External Affairs Specialist

Organization: American Water Works Company Inc
Location: Alexandria, VA
Date Posted: 09/13/2025

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!

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 $40 to $42 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 Index for 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

The primary role of this position is to provide communications counsel to state management teams and to develop, coordinate, implement and manage external communications activities to support the success of the state business plan and operating objectives. The primary areas of responsibility include media relations, public relations, community relations, corporate social responsibility and local support to government relations activities.

This professional is poised to respond rapidly and tactically to unanticipated events and critical issues such as main breaks and other critical incidents, and is equally focused on providing proactive and strategic communications counsel and advice. This role is focused on anticipating and managing local communications issues and effectively positioning the company with key opinion leaders. The External Affairs Specialist is a critical communications resource maximizing the company’s communications effectiveness, flexibility and responsiveness within the communities we serve.

While not directly responsible for customer communications or internal communication, the External Affairs Specialist is an active and vital component of an integrated communications team operating through a matrix management model that is responsible for functional excellence reaching all audiences with a full array of internal and external communications messages, tactics and activities.

This role is responsible for identifying, developing, nurturing and sustaining strong and enduring relationships with the media not only during unanticipated events but also proactively to leverage media coverage. This function ensures that American Water is aligned with key community groups and organizations so that American Water is well regarded as a “good corporate citizen.” The specialist will ensure that the company is effectively aligned and positioned to develop and sustain key relationships with community leaders, government and regulatory authorities as well as elected and appointed officials. The External Affairs Specialist will report to the Director of Communications and External Affairs, and indirectly to the External Affairs Manager in the State and to the Director of External Affairs at corporate.

Key Accountabilities

Helps to support the strategic communications needs of a state and the state senior management team.
Provides communications counsel and ensures the effective implementation of external affairs and related communications activities.
Assists in the proactive development of communications materials/tactics that produce cost, time and resource efficiencies and consistent messaging.
Ensures wise budget management across the state.
Provides communications advice and recommendations to equip state and local management teams to develop and sustain key relationships with community leaders, the media, elected/appointed officials, regulators and their staff members.
Employs an awareness and knowledge of community resources and contacts; understands the attitudes and concerns of the community and establishes and maintains cooperative and effective relationships.
Assists in implementing communications strategies, tactics and activities to ensure ongoing, consistent and targeted communications before, during and after rate case filings.
Works with the External Affairs Manager to identify and develop opportunities to raise and enhance the company’s reputation as a good corporate citizen.
Assists in implementing comprehensive strategic communications plans including media relations, conference participation, community relations/events, local government relations and sponsorship/memberships.
Assists in developing effective crisis plans and crisis communications materials.
Assists in monitoring internal/external business developments, as well as identifies connections between business activities and industry trends that may pose a threat or benefit to the company’s reputation.

Additional Accountabilities

Works closely with communications managers across functions to ensure materials are anticipated, planned and developed on time.
Provides communications support to business development activities when needed.
Establishes and maintains relationships with key media and educates them on issues of interest to American Water.
Assists in developing and measuring media relations strategies in support of capital investment programs.
Develops talking points, media materials and invitations.
Collaborates with corporate responsibility teams and legal teams to ensure consistency and compliance.
Works collaboratively with internal and corporate communications to ensure integration and alignment of all communications efforts.
Supports the communications needs of the state government relations lead and interfaces with elected officials.

Knowledge/Skills

General knowledge of strategic communications.
Understanding of media and ability to assess reporters’ focus/beats.
Ability to develop and place media materials including press releases, letters to the editor and op-eds.
Confident in arranging editorial boards.
Strong written and verbal communication skills.
Knowledge of community-based organizations and grassroots initiatives.
Understanding of local and state political issues and key players.
Knowledge of Reg FD disclosure requirements.
Ability to handle multiple tasks and meet deadlines.
Proficiency in PowerPoint, Word, Excel and Access databases.
Ability to assist in planning and executing trade shows and client events.

Experience/Education

Bachelor’s degree in journalism, communications, public relations, English, advertising or related field preferred, or equivalent experience.
Three to five years of experience in public relations, media relations, media reporting, marketing and community relations in a fast-paced corporate and/or agency environment.

Writing Sample Requirement

As part of your application for the External Affairs Specialist position, you will be asked to submit a writing sample that demonstrates your ability to communicate effectively in a professional setting. The sample should reflect your experience in one or more of the following areas:

Media or public relations (e.g., press releases, media statements)
Community or stakeholder engagement communications
Crisis or incident response messaging
Strategic communications planning or counsel

The sample should be no more than 2 pages and may be an excerpt from a previous project or a published piece. If you do not have a suitable existing sample, you may submit a brief original piece (e.g., a mock press release or community outreach plan) relevant to the role. All submissions will be treated confidentially.