Amazon Seeks Senior Community Affairs Manager in Latest Job Posting

EAGLE PHOTO BY JONATHAN SPERLING.

By David Brand

The full court P.R. press is on, but Amazon still needs a coach.

The online retail giant and vast data repository is looking for a “Senior Manager, Community Affairs,” according to a listing on the job search website Daybook.

The manager will build on Amazon’s existing public relations campaign, which has included spending millions of dollars on flyers to residents of Western Queens and pledges to promote tech education and fund computer classes in schools throughout New York City.

According to the listing, the community affairs manager “is responsible for managing community affairs and policy communications for Amazon in New York City with a focus on developing a positive partnership with local stakeholders, community groups and nonprofits.”

The “successful candidate” will be the primary contact person for a “range of external stakeholders seeking information or opportunities to work with Amazon on its local investment.”

Those “external stakeholders” include angry local lawmakers and community organizations that have condemned the state and city tax incentives included in the deal, highlighted rising housing prices and the potential for displacement and scorned Amazon’s corporate practices — such as promoting face recognition technology to Immigrations and Customs Enforcement and shunning organized labor.

The manager will also work “closely with teams across the company, including senior leadership, global real estate, human resources, corporate affairs, corporate social responsibility and several fast growing business within Amazon to support the company’s regional investment,” the job listing says.

In December, Empire State Development, the public-benefit corporation shepherding the Amazon project, posted a job listing for a “community liaison” on the website Indeed.com.

According to the job listing, the “basic function” of the role is to “manage community relations and outreach for Amazon LIC project.”

That job required a college degree and “community relations, coalition-building, multi-tasking [and] good organization” skills and a “working knowledge of the Long Island City community. Fluency in Spanish a plus.”