SA - Head of Corporate Affairs

Company Overview:

Mainstream is a global developer of utility-scale wind and solar assets operating across Europe, the Americas, Asia and Africa.  Our core business is to develop, build and operate renewable energy plants thereby helping to build a sustainable future – globally and locally.

Mainstream Renewable Power South Africa has been awarded a total of 2.1 gigawatts of wind and solar projects under the Government’s renewable energy procurement programme since the first round in 2011.

In Chile, Mainstream owns 1.3GW of fully contracted wind and solar projects in operation, in construction or at late-stage development, due to its unprecedented success in government auctions. In Asia, the company is developing large-scale projects in Vietnam and the Philippines.

In 2021, Mainstream completed a process to find an equity partner to help finance the development and construction of its wind and solar asset pipeline. Our partnership with Aker Horizons enables the Company to strive towards our ambitious targets of securing 5.5 GWs of renewable assets to FC and be IPO ready by 2023. In 2022, an equity partnership with Mitsui strengthened our position and continued our growth trajectory across the world.

Mainstream has raised more than €3.0bn in project finance to date and employs over 500 staff across 11 countries.

For more information, please visit https://www.mainstreamrp.com/

Summary of Role:

Mainstream Renewable Power South Africa is looking to hire a Head of Corporate Affairs to  develop and manage internal and external communications, stakeholder management and the company’s reputation in South Africa, and in other relevant regional markets.

The permanent role will be responsible for creating and delivering external engagement for the company with a range of stakeholders including government and regulators, industry peers, opinion formers and the wider public in addition to managing the company’s external and internal communications and brand management.

The role will also be a senior member of the company’s global corporate affairs team.

The company already employs an External Relations Manager, who will report to the Head of Corporate Affairs. We anticipate the Head of Corporate Affairs will want to hire a Communications Manager to complete the team, unless the candidate has strong comms experience.

What You Will Do:

A key feature of this role will be collaboration, both internally and externally. You will be responsible for proactively developing and managing relationships with external stakeholder organisations and individuals.

• Drive the strategy for external engagement on behalf of the SA business, targeting government and other external stakeholders
• Engage with regulators, politicians, media and industry peers on all established and upcoming regulatory developments in our sector within SA and other markets in Africa as needed
• Represent the company at external engagements, and prepare other colleagues for relevant external engagement, including media and industry events
• Provide proactive and reactive PR and media relations support, alongside colleagues, to establish regular coverage media
• Engage with the group Corporate Affairs team to report on and manage political and reputational risk
• Seek out opportunities to deliver thought leadership and industry advocacy in support of renewable energy and climate change mitigation across our markets
• Oversee and develop a team specialising in external relations and communications
• Provide support to the ED and SED team in developing their community relations strategy, advising the ED team and Project Managers on stakeholder relations and community initiatives for their projects
• Internal collaboration and the ability to work cross-functionally with all departments will be required

What We Require:

• Completed, relevant degree
• 8+ years working in public affairs, stakeholder engagement, regulatory affairs and communications within a regulated industry, with individuals and organisations at board/government level to build relationships. This will include engaging government, regulators and policy influencers
• Your project management skills have been well honed through your career and in addition to your superb written and verbal communication skills you are a self-starter, highly organised, able to turn complex concepts into clear, simple and structured messages and able to present to internal and external audiences with knowledge, confidence and passion
• Fluency in spoken and written English is mandatory, any other official South African languages would be advantageous

Why you really should click that button 👇

We offer you the opportunity to work in a dynamic and entrepreneurial organisation, to be part of a diverse workplace with regards to gender, age and cultural background in the most exciting industry in the world today. You will receive a very competitive total benefits package including an excellent base salary, bonus scheme and share options.

Career development

• Excellent training (an average 54 hours a year)
• Secondment and relocation opportunities
• Career progression (16% promotions across the Group in 2021)

Shared financial success

• A competitive, industry benchmarked and cost-of-living linked salary, reviewed annually
• Annual bonus
• Share options
• Salary contribution to your pension fund

Work/life balance

• WFH in a hybrid working arrangement
• Generous annual leave, plus a community or charity work day each year
• Paid maternity, paternity, adoptive and bereavement leave
• Allowance for WFH set up

True diversity & inclusion

• Equal opportunity targets
• GWEC Women in Wind and Mainstream Women in Renewables programmes
• You can be you, whatever your gender, colour or sexual orientation

Care for health & wellbeing

• Generous health insurance subsidy
• Income protection insurance
• Life cover
• Free Employee Assistance Program

These are just some of the reasons why we are officially certified as a Great Place to Work.

Apply for this job now and see how we can energise your career!