning and reporting for the Community Affairs function
Travel approximately 30% to CyrusOne sites and surrounding communities, primarily in the Chicagoland area, Springfield, Illinois, Columbus, Ohio, and Raleigh, North Carolina, with periodic travel to Dallas headquarters

Requirements

What you’ll need

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
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 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 development, engineering, construction, legal, operations, communications, and executive leadership teams
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%
Experience supporting external communications, media engagement, or public-facing communications efforts (preferred)
Prior experience representing an organization before public bodies, community groups, or governmental entities (preferred)
Experience supporting mission-critical infrastructure, data center, utility, energy, industrial, or large-scale real estate development projects (preferred)
Media spokesperson experience preferred but not required

Benefits

Comp & perks

Equal opportunity employment
Reasonable accommodation for qualified individuals with disabilities in accordance with the ADA and applicable state or local laws