Manager, Stakeholder Relations

About CarbonFree

CarbonFree Technology Inc and its affiliates (“CarbonFree”) is one of the most successful solar developers in Canada. Headquartered in Toronto and active across Canada and the Americas for over two decades, we develop, finance, construct and operate utility-scale solar and battery storage projects. We hold a contracted portfolio of 484 MWp now heading into construction, won in Ontario’s competitive long-term procurement, with a further 1.5 GW of development pipeline behind it across Ontario and British Columbia. We are growing the team to match, and we are looking for talented people who want to help build and scale the next generation of clean energy infrastructure.

About the role

We are seeking a Manager, Stakeholder Relations to own the relationships our projects depend on. This is a Toronto-based role with regular travel to our sites across Ontario, and occasional travel to British Columbia.

We hold many thousands of acres under control across multiple renewable energy projects, with many dozens of active landowner relationships, neighbours, host municipalities and communities, and multiple First Nations partners across both provinces. We have projects commencing construction in 2027. Every one of those relationships currently sits with people who are also running permitting, land acquisition or construction. This role exists to own them properly.

You will be supported by our development, land and legal teams, and you will work closely with our SVP Project Development and our land acquisition lead. For the right candidate there is a marketing element to the role as well, covering our website and the materials we put in front of communities. This is a place for doers who roll up their sleeves, adapt quickly, and take pride in creating clarity, rigor, and trust through their work.

Position summary

You will manage landowner, community and First Nations relationships across the entire portfolio of construction and development projects, keep those stakeholders properly informed, and make sure the agreements that depend on those relationships get concluded and signed. It is a role for someone who is as comfortable at a kitchen table as at a council meeting, and who understands that the difference between a project that gets built and one that does not is very often the quality of the relationships around it.

Key responsibilities

Landowner relations

• Own the relationship with our landowners across the portfolio, from first contact through option, lease, easement and into construction and operations.
• Drive outstanding land agreements to execution, working with our land and legal teams, and keep an accurate picture of what is signed, what is out and what is stuck.
• Be the person a landowner calls when something goes wrong on their property, and make sure it gets resolved.

First Nations partnerships

• Build and maintain relationships with First Nations whose territories our projects touch, in Ontario and in British Columbia, and support the project teams in advancing partnership and participation discussions.
• Maintain the consultation record properly, because it is both the right thing to do and a document we will be asked to produce.
• Coordinate the materials our partners actually need, including project summaries prepared specifically for Indigenous communities.

Community and municipal relations

• Represent CarbonFree at council meetings, community sessions and open houses, supporting our SVP Project Development and our land acquisition lead rather than adding another layer between them and the community.
• Run the public consultation required under Ontario’s Renewable Energy Approval process, including notices, first and final public meetings, and the consultation reporting that follows.
• Build relationships with municipal staff, councillors and local organizations ahead of the moment we need something from them, not after.
• Be the person to both respond and proactively manage relationships with neighbours and impacted community members.
• Track and respond to community concerns, and make sure they reach the people inside CarbonFree who can act on them.

Communications and marketing

• Own our external communications materials, including the website, project fact sheets, community newsletters and presentation materials.
• Develop CarbonFree promotional materials and keep our public voice consistent across projects and provinces.

Reporting

• Report to the SVP Project Development, maintain the stakeholder register, and provide regular updates to the executive team on relationship risk across the portfolio.

Qualifications

Education & experience

• Minimum of 7 years in stakeholder relations, Indigenous relations, community engagement, public affairs, land or a related field, within energy, mining, infrastructure or another sector where projects depend on local consent.
• Demonstrated experience building and holding relationships with First Nations communities. This is the qualification that matters most, and it is the one we are least able to teach.
• Experience running public consultation for a permitting process, ideally Ontario’s Renewable Energy Approval process under O. Reg. 359/09, including public meetings and consultation reporting.
• Comfortable with direct landowner relationships, including the difficult conversations.
• Bachelor’s degree in communications, public affairs, planning, Indigenous studies, environmental studies or a related field.
• Communications or marketing capability, including writing for a public audience, is a strong asset and may shape the scope of the role.

Skills & competencies

• Outstanding interpersonal skills, and the credibility to represent CarbonFree in front of a Chief and Council, a municipal council and a landowner’s kitchen table in the same week.
• Excellent written communication, including the ability to explain a technical project to a non-technical audience without being condescending about it.
• Organized and systematic, able to keep track of many relationships and many commitments without dropping any of them.
• Sound judgement about what to escalate and what to settle, and the confidence to settle ordinary matters without routing everything back to the project team.
• Willingness to travel regularly across Ontario, including to Northern Ontario, and occasionally to British Columbia.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office. Familiarity with website content management and design tools is an asset.

Compensation

We offer a competitive salary range for this position commensurate with experience, together with participation in our annual bonus program. We also offer a comprehensive benefits package.

How to apply

If you believe that community and First Nations relationships are the substance of a renewable energy project rather than a box beside it, we would like to hear from you.

Please submit your resume and cover letter outlining your qualifications and why you are the ideal candidate for this role to careers@carbonfree.com

CarbonFree is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome applications from all qualified candidates and are committed to an inclusive and accessible recruitment process. Accommodations are available on request at any stage.