Director, Community Engagement

Soluna is on a mission to solve one of renewable energy's biggest challenges: wasted power. Our data centers convert excess solar, hydro, and wind energy into productive computational work , such as Bitcoin mining, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. By co-locating with renewable power sources, we bring demand directly to the source, helping power plants increase revenue while contributing more megawatts to the grid.

We are looking for a Director, Community Engagement to join our world-class team.

Soluna's growing footprint of data center campuses means we are showing up as a new neighbor in more communities every year. In every market we enter, we bring a compelling story: our facilities act as flexible, dispatchable load that helps grid operators like ERCOT solve for curtailment, integrate more renewable energy, and keep the grid stable - all while creating local jobs and economic opportunity. We're looking for a Director, Community Engagement to own how we tell that story and build trust, credibility, and lasting relationships everywhere we operate.

This role will set the strategy, standards, and programs for community engagement across all Soluna projects, while building and managing the local relationships, partnerships, and on-the-ground presence that make each site successful. You'll be based in Texas, with regular travel to all Soluna sites as our portfolio grows.

Successful candidates understand both the promise and the scrutiny that large-scale industrial development brings to the communities where it lands. You will be proactive, visible, and deeply credible - a community-first advocate who can confidently represent Soluna's mission of solving grid constraints, reducing curtailment, and bringing new investment and jobs to the communities we call home, and who can build a scalable playbook that travels well from site to site.

What You'll Do

Community Engagement Strategy & Leadership

• Own the company-wide community engagement strategy, establishing consistent standards, programs, and playbooks that can be applied across all current and future Soluna sites
• Serve as Soluna's primary relationship owner for residents, local government, civic organizations, school districts, workforce partners, and media at each site
• Build and lead the community engagement function from the ground up at new sites as Soluna's portfolio expands, adapting the playbook to each local context
• Travel regularly to Soluna project sites to maintain in-person relationships, represent the company at key moments, and support local teams

Stakeholder Relations & Government Affairs

• Serve as the day-to-day point of contact for local elected officials, county commissioners, school boards, and municipal leaders across Soluna's markets
• Represent Soluna at public hearings, town halls, community forums, and regulatory proceedings
• Proactively identify and address community concerns related to site operations, noise, traffic, water use, workforce, and grid impacts
• Support leadership on permitting, land use, and ERCOT-related community communications as new and existing Soluna projects advance

Community Programs & Partnerships

• Design and manage Soluna's local investment strategy including workforce development, education sponsorships, economic development partnerships, and civic initiatives at each site
• Build and maintain partnerships with workforce development organizations, community colleges, and trade programs to create local hiring pipelines
• Identify and steward charitable giving, sponsorship, and volunteer opportunities that align with Soluna's mission and build goodwill across our communities
• Coordinate Soluna's presence at events, fairs, and civic gatherings in each market

Communications & External Affairs

• Develop and execute local communications strategies including community newsletters, social media presence, and site-level fact sheets
• Serve as a spokesperson for Soluna's projects with local and regional media; field press inquiries in coordination with the Marketing team
• Translate technical and operational details (renewable energy, ERCOT interconnection, grid curtailment, mining operations) into plain-language narratives that help general audiences understand how Soluna's flexible load helps solve grid constraints
• Coordinate with the Marketing team on external storytelling, press releases, and community-facing content

Internal Coordination

• Act as the internal voice of the community at Soluna surfacing feedback, flagging concerns, and informing site operations, People, and leadership of relevant local dynamics
• Partner with Site Operations, People, and Legal teams on local hiring, safety communications, and honoring the company's community commitments
• Maintain a stakeholder map and engagement log across all sites; track sentiment and report on community KPIs to leadership quarterly

What You Bring

Required

• Experience in sales, marketing, research, community relations, government affairs, public affairs, economic development, or a closely related field
• Demonstrated track record managing stakeholder relationships in the context of large-scale industrial, energy, or infrastructure projects
• Experience working directly with elected officials, county or municipal government bodies, or regulatory agencies
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills; confident public speaker
• Spanish language proficiency (spoken and written), as the role requires regular spoken and written communication with Spanish-speaking stakeholders
• Ability to be based in Texas and travel regularly, both within South Texas and to other Soluna project sites as needed
• Bachelor's degree in communications, public affairs, political science, environmental studies, or a related field; equivalent experience considered

Preferred

• Prior experience with data center, energy, utility, or mining/extraction industries - particularly in rural communities
• Familiarity with ERCOT, Texas grid policy, and the renewable energy landscape
• Existing relationships in the Texas communities where Soluna operates
• Experience building or scaling a community engagement function across multiple sites or regions
• Experience managing community investment programs, local giving portfolios, or workforce partnerships

Why join Soluna?

We are a diverse, driven team of entrepreneurs, energy experts, private equity leaders, storytellers and engineers. We are passionate about making the world greener and we have conviction about how we will bring change on a global scale.

We are equally as zealous about championing our teams, relentless about developing our people, and believe strongly that Soluna's goals and commitment to our mission are strengthened by our employee's voices.