Community Engagement Manager, Data Centres (Australia)

About the role

Anthropic is building AI systems that will shape the trajectory of one of the most consequential technologies in human history. That work requires physical infrastructure at significant scale, and building that infrastructure the right way means being a real, long-term partner to the communities where we operate.

We are looking for a Community Engagement Manager in Australia to join our Public Policy team and serve as Anthropic's on-the-ground presence in the communities where our data centres are sited, built, and operated. This is not a communications role or a government affairs role, though you will do elements of both. It is a relationship role: your job is to make Anthropic a trusted, visible, and valued neighbour, from the earliest stages of site selection through construction and long-term operations.

You will be the connective tissue between Anthropic's Policy and Infrastructure teams and the local officials, community organisations, economic development partners, and residents who have a stake in what we build. You will surface concerns before they escalate, translate our technical and operational plans into clear local benefits, and build the coalitions that allow us to move quickly and responsibly. Because Anthropic's infrastructure footprint is still early in its growth, you will also help write the playbook: the processes you build in your first markets are the ones we will use as we expand.

You will travel regularly within your region, up to 50% of the time, and occasionally to other Anthropic data centre markets.

Key responsibilities

• Build and maintain trusted, sustained relationships with local councils, state government ministers and agencies, regional development organisations, community groups, civic leaders, educational institutions, and workforce partners in the data centre markets you cover

• Develop and execute a community engagement strategy for each of your markets, spanning site selection, pre-development, construction, and ongoing operations

• Build external coalitions, host education and listening sessions, and design local solutions that deliver real benefits to the communities where we operate

• Represent Anthropic in public forums, town halls, planning hearings, community events, and local media

• Monitor community sentiment and local political dynamics, and advise internal teams on risks, opportunities, and the right pace and posture for engagement

• Partner with the Real Estate and Infrastructure team to bring community input into how projects are planned, communicated, and delivered, not just how they are announced

• Work with the Communications team to develop proactive, locally relevant messaging

• Coordinate charitable donations, community investment, and economic development commitments in your markets, including managing not for profit partner relationships

• Partner with the Energy and Sustainability team to explain our approach to environmental stewardship and respond to questions about power, water, and land use

• Build a community engagement playbook and repeatable processes that scale as Anthropic's infrastructure footprint grows
  
  

Minimum qualifications

• Experience in community affairs, public affairs, economic development, government relations, local council or state government, or a closely related field

• Direct experience working for or engaging with local councils, both elected councillors and council staff, and state governments on behalf of large infrastructure, construction, energy, or technology projects, with a working understanding of how local politics and community dynamics actually play out

• A skilled relationship and coalition builder who earns trust with a diverse group of stakeholders, and who maintains relationships through difficult conversations

• The ability to represent a company credibly in public settings — town halls, hearings, press interviews

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to turn a complex operational plan into plain language that a local official or reporter can understand and respond to

• The ability to work independently, get up to speed quickly on complex policy issues, and manage multiple concurrent engagements across different markets without losing track of any of them

• Based in Australia or willing to relocate there, and prepared to travel regularly across the region
  
  

Preferred qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in community engagement specifically on data centre, utility, energy, or large-scale industrial infrastructure projects, or in local government

• Familiarity with land use, zoning, and planning approval processes at the local and regional level

• Experience managing corporate social responsibility programs

• Established relationships with economic development, workforce, or civic organisations in the markets this role covers

• Experience working with real estate, legal, communications, and policy teams at the same time

• A genuine interest in the communities where you work, not just the projects you are managing