Vice President, Public Policy and Community Relations

About Coresite

Coresite empowers a more connected future through high-performance data centers and interconnection solutions. Recognized as a trusted partner in digital transformation, our strategically located facilities and innovative services enable businesses to connect, collaborate, and grow in an ever-evolving technological landscape. Our culture is defined by operational excellence and a relentless drive for innovation. We foster a collaborative environment where every team member is valued, wins are celebrated as a team, and ownership is part of our DNA. At Coresite, we're not just building state-of-the-art infrastructure—we're creating a community of forward-thinkers committed to solving complex challenges and delivering exceptional customer experiences.

Duties

• Develop and implement a coordinated strategy to advance our public policy agenda across our existing and expansion markets.
• Set the public policy and community engagement strategy to actively build and maintain relationships with key elected officials, regulatory agencies, industry associations and community leaders.
• Lead the design, implementation and measurement of community engagement strategies and philanthropic initiatives, building meaningful partnerships and driving positive outcomes for the communities in which Coresite operates.
• Research, identify and track current and emerging public policy issues.
• Partner with various internal stakeholders to prioritize key public policy issues related to our mid- and long-term business plans.
• Select, develop and manage third-party policy advisors and lobbyists.
• Manage, develop and mentor a regional team.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with internal teams, including leadership, legal, general management, corporate development, and operations and marketing, to ensure alignment and lead support of public policy, community and government initiatives.
• Monitor legislative and regulatory developments at the local, state and federal level that could impact Coresite’s operations and, as appropriate, proactively create and implement strategies to address such developments.
• Collaborate on internal processes for handling public policy and community relations matters that arise on an emergency or unexpected basis so that Coresite is prepared to respond in such cases.
• Provide regular public policy updates for senior management and key stakeholders.
• Partner with the marketing/PR team and internal subject matter experts to develop materials that:
• Educate policymakers about Coresite, our multi-tenant model and critical role in supporting essential services and our daily digital lives.
• Highlight Coresite’s contributions to the communities in which it operates.
• Promote and demonstrate the behaviors consistent with Coresite’s culture and core values.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Ability to thrive in a hybrid work environment, with regular on-site presence of up to 2 days per week.
• Flexibility to travel up to 25%, with the potential for increased travel or in-office presence as business needs evolve.
• Regular travel to multiple Coresite markets, capital cities, regional meetings and hearings, etc.
• Excellent written and verbal communication to internal and external audiences, including senior government officials, community leaders and company executives.
• Proven creative and critical thinking, and the ability to understand complex issues and identify clear and effective action plans to resolve them.
• Advanced political savvy and the ability to connect with customers and community members.
• Demonstrated track record of successfully advocating for policy initiatives and building relationships with government officials and industry stakeholders.

Education/Experience

• Bachelor’s degree from accredited college or university preferred; law or master’s degree plus 10+ years of hands-on experience in government relations, economic development or community engagement.
• Information technology (IT) and B2B experience preferred.
• Strong understanding of legislative and regulatory processes, with experience in government relations, economic development, and community engagement.
• Experience representing business interests before government officials and stakeholders, including learning and advocating for organizational priorities.
• Knowledge of public policy issues related to data centers, AI, tax policy, energy, and sustainability.
• Experience managing contract lobbyists and serving as an internal government affairs representative for a private company or trade association preferred.
• Experience building, managing, and developing public policy teams.