Position Overview:The Vice President, Economic & Community Development is responsible for building and leading Montera's economic development, community engagement, and government relations function as the company expands its hyperscale data center development platform across the United States.
Reporting directly to the Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer within the External Affairs department, this role will serve as Montera's primary representative for government relations across its development markets. The position will oversee state and local economic development agreements, community outreach, legislative and regulatory engagement, organized labor relationships, and the external partnerships necessary to support successful project development.
The ideal candidate brings extensive experience navigating state and local government, negotiating complex economic development and incentive agreements, and building community engagement strategies for large-scale infrastructure projects. Success in this role means establishing trusted relationships with government officials, community stakeholders, economic development organizations, and industry partners while identifying and mitigating political, regulatory, and community risks throughout the development lifecycle.
This is a hands-on leadership opportunity for someone who enjoys building functions, processes, and relationships from the ground up while representing a rapidly growing infrastructure developer in complex and highly visible development markets.
Key Responsibilities and Deliverables:Government Relations & Public Affairs- Lead Montera's government relations strategy across existing and prospective development markets, serving as the primary point of contact for state and local government affairs.
- Develop a comprehensive understanding of legislative priorities, regulatory environments, political dynamics, and government decision-making processes in each market Montera enters or evaluates.
- Build and maintain relationships with elected officials, government agencies, county commissions, planning and zoning authorities, economic development organizations, and other public-sector stakeholders.
- Monitor legislative and regulatory developments that could impact site selection, project development, infrastructure investment, or long-term operations.
- Develop strategies for engaging government stakeholders early in the development lifecycle to support project feasibility, regulatory alignment, and successful execution.
- Represent Montera at legislative forums, government meetings, public hearings, and other venues requiring senior-level company representation.
Economic Development Agreements & Incentive Negotiations- Lead the evaluation, structuring, and negotiation of state and local economic development agreements supporting Montera's hyperscale data center developments.
- Conduct diligence on available economic development incentives, tax structures, and public-sector programs that may influence project economics or development feasibility.
- Partner with Site Selection, Development, Finance, and Legal teams to evaluate incentive opportunities, negotiate commercial terms, and establish appropriate contractual protections.
- Develop relationships with state and local economic development organizations to identify investment opportunities and support development negotiations.
- Assess the financial, regulatory, and operational implications of proposed incentive packages, tax arrangements, and government agreements.
- Oversee ongoing compliance considerations and stakeholder commitments associated with economic development agreements.
Community Engagement & Stakeholder Relations- Develop and lead Montera's community outreach and engagement strategy across its development markets, beginning with initial land positions and continuing through construction and long-term operations.
- Build trusted relationships with local communities, civic organizations, business leaders, public officials, and other stakeholders impacted by large-scale infrastructure development.
- Establish communication and engagement programs that proactively address community priorities, project concerns, and potential development impacts.
- Represent Montera at community meetings, public hearings, industry events, and stakeholder forums, communicating project benefits, commitments, and development plans.
- Collaborate with internal teams to ensure community considerations are integrated into site selection, entitlement, permitting, construction planning, and operational activities.
- Develop community engagement approaches that align with hyperscale customer expectations, including relevant community standards and commitments established by companies such as Microsoft, Google, and Meta.
Labor Relations & Workforce Development- Build and maintain relationships with organized labor, local building trades councils, unions, workforce development organizations, and apprenticeship programs.
- Develop Montera's strategy for engaging organized labor and supporting workforce commitments across its development markets.
- Partner with Development, Delivery, Legal, and other internal stakeholders to evaluate project labor agreements and related workforce considerations.
- Support negotiations and stakeholder engagement related to local-hire commitments, workforce development initiatives, and construction labor requirements.
- Identify opportunities to strengthen community relationships through workforce investment, local employment, and apprenticeship partnerships.
- Ensure labor and workforce strategies support entitlement objectives, community goodwill, construction readiness, and long-term project success.
Development Pipeline Risk & Market Intelligence- Provide early identification and assessment of political, regulatory, community, and stakeholder risks that could affect development opportunities.
- Develop local market intelligence networks capable of identifying emerging issues and opportunities beyond publicly available information.
- Partner with Site Selection and Development teams to evaluate the government relations and community implications of prospective sites and target markets.
- Assess local attitudes toward data center development, infrastructure investment, land use, utilities, taxation, and construction activities.
- Deliver actionable market intelligence and recommendations to executive leadership to support site prioritization, investment decisions, and development risk mitigation.
