Lead Communications Manager

St. Petersburg, FL, USA
Posted on  

Job Description

More than a career - a chance to make a difference in people's lives.
Build an exciting, rewarding career with us – help us make a difference for millions of people every day. Consider joining the Duke Energy team, where you'll find a friendly work environment, opportunities for growth and development, recognition for your work, and competitive pay and benefits.
Job Summary
This position supports the efforts of Duke Energy’s External Affairs/Communications (EAC), Florida State President’s Organization, and the Duke Energy Foundation. It assists with the implementation of policies and programs designed to enhance the company's reputation, engage employees/external stakeholders, and support the company's corporate/regional, legislative and regulatory priorities. This is an external-facing position which requires representing the company at key events, in addition to the being responsible for developing and maintaining strategically-important internal and external relationships. Bilingual in Spanish is desired.
The Lead Communications Manager is responsible for:
  • Supporting executive leadership in the development, implementation, monitoring and execution of integrated public affairs plans for Duke Energy Florida. This position is embedded within the Florida State President’s Organization and works closely to support the priorities of the State President’s leadership team;
  • Planning, building and executing on integrated external affairs plans to support key business priorities for the Florida State President’s Organization;
  • Supporting the Florida State President’s Organization, specifically Corporate Communications, Community Relations, Regulatory Policy and Government Affairs in aligning the enterprise’s top regulatory/legislative priorities with jurisdiction-specific business priorities;
  • Execution of these functions requires a general understanding of state/federal regulatory and legislative initiatives, and how Duke Energy's business, regulatory and legislative objectives may be impacted;
  • Providing strategic guidance and/or management of relationships with external decisionmakers at the state and regional levels, such as trade associations, advocacy and non-profit organizations;
  • Building and maintaining positive, collaborative relationships with key internal stakeholders (e.g. State Presidents and staff, Government and Community Relations, State/Federal Government Affairs, Stakeholder Engagement, Legal, Operational Leaders) to identify, manage and resolve business, policy and regulatory matters to amenable conclusions;
  • Demonstrates excellent interpersonal skills to work efficiently and effectively with teammates, management and all levels of the organization.
  • Develops relationships to serve as a trusted advisor to the company’s subject matter experts, management and teammates.
  • Contributing to the enhancement of the company's image, brand and reputation across the company’s service territories, as well as at a national level, through appropriate engagement and investment of corporate resources;
  • Support strategies that identify, educate and engage key decisionmakers on a wide-range of company issues, goals and objectives to positively influence business outcomes, build advocacy, and support the company's long term strategies;
  • Representing the company and positioning appropriate representation, as needed, in public hearings, community events, stakeholder organizations, advocacy and educational forums;
  • Building advocacy through membership and representation in state and regional organizations important to the company's strategy;
  • Serves as part of the company’s crisis communications team and must work during events. Also participates in on-call media/emergency duty rotation.
  • Required to do field work during storms.
Responsibilities
  • Advocacy Engagement: Provide support in the relevant State President’s Organization as extension of their team and in the commercial business unit as needed, prioritizing the relevant jurisdiction. Provide key interface in that role to internal resources addressing public affairs/advocacy issues within the jurisdiction. Build and maintain positive working relationships with external stakeholders such as environmental advocacy organizations, non-profit organizations, community groups, national/regional advocacy groups, educational institutions and customer organizations.. Develop and facilitate stakeholder interactions in concert with Federal Affairs and broader External Affairs/Communications (EAC) organization, at the direction of the relevant State President’s Organization.
  • Public Affairs Strategy: Collaborate with Florida State President’s Organization, Federal Affairs, External Affairs/Communications (EAC) and other relevant internal business units to develop engagement plans with national, state and local decisionmakers. Responsible for developing action plans to support sustainability, regulatory and business initiatives at the state/regional/national level. Strategically align and position Duke Energy brand through appropriate exposure nationally and regionally, including the Duke Energy Foundation. Work collaboratively with federal and state Regulatory, Legislative and Policy Directors to shape positive outcomes. Align strategy with jurisdictional regulatory and legislative objectives. Lead on relevant State President’s Executive Positioning Plan, in addition to managing the philanthropic strategy for the region (in concert with Duke Energy Foundation team member(s) who reports to this position).
  • Communications: Provide two-way dialogue and business intelligence for key leaders, along and in coordination with Federal Affairs, peers and other relevant groups. Support appropriate tools/mechanisms to assure that internal business units receive timely information regarding stakeholder positions and inquiries. Communicate regularly and effectively with internal and external partners. Foster strong relationships through open and frequent dialogue. Educate key decisionmakers on current and emerging issues affecting communities, customers and our company in an effort to build advocacy and understanding, and enhance reputation as a transparent, ethical, sustainable company.
  • Representing the Company: Advocate for the company and ensure appropriate representation, as needed with external agencies and organizations on energy, environmental and sustainability issues. Represent Duke Energy in strategic industry/advocacy/intergovernmental organizations to enhance business relationships, gain business intelligence, and enhance reputation as an industry leader.
Basic/Required Qualifications:
  • Bachelor's degree in Communications, Journalism, Public Relations or other related degree
  • In addition to bachelor's degree, eight (8) years minimum of related work experience
  • In lieu of bachelor's degree AND eight (8) years minimum of related work experience listed above, high school diploma/GED AND twelve (12) years minimum of related work experience
Desired Qualifications
  • Bilingual in Spanish
  • Media relations experience, including strategy and message development, and serving as a company spokesperson
  • Previous leadership and deep state/federal relationships in an external stakeholder organization.
  • Demonstrated ability to build strategic relationships and communicate effectively with internal and external stakeholders.
  • 7-10 years related experience in stakeholder management, public affairs, policy or environmental field.
  • In addition to extensive state/federal knowledge, working knowledge of the jurisdictional operations in FL.
  • Working knowledge of the company's business objectives, strategies, products and services.
  • Exhibits a high level of critical and strategic thinking.
  • Ability to effectively manage multiple projects and initiatives simultaneously.
  • Experience effectively leading a cross-functional team.
  • Demonstrated interpersonal skills with a high degree of self-awareness.
  • Possesses excellent writing skills and ability to develop clear and concise written communications.
  • Demonstrated ability to maintain composure and clarity of purpose in stressful situations.
  • Demonstrated ability to resolve high impact, complex and/or cross-functional problems.
Working conditions
  • M - F & as needed based on responsibilities of the role
  • Most of the work will be performed onsite or in the field, and on occasion remote
  • Hybrid mobility classification - work will be performed from both remote and onsite locations after the onboarding period. However, hybrid employees should live within a reasonable commute to a Duke Energy facility.
#LI-AB1
Travel Requirements
25-50%
Relocation Assistance Provided (as applicable)
No
Represented/Union Position
No
Visa Sponsored Position
No
Posting Expiration Date
Monday, April 8, 2024
All job postings expire at 12:01 AM on the posting expiration date.
Please note that in order to be considered for this position, you must possess all of the basic/required qualifications.
Privacy
Do Not Sell My Personal Information (CA)
Terms of Use
Accessibility

Recommended Jobs

Similar Jobs