Manager - CRG

Position Title: Manager/Senior Manager – Corporate Relations & Government Affairs (Maharashtra)

Function: Corporate Relations & Governance (CRG)

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Senior Manager – Corporate Relations & Government Affairs (Maharashtra) will be a key field-facing member of Essar Capital's CRG function, responsible for building and maintaining the institutional relationships that enable the Group's business interests across the state. The incumbent will lead engagement with Government ministries, regulatory authorities, district administration, and statutory bodies — securing approvals, clearances, and NOCs across Essar's diverse sectoral portfolio in Maharashtra — while simultaneously managing land-related liaison, stakeholder relationships, and ground-level coordination to support project development and investment objectives.

This is a relationship-intensive, outcome-driven role. The right individual will combine deep knowledge of Maharashtra's administrative and regulatory landscape with the credibility, networks, and temperament to engage effectively at all levels of government — from district collectors to secretariat officials — on behalf of a large, multi-sector conglomerate.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Government Relations & Clearances

• Lead the identification, tracking, and active pursuit of all statutory approvals, clearances, NOCs, and licences required across Essar Capital's project and investment portfolio in Maharashtra — spanning Central, State, and Local Government authorities.
• Build and maintain productive working relationships with key government offices — including relevant Ministries (Revenue, Industries, Environment, Urban Development, Forest, Energy, Ports, and Infrastructure), the Mantralaya, Collector's offices, MIDC, MPCB, MMRDA, CIDCO, SLBC, and other statutory bodies as relevant.
• Monitor the status of pending approvals and clearances, proactively following up at appropriate levels to ensure timely progress without creating friction.
• Prepare and present representations, applications, and policy submissions to government authorities — ensuring accuracy, completeness, and strategic framing aligned with Essar's business objectives.
• Track Maharashtra state policy developments, budget announcements, and regulatory changes with relevance to Essar's sectors — providing timely intelligence to senior leadership and the CRG Head.

Land Liaison & Acquisition Support

• Liaise with Revenue and District Administration officials for land-related matters — including NA conversions, land acquisition proceedings, mutation entries, encumbrance certificates, and forest/government land diversion requests.
• Coordinate with internal Legal and Project teams, as well as external consultants, to ensure land documentation and regulatory filings are complete, accurate, and progressing on schedule.
• Manage relationships with village-level and taluka-level stakeholders — including Gram Panchayats, local elected representatives, and community influencers — to facilitate smooth land processes and community acceptance for project sites.
• Track and maintain a status register of all land parcels, approvals, and documentation across active projects in Maharashtra.

Stakeholder Relationship Management

• Build and nurture a network of relationships across the Maharashtra political, bureaucratic, and regulatory ecosystem — at both state and district levels — that supports Essar's ability to operate and grow in the region.
• Identify and engage with key influencers, industry bodies, trade associations, and think tanks relevant to Essar's interests in Maharashtra — including CII, FICCI, ASSOCHAM regional chapters, and sectoral industry groups.
• Represent Essar Capital at government forums, industry events, and state investment summits as required — ensuring the Group maintains a credible and visible presence in policy conversations in Maharashtra.
• Manage the protocol and logistics for senior leadership and promoter-level meetings with Government officials — including briefings, pre-meeting preparation, and post-meeting follow-through.

Regulatory Intelligence & Reporting

• Maintain a comprehensive tracker of all regulatory touchpoints, pending clearances, and stakeholder engagement activity across Maharashtra — updated regularly for review by the CRG Head and senior leadership.
• Provide structured, actionable intelligence on emerging regulatory risks, policy shifts, or political developments that could affect Essar's projects or interests in the state.
• Coordinate with counterparts across other geographies within the CRG function to ensure consistency of approach and sharing of best practices.

Qualifications

• Graduate degree — mandatory. Law, Public Policy, Political Science, Social Work, or Civil Engineering backgrounds are particularly well-suited to the nature of this role.
• Post-graduate qualification (MBA, LLB, MPP, or equivalent) is preferred but not mandatory.

Experience

• 7–10 years of experience in government relations, corporate affairs, regulatory liaison, or land acquisition — with a significant portion of this in Maharashtra-specific roles.
• Demonstrated track record of independently obtaining government clearances, statutory approvals, or land-related permissions in Maharashtra — with verifiable outcomes.
• Prior experience working for a large conglomerate, infrastructure developer, real estate company, energy firm, or industrial group with an active presence in Maharashtra is strongly preferred.
• Familiarity with Maharashtra's administrative hierarchy — from Mantralaya to the district and taluka level — is essential.
• Exposure to MIDC, MPCB, MahaRERA, MMRDA, CIDCO, SRA, or other Maharashtra-specific regulatory bodies is a strong advantage.

Competencies

• Deep, active network across Maharashtra's government and regulatory ecosystem — relationships that translate into access and outcomes, not just familiarity.
• High emotional intelligence and interpersonal credibility — able to engage with equal effectiveness at the Secretariat level and at the village level.
• Sound understanding of Maharashtra's land laws, revenue codes, and planning regulations — Development Control Regulations, Land Revenue Code, Forest Conservation Act, Environment Protection Act, and related frameworks.
• Structured and proactive — able to manage multiple open clearance processes simultaneously without losing track of status, timelines, or next actions.
• Discretion and judgement — this role involves sensitive stakeholder interactions and confidential business information; absolute professional integrity is essential.
• Strong written communication — ability to draft clear, well-structured representations, applications, and briefing notes for government and senior internal stakeholders.