Communications Manager – Executive Communications and Media Relations

### Primary Purpose:

Responsible for weaving together articulate and impactful messages for the CEO and executive leadership team. Distill complex ideas into clear, persuasive narratives for communications opportunities such as major announcements, speeches, and public appearances. Responsible for the development and execution of the company’s thought leadership platform.

Provide strategic guidance and leadership in the development and implementation of external communications strategies, policies, plans, and programs to support the strategic goals and business objectives of San Diego Gas & Electric. Anticipate issues that may impact the company and work with different work groups to ensure the company’s communications are coordinated. Oversee the management of a team of senior-level media relations professionals that work on proactive storytelling and high-impact issues and reputation management topics.

### Duties and Responsibilities:

– Oversee and manage the team responsible for proactive storytelling and high-impact issues and reputation management topics. Manage, motivate, mentor, and develop staff to ensure accuracy, timeliness of deliverables, and consistent quality of work product. Provide direction, feedback, and coaching to employees to ensure performance standards, goals, and key performance indicators are met. Foster a collaborative team environment; own all aspects of employee management and engagement for direct reports and matrixed staff, including responsibility for all aspects of performance management, training, and development.

– Drive strategic and multi-dimensional communications and engagement initiatives critical to SDG&E’s business objectives, developing strategy on reputation management. Anticipate issues that may impact the company and work with different work groups to ensure the company’s communications are coordinated.

– Support CEO and executive communications to develop clear and compelling thought leadership strategy and messages that align with the organization’s objectives, ensuring consistency and impact across various communication channels.

– Lead and direct collaboration with other departments to develop/implement successful media relations and executive communications social media strategies for the company.

– Oversee and direct media relations efforts and serve as a corporate media spokesperson with national and local news media, and community, government, industry, and trade organizations.

– Identify, develop, and lead initiatives to improve operational efficiency, the customer experience, process improvement, and maximize areas of operational goal achievement. Develop methods and procedures by implementing process/system improvements and the utilization of key performance indicators and data analytics to make operational decisions.

– Oversee and guide 24-hour media and social media response during emergency/crisis situations. Manage rotating after-hours beeper duty.

– Responsible for directing, planning, preparation, and administration of department budgets, process improvements, and workforce plans.

– Perform other duties as assigned (no more than 5% of duties).

### Hybrid Schedule:

Although the schedule may vary, typically this will allow the employee to work onsite three days per week and remotely on the remaining workdays. Must reside in Southern California or be willing to relocate upon hire.

### Required Qualifications:

– Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism, Communications, Public Relations, or other related field of study or equivalent training and/or experience.
– 8 years experience in corporate, agency, or public-sector public relations.
– 2 years experience leading or directly managing employees including performance management, training, and development.
– Ability to clearly articulate ideas and convey messages across audiences, utilizing formal and informal communication modes such as presentations, written documents, and one-on-one conversations.
– Project management principles knowledge including managing scope, schedule, budget, risks, compliance.
– Demonstrated ability to gather data and information, then analyze and evaluate it to make recommendations.
– Ability to develop and maintain productive working relationships with individuals at various levels within the company, as well as external vendors, agencies, and/or companies.
– Demonstrated understanding of communications channels, production, and distribution.
– Ability to understand different audiences, their needs, and potential reactions to communications strategies, and corporate intranets.
– Ability to build stakeholder relationships and drive cross-functional workflows and communication to achieve efficient and effective crisis resolution.
– Knowledge of the Energy Industry and able to maneuver through the regulatory communications process.
– Strategic expertise in handling crisis communications and significant media relations issues.
– Travel is required within the service territory to various company locations in addition to potential travel outside of the territory to attend meetings, training, and conferences.
– Required to work outside normal business hours during emergency situations such as Emergency Operations Center (EOC) activations.

### Preferred Qualifications:

– 2 years experience as a media spokesperson, on-the-record.
– 1 year experience with executive communications.
– Bilingual in Spanish.

[Submit application to San Diego Gas & Electric via this link.]