VP, Community Relations

Compass Datacenters • $150K — $200K *
Dallas, TX 75217In-Person
Education, Government & Non-Profit
8 - 10 years of experience
Today
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Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 10+ years in community relations, public affairs, or external affairs
  • Experience in high-stakes public hearings and organized opposition
  • Established relationships with local government and civic organizations
  • Strong executive presence as a spokesperson
  • Ability to operate independently across multiple markets
  • Experience in energy, infrastructure, or real estate development sectors preferred
  • Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree preferred

Responsibilities

  • Own community relationships during rezoning and new market entry
  • Develop and maintain issues management playbook
  • Lead presence at local government proceedings and serve as a spokesperson
  • Build proactive relationships with high-stakes local stakeholders
  • Assist Land Development with community strategy and preparation
  • Support Development and Operations teams with stakeholder engagement
  • Coordinate with Corporate Communications on media attention

Benefits

  • Medical
  • Dental
  • Vision
  • Voluntary benefits
  • 401K
  • Unlimited PTO (USA)
Full Job Description
The VP, Community Relations is Compass Datacenters' senior leader for community affairs and public engagement. This role is the company's primary owner of the relationships, processes, and strategies that protect Compass's license to operate across all campus markets. The VP works at the intersection of community trust, land development, local government, and issues management, representing Compass in high-stakes public settings and serving as a strategic partner to both Government Relations and Corporate Communications. The role requires deep experience navigating complex community dynamics, organized opposition, and local regulatory processes, with the ability to operate independently across multiple markets simultaneously. The position requires regular travel to prospective and existing campus markets.

Responsibilities:
  • Own Compass's community relationships in high-stakes moments, including rezoning proceedings, organized community opposition, and new market entry-building and managing the stakeholder networks that protect the company's ability to develop and operate.
  • Develop and maintain the company's local issues management playbook, including opposition intelligence, third-party and influencer alignment, and escalation protocols coordinated with Corporate Communications and the Strategic Relations Team.
  • Lead Compass's presence at local government proceedings: rezoning hearings, permitting processes, entitlement submissions, and regulatory meetings. Serve as a credible and prepared spokesperson in these settings.
  • Identify and build proactive relationships with high-stakes local stakeholders including county commissioners, city managers, local elected officials, adjacent landowners, regulators, activists, police, and fire, across all Compass markets.
  • Support Land Development in local entitlement and hearing preparation, partnering closely on community strategy, hearing logistics, and stakeholder readiness for new projects.
  • Support Development and Operations teams in local issues management, providing community intelligence and stakeholder engagement resources when operational issues arise.
  • Serve as Compass spokesperson in community and local government settings; flex in support of the Government Relations lead in state and regulatory proceedings as needed.
  • Coordinate with Corporate Communications when local issues attract media attention and with Marketing on required public postings (e.g., DEQ permitting) and targeted community-facing paid campaigns.
  • Manage and develop the Community Relations Manager, providing oversight, market guidance, and cross-functional coordination to ensure the Good Neighbor program reinforces community trust across all markets.

Skills and Experience:
  • 10+ years of experience in community relations, public affairs, external affairs, or a closely related field.
  • Demonstrated experience in high-stakes, forward-facing environments: public hearings, rezoning processes, and organized community opposition.
  • Established relationships with local government, civic, and regulatory organizations in key Texas and multi-state markets preferred.
  • Strong executive presence; credible and authentic as a spokesperson in community and government settings.
  • Ability to operate strategically and independently across multiple markets simultaneously.
  • Experience in energy, infrastructure, or real estate development sectors preferred.

Requirements:
  • Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree preferred.
  • Must have 10+ years' experience in community relations, public affairs, or external affairs.
  • Must be able to travel regularly to prospective and existing Compass campus markets.

Location:
  • Dallas, TX

Travel:

Regular travel required to prospective and existing Compass campus markets.

Benefits:

Medical | Dental | Vision | Voluntary | 401K | Unlimited PTO (USA)

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About Compass Datacenters

Compass, Inc. is an American licensed real estate broker that utilizes the Internet as a marketing medium with the use of real estate technology. Compass employs more than 20,000 agents who earn a percentage of the selling price and give 15 to 30 percent on each sale to Compass. Compass specializes in high-margin, luxury homes in upscale markets. Founded in 2012, the company is headquartered in New York City. The company provides software to real estate agents. Compass is the first company to have built a proprietary mobile app for real estate agents. Compass operates in 20 U.S. markets including New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Washington D.C., Dallas, South Florida, San Francisco, Chicago, Los Angeles, Aspen, The Hamptons, Santa Barbara and Newport Beach. Compass has raised a total of US$1.5 billion from investors such as Founders Fund, Wellington Management and Institutional Venture Partners, Fidelity Investments, Dragoneer Investment Group, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and SoftBank Vision Fund. Compass was named Mid-Sized Business of the Year by the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce in 2015. Compass was named to Crain's Fast 50, Inc. 5000, and Glassdoor's Best Places to Work in 2018. Compass received a Webby Award for Best Real Estate Website, and was named to Fast Company's Best Workplaces for Innovators in 2019. Compass won the 2020 Webby People’s Voice Award for Real Estate in the category Web.
Learn more about Compass Datacenters
Industry
Information Technology
* Ladders Estimates

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