Job Description:
The person in this position will be part of EDPR’s State Government Affairs team, and report directly to the Associate Director of State Government Affairs and Community Relations. The position will cover two main areas of responsibility. First, the Government Affairs Senior Associate will be responsible for advancing EDPR’s and the broader renewable power industry’s interests through favorable policies developed at the state level in a region of several states in the central part of the United States, including Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi. Such policies would expand market and commercial opportunities for wind, solar and battery storage projects, reduce impediments to the development of EDPR projects, and ensure EDPR’s profitability. To develop these policies and prevent the adoption of policies not in EDPR’s interests, the Senior Associate will monitor and engage in state legislative and executive branch activities, which may include assisting in the drafting of legislation, providing testimony before legislative or executive bodies, arranging meetings between key policymakers and EDPR executives, and any other appropriate means. This can include meetings with federal officeholders either in their local district offices or, occasionally, trips to the national capital to meet with federal legislators and officials. Where applicable, the Senior Associate will engage and direct activities of contract lobbyists, working on behalf of EDPR, and will represent EDPR in trade associations to which the company belongs in the region covered by this position, including occupying leadership positions within those associations where possible. The Senior Associate will also be tasked with developing political giving plans for the states for which they are responsible, and this person will promote colleague participation in the company employees’ political action committee. The Senior Associate will develop a solid understanding of EDPR’s business model and will regularly engage with other teams within the company, including development, origination, environmental, operations, transmission, marketing, communications, and any applicable department. The Senior Associate will engage in regularly scheduled meetings and calls with other elements of the company and will provide regular oral and written reports on developments and activities within the states for which they are responsible. The second primary area of responsibility, which could amount to up to 30-40% of total time, is to provide direct support for individual company projects that require approval by local or state governments. As an acknowledged expert in government affairs, the Senior Associate will provide advice and guidance to the development team and others as they navigate local permitting and other approval processes and will monitor local media coverage impacting EDPR interests. The Senior Associate, along with peers in the department, will also help provide training to any colleagues within the company who have reason to interact with public officials, so that they have the tools to ensure those interactions are to EDPR’s benefit. The Senior Associate will also support Community Relations colleagues in such activities as hosting open houses or public meetings around EDPR projects.
