Associate, External Affairs

The Company

NorthMark Compute & Cloud (NMC²) is backed by dedicated leadership and investment, with a clear mission as it operates at the bleeding edge of technology. Its goal is to scale and enhance the high-performance computing (HPC) and cloud infrastructure that supports its clients' research, production, and delivery, enabling breakthroughs that shape the industries of tomorrow. Its engineers build critical infrastructure to eliminate friction in scientific research, simulations, analysis, and decision-making, accelerating discovery and driving faster innovation.

The Position

We are seeking an Associate, External Affairs to provide coordination and execution support for NMC²'s External Affairs team in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Reporting to the Director of External Affairs, this role supports both the Director and the Community Relations Manager — keeping the team's communications, events, and day-to-day operations organized and running smoothly.

This role sits at the coordination layer of the team: drafting communications materials and FAQs, coordinating event logistics, tracking stakeholder activity, and providing general support so the Director and Manager can stay focused on strategy and relationship-building. The ideal candidate is highly organized, a polished and confident writer, and comfortable moving across a range of tasks in a fast-paced, community-facing environment, with room to grow into greater ownership as the team scales.

Responsibilities

Communications Support

• Draft and maintain FAQs, talking points, and messaging documents to support the Director and Manager in community and stakeholder communications
• Manage the development of external-facing content, including social media, newsletters, and website updates
• Preparing briefing materials, presentations, and reports for internal and external audiences
• Responsible for translating technical or operational updates into clear, accessible language for community-facing materials

Event Coordination & Logistics

• Responsible for logistics for community events, sponsorship activations, and stakeholder meetings, including venue, vendor, and materials coordination
• Responsible for event logistics and execution on-site, including signage, attendance tracking, and post-event follow-up
• Maintain and update the team's master calendar of events, deadlines, and commitments
• Coordinate scheduling and logistics for the Director's and Manager's community and stakeholder engagements
• Serve as a company representative at community events and engagements as needed

Team & Administrative Support

• Maintain stakeholder inquiries, concerns, and requests, and support triage and routing to the Director and Manager as appropriate
• Provide day-to-day coordination support across the External Affairs team's priorities and workstreams
• Maintain organized records of communications materials, event history, and team documentation
• Manage the external affairs partner tracking system and monitor potential new relationships
• Assist with ad hoc research, drafting, and logistics requests from the Director and Manager
• Manage External Affairs relationships and partnerships, including maintaining ongoing engagement with existing partners and identifying new opportunities to expand the company’s community and stakeholder network

Requirements

• 2-4 years of experience in external affairs, communications, public affairs, community relations, or a related coordination role
• Bachelor's degree in communications, public relations, business, public affairs, or a related field preferred
• Excellent, polished writing skills, with demonstrated experience drafting FAQs, talking points, or external-facing communications; writing sample or portfolio may be requested
• Experience coordinating events or logistics in a professional setting
• Highly organized, detail-oriented, and comfortable managing multiple workstreams and deadlines simultaneously
• Ability to operate as a flexible, hands-on contributor supporting multiple team members and priorities, with a polished and professional presence
• Comfortable with public/event visibility as a representative of the company
• Familiarity with CRM or stakeholder-tracking tools, grant management or corporate philanthropy software, and content/social media scheduling platforms is a plus
• Experience in HPC, data center, energy, or infrastructure environments is a plus

It is impossible to list every requirement for, or responsibility of, any position.  Similarly, we cannot identify all the skills a position may require since job responsibilities and the Company’s needs may change over time.  Therefore, the above job description is not comprehensive or exhaustive.  The Company reserves the right to adjust, add to or eliminate any aspect of the above description.  The Company also retains the right to require all employees to undertake additional or different job responsibilities when necessary to meet business needs.

Must be legally authorized to work in the United States without the need for employer sponsorship, now or at any time in the future.

Benefits & Perks:

• Company-Paid Lunch Stipend: Lunch is provided via GrubHub

• Company-Paid Benefits: 100% Employer-Paid Medical in our High Deductible Health Plan, Dental and Vision benefits for employees and their families, 16 weeks of Paid Parental Leave, Employee Assistance Program, Life insurance, Short-Term Disability and Long-Term Disability

• 401(k): Company will match 100% of your contributions up to 6%

• Optional Employee-Paid Benefits: Medical insurance in our PPO plan and a variety of other benefits such as Health Savings Accounts (with Company Contribution!), Flexible Spending Accounts, Supplemental Life Insurance, Wellhub and more.

• Time Off:  25 days of Paid Time Off plus 12 company holidays

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

NORTHMARK STRATEGIES LLC IS AN EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER. THE COMPANY'S POLICY IS NOT TO DISCRIMINATE AGAINST ANY APPLICANT OR EMPLOYEE BASED ON RACE, COLOR, RELIGION, NATIONAL ORIGIN, GENDER, AGE, SEXUAL ORIENTATION, GENDER IDENTITY OR EXPRESSION, MARITAL STATUS, MENTAL OR PHYSICAL DISABILITY, AND GENETIC INFORMATION, OR ANY OTHER BASIS PROTECTED BY APPLICABLE LAW. THE FIRM ALSO PROHIBITS HARASSMENT OF APPLICANTS OR EMPLOYEES BASED ON ANY OF THESE PROTECTED CATEGORIES.