- Maintain visibility into government and community commitments that could affect development schedules, project costs, or long-term operating requirements.
External Partner Management & Function Development- Build and scale Montera's economic and community development function, establishing the processes, tools, and external partnerships necessary to support a growing national development portfolio.
- Select, manage, and hold accountable external lobbyists, government affairs consultants, community engagement advisors, and other specialized partners across development markets.
- Establish consistent stakeholder mapping, relationship management, reporting standards, and operating rhythms across the function.
- Develop repeatable government relations and community engagement playbooks that can be adapted to different markets, jurisdictions, and project requirements.
- Provide executive leadership with visibility into government relations activities, economic development negotiations, community engagement efforts, and emerging development risks.
- Collaborate with Development, Delivery, Legal, Finance, Commercial, and executive leadership to align external affairs strategies with broader organizational priorities.
- Foster a proactive, relationship-driven approach to economic development and community engagement that supports Montera's long-term growth and reputation.
Requirements
Qualifications:- Bachelor's degree in Business, Economics, Public Administration, Political Science, Urban Planning, or a related discipline.
- 10+ years of experience in economic development, government relations, public affairs, site-selection advisory, or a related function.
- Extensive experience negotiating large-scale economic development agreements, incentive packages, and related government agreements.
- Strong working knowledge of state and local tax considerations, incentive structures, and the legal agreements associated with economic development projects.
- Demonstrated understanding of state and local government operations, including economic development organizations, county commissions, planning and zoning authorities, utility regulators, and state legislatures.
- Experience developing and executing community engagement strategies for large-scale industrial, energy, infrastructure, or comparable development projects.
- Experience managing external lobbyists, consultants, and government affairs partners across multiple jurisdictions or development markets.
- Demonstrated experience engaging organized labor, building trades, or workforce development stakeholders in a construction or infrastructure environment.
- Familiarity with project labor agreements, local-hire commitments, workforce development programs, and apprenticeship initiatives.
- Strong executive presence, stakeholder management capabilities, and the ability to represent an organization effectively in public hearings, legislative forums, and community settings.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including experience presenting complex issues to public officials, executive leadership, and diverse stakeholder groups.
- Experience building processes, managing competing priorities, and operating independently in a fast-paced or evolving organizational environment.
- Willingness and ability to travel regularly throughout the United States to support government relations, economic development negotiations, and community engagement activities.
Preferred Skills:- Direct experience supporting hyperscale data center development, particularly economic development agreements, government relations, or community engagement.
- Professional background beginning in local or state economic development, followed by experience in a corporate or private-sector development environment.
- Experience negotiating incentive agreements for large-scale industrial, energy, digital infrastructure, or other capital-intensive development projects.
- Established relationships with economic development organizations, government officials, industry associations, and community stakeholders in major U.S. development markets.
- Familiarity with hyperscale customer community engagement expectations, including programs such as Microsoft's Good Neighbor commitments.
- Experience developing community benefit initiatives, local workforce partnerships, or other stakeholder commitments supporting infrastructure development.
- Certified Economic Developer (CEcD) designation through the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) or a comparable professional credential.
- Experience establishing government affairs, economic development, or community engagement functions within a growing organization.
- Ability to identify political, regulatory, and community risks early and translate market intelligence into actionable development recommendations.
- A hands-on, relationship-driven leadership style and the ability to navigate complex stakeholder environments while maintaining strong commercial judgment.
Work Environment & Physical Demands:- Remote Work: Montera operates as a remote-first company. Employees are expected to maintain a professional, reliable remote work setup and appropriate availability during working hours.
- Travel Requirements: Regular domestic travel is required to support government relations, economic development negotiations, community engagement, public meetings, and company activities across Montera's development markets.
- Physical Demands: This role primarily involves standard office and computer-based work, participation in virtual and in-person meetings, public presentations, and periodic visits to active development and construction sites.
Benefits
Why Join Montera?At Montera, you'll shape the next generation of digital infrastructure while being supported by a team that values integrity, collaboration, and long-term partnership. We're a remote-first company that empowers our people with flexibility, ownership, and meaningful rewards.
This position offers the opportunity to establish and lead a dedicated economic and community development function within a rapidly growing hyperscale data center platform. Rather than joining an established government affairs organization with narrowly defined responsibilities, you'll work directly with the Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer to build Montera's strategy, relationships, and operating framework across e
