Head of Public Affairs Spain

About the role

APM Terminals, a global leader in port and terminal operations, is looking for a Head of Public Affairs based in Barcelona, Spain. The role sits at the intersection of trade, infrastructure and geopolitics, supporting strategically important markets and working with local, regional and global leaders across Public Affairs, operations, legal, communications and employee relations.

Key responsibilities

• Develop and execute public affairs and advocacy strategies supporting investments, port concessions, infrastructure priorities and commercial growth.
• Monitor political, regulatory, labour and geopolitical developments and turn them into actionable business insights and issue-management plans.
• Build trusted relationships with national, regional and local governments, port authorities, regulators, industry associations and community stakeholders.
• Advise senior leadership on stakeholder dynamics, policy risks, commercial opportunities and emerging issues affecting the licence to operate.
• Shape positioning on ports as critical infrastructure, covering competitiveness, automation, resilience and decarbonisation.
• Coordinate engagement across Spain and neighbouring priority markets with regional Public Affairs teams.
• Support crisis management, employee relations, community engagement and operational resilience through proactive stakeholder alignment.

Required profile

• 10-15+ years of experience in public affairs, government relations or public policy within a multinational company, consultancy or public institution.
• Strong knowledge of Spain's national and regional political, regulatory, labour and stakeholder environment.
• Proven expertise in advocacy, policy analysis, regulatory strategy and influencing decision-making without formal authority.
• Master's degree in public policy, economics, political science or a related field.
• Fluent English and Spanish; Catalan strongly preferred; Portuguese, French or Arabic an advantage.

What we offer

• A career path in a multinational Global 500 company with daily interaction with colleagues internationally.
• A learning and training culture that supports skill development and career advancement.
• The chance to work on complex investment, regulatory and operational priorities through international collaboration.