Senior Advisor, Government & Public Affairs

Job Type:

Plains is an industry-leading transportation and midstream provider specializing in transportation, storage, processing and marketing solutions for crude oil. We own an extensive network of pipeline transportation, terminalling, storage and gathering assets in key oil producing basins and transportation corridors and at major market hubs in the United States and Canada. The company is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

We’re on the lookout for passionate self‑starters who thrive in fast‑moving, collaborative, and innovative environments.

Job Purpose/Summary:

The Senior Advisor, Strategic Stakeholder Engagement & Public Affairs leads stakeholder strategy for Plains' most complex, sensitive and high-risk U.S. initiatives. The role advises business leaders on stakeholder risks, opportunities and engagement approaches that may materially affect projects, operations, reputation, regulatory outcomes or other business objectives.

This role plans and leads engagement in situations with potential for significant opposition, public scrutiny, competing interests, crises or other complex dynamics. Exercising substantial independent judgment, the Senior Advisor assesses whether, when and how to engage; aligns cross-functional teams; manages execution; and advances enterprise stakeholder engagement capabilities, standards and practices.

Job Responsibilities:

Strategic Stakeholder Risk & Engagement

·    Lead stakeholder strategies for Plains' highest-risk U.S. initiatives, including capital projects, operational issues, incidents, activist campaigns, community conflicts and other reputation-sensitive matters.

·    Advise business leaders on stakeholder risks, opportunities and tradeoffs, including whether to engage, desired outcomes, timing, participants and approach.

·    Assess stakeholder environments; anticipate opposition and emerging issues; and develop practical strategies to build support, mitigate risk or resolve concerns.

·    Direct implementation of engagement plans in complex or contentious settings, adapting strategy as conditions change and evaluating results against business objectives.

·    Represent Plains in high-impact meetings, negotiations, forums and community engagements; may serve as a company spokesperson or designated representative.

·    Lead cross-functional teams to align and execute stakeholder strategy.

·    Influence decisions and build alignment across functions and leadership levels without formal authority, including in situations with competing priorities or limited precedent.

·    Coordinate engagement involving state or federal elected officials and regulators with the Government Affairs colleague responsible for the long-term relationship.

·    Direct consultants, contractors and external resources supporting stakeholder initiatives, as needed.

·    Coach and mentor less experienced employees and strengthen stakeholder engagement capability across the organization.

·    Serve as a senior subject matter expert in stakeholder strategy, stakeholder risk management, public affairs, issues management and community relations.

·    Identify and lead improvements to enterprise frameworks, governance, tools and practices, including Tribal and Indigenous engagement, stakeholder intelligence and risk assessment.

·    Develop executive briefings, stakeholder profiles, risk assessments, engagement plans and outcome evaluations that support timely, informed decisions.

·    Monitor external stakeholder, social and community trends that could affect business objectives and recommend proactive action.

·    Serve as a lead stakeholder advisor during operational, environmental, reputational or community-related incidents and crises.

·    Develop and coordinate stakeholder engagement strategies for rapidly evolving issues requiring heightened external engagement.

·    Maintain readiness to support Public Information Officer, Liaison Officer and/or Joint Information Center activities through training, exercises and drills; may serve on an incident response team.

Knowledge and Skills:

·    Advanced expertise in stakeholder engagement, stakeholder risk management, public affairs, reputation management, issues management and community relations.

·    Demonstrated success leading engagement in contentious, high-profile or high-consequence environments, including interactions with skeptical or hostile stakeholders.

·    Exceptional judgment in assessing whether engagement will create business value, mitigate risk or introduce unnecessary exposure.

·    Strong business acumen and ability to translate complex stakeholder dynamics into clear, practical recommendations.

·    Ability to communicate difficult concepts and highly sensitive information, anticipate objections, negotiate effectively and build consensus at senior levels.

·    Proven ability to lead cross-functional work and influence outcomes without formal authority.

·    Exceptional written, verbal, presentation, facilitation and relationship-management skills.

·    Ability to remain credible and effective in ambiguous, high-pressure or rapidly changing situations.

·    Highest standards of ethics, integrity, professionalism and discretion.

·    Proficiency with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, SharePoint and related collaboration tools.

·    Ability to travel approximately 25% and work extended or off-hours when business needs require.

Experience:

·    Bachelor's degree in Communications, Public Affairs, Government, Political Science, Public Relations, Journalism or a related field; equivalent relevant experience may be considered.

·    Typically 12+ years of progressively responsible experience in stakeholder engagement, public affairs, community relations, government affairs, project development, strategic communications, issues management or a related discipline.

·    Demonstrated experience developing and leading stakeholder strategies simultaneously across multiple jurisdictions involving significant business, operational, reputational, regulatory or community risk.

·    Experience in energy, infrastructure, transportation, industrial, natural resources, utilities or another highly regulated industry preferred.

·    Experience with capital projects, crisis situations, opposition campaigns, complex community concerns and/or Tribal or Indigenous engagement strongly preferred.

·    Cleared criminal history (background) and satisfactory reference checks.

·    Compliance with the Company's drug and alcohol policy, including pre-employment D&A testing.

·    This position is not eligible for employment-based visa sponsorship. Applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S. for the duration of employment.

#Plains

At Plains, our employees are our most valuable asset. Hard work is rewarded with competitive compensation and a top-tier benefits program designed to keep our employees safe, healthy and happy. We work hard to deliver the best results to our stakeholders, and we also respect our employees' need for personal and family time, which is reflected in our benefits program.

We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to providing employment opportunities to all qualified individuals, without regard to age, race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, genetic information, disability, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. Applicants with disabilities can request accessible formats, communication supports, or other accessibility assistance by contacting [email protected].

Salary details estimated by job boards such as Indeed, Glassdoor, and LinkedIn do not represent Plains’ compensation structure. We thank all candidates for their interest; however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted. 

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