Manager of Public Affairs, Government Relations, Permitting

Exciting opportunity to join a leading international vertically-integrated solar manufacturing company as a Manager of Public Affairs, Government Relations, and Permitting for their US Business.

Experience with the Texas Government or solar manufacturing experience is preferred, proven permitting / regulatory approvals experience is a must.

Must be on site in Houston.

Position Overview:

This role will primarily focus on Public Affairs, Government Relations, and Permitting Coordination to support the Company’s growing U.S. manufacturing platform, particularly the development of a solar manufacturing facility in Texas. The role serves as a key liaison between the Company, local and state government agencies, permitting authorities, community stakeholders, and external consultants, helping the project team navigate and coordinate the various permitting, approval, and regulatory processes required to bring the facility online. A central part of this role is proactively coordinating the permitting and regulatory workstream against the project’s master construction schedule, so the successful candidate should bring hands-on experience managing timelines and cross-functional dependencies on large, complex capital projects. This is primarily a Public Affairs, Government Relations, and Permitting Coordination role rather than a traditional Marketing or PR position; PR/media relations and Investor Relations (IR) support will be secondary responsibilities.

Key Responsibilities include but are not limited to the following:

• Track and proactively manage the overall permitting and regulatory schedule against the project’s master construction timeline, identifying critical-path items and flagging schedule risks or delays to project leadership in a timely manner.
• Work closely with the project team to coordinate and track local and state permitting, licensing, approvals, and regulatory requirements; liaise with permitting authorities and government agencies to follow up on applications, reviews, comments, and approvals.
• Coordinate with project, engineering, legal, environmental, and construction teams, as well as external consultants, to ensure timely submission of required materials and alignment of interdependent workstreams; maintain a comprehensive permitting tracker and provide regular progress updates to project leadership.
• Identify potential permitting or regulatory bottlenecks and drive cross-functional coordination with relevant stakeholders to resolve issues and keep the project on schedule; support the project team through site development, construction, commissioning, and operational readiness.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with local, county, state, and other relevant government agencies, and serve as a key point of contact between the Company and relevant government and public-sector stakeholders.
• Develop and maintain relationships with economic development organizations, community stakeholders, and other key local partners, and support government and community engagement strategies for major manufacturing projects.
• Monitor relevant government policies, regulatory developments, and local initiatives that may impact the Company’s U.S. manufacturing operations and expansion projects.
• Support media relations and public communications related to major project milestones, including press releases, media inquiries, interviews, and groundbreaking/ribbon-cutting events, in coordination with the Marketing team to ensure consistency in external messaging.
• Assist the Investor Relations (IR) team with U.S-related investor and analyst communications, including investor visits, project tours, analyst meetings, and project-related materials, ensuring externally communicated project information is accurate and consistent with company disclosures.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree or above in Public Policy, Political Science, Government Affairs, Urban Planning, Business Administration, or a related field.
• 5+ years of experience coordinating permitting, regulatory, or project schedules for large-scale manufacturing, energy, or infrastructure development projects, with a demonstrated track record of managing multiple concurrent workstreams and cross-functional stakeholders against a master project timeline.
• Proven experience supporting large capital projects from site development through construction, commissioning, and operational readiness, ideally including direct exposure to project scheduling tools and critical-path tracking.
• Prior experience in Government Relations, Public Affairs, Permitting, or Regulatory Affairs is strongly preferred.
• Familiarity with the Houston / Harris County / Texas government and permitting system preferred; demonstrated ability to independently manage permits and applications, and to manage external counsel, engineering consultants, and environmental consultants.
• Experience coordinating with government agencies, economic development organizations, and community organizations; excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Adapt to domestic business trip or travelling abroad.