Senior Analyst, Government & Public Affairs

Job Type:Regular

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 Analyst, Government & Public Affairs is responsible for developing and executing stakeholder engagement strategies that support Plains' business objectives, strengthen community relationships, and help maintain the company's social license to operate.

At an enterprise level, this includes coordinating continuous improvement to stakeholder engagement efforts, supporting governance, documentation, reporting and other initiatives. On a targeted level, this role serves as a key business partner to internal stakeholders, helping to anticipate or identify potential stakeholder-related issues, developing tailored engagement plans and coordinating or leading outreach efforts in communities where Plains operates or may pursue future opportunities. The Senior Analyst, Government & Public Affairs engages directly with community leaders, local elected officials, industry organizations, NGOs, educational institutions and other stakeholders while helping ensure engagement activities are coordinated across departments and aligned with the company's values and business priorities.

As a member of the Stakeholder Engagement, Government and Regulatory Affairs team, this role also collaborates across multiple disciplines to support external communications, community investment, reputation management and incident response efforts.

The selected candidate will be eligible for company benefits including Medical, Dental, Vision, Paid Time Off (PTO), and Free Parking.

Job Responsibilities:

Stakeholder Engagement Strategy & Governance

• Coordinate the continuous improvement and implementation of Plains' enterprise stakeholder engagement program and associated governance processes.

• Develop, maintain and improve stakeholder engagement frameworks, tools, guidance materials, reporting processes and best practices.

• Support implementation of company stakeholder engagement practices to meet business and/or regulatory requirements, aligned with safety management system processes.

• Develop stakeholder maps, engagement strategies and relationship plans aligned with business priorities.

• Monitor and evaluate stakeholder engagement outcomes and identify opportunities for continuous improvement.

• Develop executive briefing materials, stakeholder profiles, engagement summaries and performance reports.

Strategic Stakeholder Engagement & Public Affairs

• Works closely with Operations and Commercial leaders to identify engagement needs and develop proactive outreach strategies in support of specific business or community needs or expectations.

• Build and maintain productive relationships with community leaders, local elected officials, industry organizations, educational institutions, nonprofit organizations and other key stakeholders.

• Support community investment, educational outreach and industry awareness initiatives designed to improve understanding of Plains and the energy industry.

• Recommend engagement and communications approaches that proactively address potential concerns and build trust with affected stakeholders.

• Collaborate with the Communications Team on development of communications materials and stakeholder engagement resources that support engagement objectives.

• Represent Plains in local stakeholder meetings, industry forums and community engagement activities as appropriate.

Incident Response & Emergency Management

• Support stakeholder, government and community communications during operational, environmental or reputational incidents.

• Maintain proficiency to support incident Public Information Officer, Liaison Officer and/or Joint Information Center needs through training, exercises and drills.

• May serve as a trained incident strike team member and participate in incident response activities as assigned.

Knowledge and Skills:

• Highest standard of personal ethics and integrity supported by open and honest communication

• Strong understanding of stakeholder engagement principles, reputation management and community relations.

• Exceptional written, verbal and presentation skills, able to frame complex stakeholder issues clearly and provide practical recommendations that support timely decision-making.

• Excellent interpersonal skills, with demonstrated ability to build trusted relationships with internal and external stakeholders at all levels.

• Ability to manage multiple priorities and projects simultaneously in a fast-paced environment.

• Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities.

• Approaches work with a positive and collaborative spirit to build consensus and camaraderie.

• Demonstrates a strong sense of ownership, sound judgment and a proactive approach to identifying and solving problems.

• Develops cross-functional teams when needed to cohesively and strategically address challenges.

• Ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects simultaneously while meeting deadlines and exercising keen attention to detail

• Self-directed, dependable and comfortable exercising judgement to operate in a fast-paced environment and in alignment with the organization’s priorities.

• Comfortable with Word, Excel, PowerPoint and other Microsoft collaboration tools such as Teams or SharePoint.

• Ability to travel (~25%) and work extended or off-hours as needed to deliver priority projects.

Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in communications, Public Affairs, Government, Political Science, Public Relations, Journalism or a related field.

• Minimum four years of experience in stakeholder engagement, public affairs, communications, government relations, community relations or related disciplines.

• Experience supporting infrastructure, energy, industrial, regulatory or community-facing operations or capital projects 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 their employment.

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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 View email address on apply.j-vers.com .

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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