Sr Mgr, External Communications at Pennsylvania American Water in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania

Job Description:

Share Our Purpose. Be Yourself. Feel Valued.

People are the heart of our business. As an American Water employee, you will be offered a competitive salary and health benefits package, along with opportunities to develop, grow, and evolve your career. Our benefits packages focus on key areas such as health & wellness, emotional & well-being, and savings for current & future goals.

We are Beautifully Different . We strongly believe having diversity across our company makes us more successful and helps us provide essential services to our customers. We are stronger because we embrace different ideas, viewpoints, experiences, and backgrounds. American Water is the best choice for your next role! Click here for more information on our inclusion, diversity, and equity journey.

About American Water
American Water (NYSE: AWK) is the largest regulated water and wastewater utility company in the United States. With a history dating back to 1886, We Keep Life Flowing® by providing safe, clean, reliable and affordable drinking water and wastewater services to more than 14 million people across 14 regulated jurisdictions and 18 military installations. American Water's 6,500 talented professionals leverage their significant expertise and the company's national size and scale to achieve excellent outcomes for the benefit of customers, employees, investors and other stakeholders.

As one of the fastest growing utilities in the U.S., American Water expects to invest $30 to $34 billion in infrastructure repairs and replacement, system resiliency and regulated acquisitions over the next 10 years. The company has a long-standing history of executing its core operations, aligned with sustainable best practices, through its commitments to safety, affordability, customer service, protecting the environment, an inclusive workforce and strengthening communities.

American Water has been recognized on the 2023 Bloomberg Gender-Equality Indexfor the fifth consecutive year, ranked 18th on Barron's 100 Most Sustainable U.S. Companies 2023 List, earned the U.S. Department of Homeland Security SAFETY Act designation and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's WaterSense® Excellence Award, among additional state, local and national recognitions.

For more information, visit amwater.com and join American Water on LinkedIn , Facebook , Twitter and Instagram .

Primary Role

Responsible for providing proactive and strategic communications counsel to the leadership team. Responsible for statewide customer communications and providing statewide strategic support of media relations, public relations, external affairs, community relations, business development, internal communications, corporate responsibility, government affairs, and issue management. Drive the state's strategy and execution of goals supporting customer communications, customer satisfaction, Inclusion, Diversity & Equity, and all external communications and education/marketing efforts.

Key Accountabilities

• Provides executive level strategic communications counsel to the senior leadership team to effectively address and manage all communications- related issues, challenges, and opportunities. Provides communication counsel, strategic recommendations, implementation oversight, and management in support of the business plan. Ensures all division and state communications issues are anticipated, planned for and materials developed on a timely basis to meet the needs of Pennsylvania.


• Provides proactive and strategic communications campaigns, materials, tools and tactics to the Government & External Affairs team supporting the areas of external affairs, media relations, community relations, customer communications, local government relations, internal communications, corporate social responsibility, and call center communications management.


• Develops, leads, and directs issue management strategies and oversees the execution of all communications activities to reduce, mitigate or fully eliminate reputational damage arising from controversial and/or potentially damaging issues. Leads, directs, manages, and assesses media relations activities, customer communications activities, internal communications activities and all other related outreach activities and ensures the overall effectiveness of these strategies. Sets metrics for accomplishment and tracks and reports results on a regular basis to divisional leaders.


• Participates as an integral part of the Corporate Communications and External Affairs team. Works to represent the needs of Pennsylvania, while recognizing the strategic imperative to develop communication programs and plans that are aligned and integrated between corporate and the states. Works with the leadership team to assess and manage resource deployment ensuring accountability and accomplishment of strategies.


• Provides counsel on and ensures the creation and implementation of strategic external communications comprised of robust written and dynamic digital communication content for external audiences. Works with the state president and team to effectively communicate with key stakeholders.


• Monitors and measures communication plan outcomes and drives for continuous improvement in customer and overall stakeholder (legislative/regulatory/media) engagement.


• As a master of creative content development with a strong visual sense, will propose creative and innovative communications tactics. In addition to written communication, will help produce videos and digital media assets as part of an overall external communications strategy.


• Engage with a variety of external stakeholders to build strategic relationships and coalitions to support the company's advocacy and communications initiatives. Actively participates in suitable business, industry, civic and community organizations. Supports the state's involvement in external organizations as appropriate.


• Partners with Internal Communications and Customer Communications colleagues to maintain strategic integration of messaging and regularly communicate and discuss projects best practices with client groups. Partner with Customer Experience and other cross-functional teams to build strategic external/internal communication plans to promote enterprise-wide projects and programs.


• Provide communications support for business development activities.

Knowledge/Skills

• Knowledge of strategic communications.


• Extensive experience in developing, implementing, monitoring, and measuring integrated communications strategies, programs, and campaigns. Demonstrated comprehensive understanding of the company's business strategy and financial performance and the ability to deploy communications resources to support the accomplishment of divisional and state business plans.


• Detailed knowledge, experience, and comprehensive understanding of regulatory issues.


• Demonstrated experience working at the highest level of an organization and providing strategic communications counsel.


• Knowledge and understanding of the media.


• Strong digital communication and technology skills. Must expertly leverage the holistic customer and overall stakeholder (legislative/regulatory/media) digital experience.


• Excellent written and oral communication skills to distill complex information into easy-to-understand content.


• Must work with agile mindset to meet tight deadlines while maintaining attention to detail.


• Able to delegate tasks effectively by setting tasks and timelines and providing guidance as needed.


• Is experienced and adept at reviewing and providing thoughtful feedback for both copy and graphic design and layout.


• High confidence and enthusiasm when working with new technologies and new ideas; ability to manage through influence, and build strong, trusting relationships.


• Must be able to multitask and prioritize responsibilities to meet deadlines and demand.

Experience/Education

• Bachelor's degree in public administration, government, journalism, communications, public relations, public policy, or related field preferred.


• Minimum of 7 years' experience comprehensive senior and executive level communications experience developing, implementing, and managing integrated marketing and strategic communications campaigns that include public relations, media relations, community relations, marketing, advertising, community relations, issues management and corporate responsibility activities in a corporate and/or agency environment.


• Demonstrated knowledge and experience successfully working within a regulatory environment preferred.


• Senior level responsibilities preferred in external affairs, or a communications role. Outstanding, proven written and oral communication skills.


• Direct, hands-on experience in multimedia communication such as video production, graphics, photography, social media platforms.


• Experience with local media.

Travel Requirements

• Ability to travel up to 30%.

Work Environment

• Indoor office environment.


• This position can sit in any PAAW location.


• Hybrid working schedule-3 days in office, 2 remote per week.

Competencies

Champions safety

Customer obsessed

Cultivates innovation

Nimble learning

Drives Results

Collaborates

Join American Water... We Keep Life Flowing ™

American Water is firmly committed to Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and prohibits employment discrimination for employees and applicants based on his or her age, race, color, pregnancy, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, marital status, citizenship, or because they are an individual with a disability, protected veteran or other status protected by federal, state, and local laws.