Chief Communications Officer

New Braunfels Utilities•New Braunfels, TX

9d•$195,470 - $254,111

About The Position

The Chief Communications Officer (CCO) at New Braunfels Utilities (NBU) provides executive leadership and strategic direction for Enterprise Communications and External Relations. The CCO strengthens NBU’s reputation, relationships, transparency, and connection with the communities it serves, and acts as a trusted advisor to the CEO and executive leadership team. The role ensures clear, consistent, transparent, and purposeful communication across audiences and channels. The CCO leads NBU’s enterprise-wide communications strategy, including internal and external communications, executive communications, media relations, digital communications, social media, video, creative content, brand management, communications platforms, and critical-service and crisis communications. The role ensures a cohesive organizational voice and timely, accurate, meaningful information for employees, customers, community members, media, government officials, and other stakeholders. The CCO also provides executive leadership for External Relations, cultivating trusted relationships with community stakeholders, government officials and agencies, community organizations, and external partners. This includes oversight of community engagement, Government Relations, the Community Advisory Panel (CAP), the OneWater initiative, and Headwaters at the Comal. The CCO ensures these efforts align with NBU’s mission, values, public responsibilities, and long-term commitment to the communities and environment it serves. As a member of the executive leadership team, the CCO uses a people-first leadership approach to build organizational alignment and foster trust, accountability, collaboration, creativity, and empowerment. The role focuses on strategic vision, enterprise alignment, and stakeholder impact, ensuring communications and external relationships reflect NBU’s mission and core values.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in communications, public relations, journalism, marketing, public affairs, business administration, or a related field; an advanced degree is preferred.
Five or more years of work experience is listed. The posting also states that nine or more years of experience, including at least three years of supervisory experience, may substitute for a bachelor’s degree, or an equivalent combination of education and experience may qualify.
Significant executive-level experience leading enterprise communications, corporate affairs, public affairs, external relations, government relations, community engagement, or related functions.
Demonstrated experience developing and executing integrated communications and external relations strategies in a complex organization.
Knowledge and experience in one or more of internal or external communications, media relations, public speaking, marketing, strategic communications, public relations, journalism, or mass communications.
Exceptional written, verbal, presentation, media relations, and executive communication skills.
Understanding of public-sector leadership, municipal government, regulated utilities, or similarly complex and highly visible organizations.
Ability to build and maintain trusted relationships with executives, elected officials, government agencies, community leaders, employees, customers, media, and diverse stakeholders.
Strong strategic thinking, business acumen, political and community awareness, emotional intelligence, and sound judgment.
Exceptional interpersonal, relationship-building, coaching, negotiation, and conflict-resolution skills.
Ability to navigate complex, sensitive, and high-profile issues with discretion and sound judgment.
Strong project management, organizational, prioritization, and decision-making skills.
Knowledge and experience with digital communications, social media, communications platforms, content development, analytics, and emerging communications technologies.
Ability to translate complex operational, technical, regulatory, and community issues into clear, accessible communications for diverse audiences.
Ability to establish meaningful performance measures and use data, research, analytics, and stakeholder insights to inform decisions and evaluate impact.
Commitment to ethical leadership, transparency, public service, community stewardship, and organizational integrity.
Demonstrated people leadership and success in developing team members.
Competence in servant leadership and collaboration, emotional intelligence and empathy, ethical stewardship and integrity, and strategic thinking.
Knowledge of social media channels is required.
Proficiency using current computer software and hardware provided by NBU to produce clear, accurate, grammatically correct memos, reports, operating reports, graphs, spreadsheets, and other documents.
Valid Texas Driver’s License and acceptable driving record are required.
Establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with city employees and officials and representatives of other local, state, and federal agencies.
Monitor and control the confidentiality of City information according to the standards of the Privacy Act of 1974.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree.
IABC Communication Management Professional (CMP) or Strategic Communication Management Professional (SCMP), PRSA Accreditation in Public Relations (APR), or similar professional accreditation.
Residency within an NBU service territory; the posting notes that executive leaders are preferably residents of at least one of three NBU service territories.
Knowledge of municipal government or public-sector leadership principles and practices, including budgeting and fiscal responsibility, operations, policies, and procedures.
Knowledge of social monitoring tools such as Sprout Social.

Responsibilities

Serve as principal communications advisor to the CEO, executive leadership, and NBU leadership on matters affecting the organization, customers, employees, community, reputation, and public understanding.
Establish the vision, direction, and enterprise-wide framework for internal and external communications.
Lead an integrated communications function spanning internal and external communications, executive communications, media relations, social media, digital communications, video, creative content, communications platforms, and brand management.
Develop and implement communications strategies that strengthen NBU’s reputation, enhance stakeholder understanding, and support organizational priorities.
Oversee NBU’s enterprise brand and ensure consistent, credible representation across channels, platforms, and stakeholder experiences.
Provide executive communications counsel and oversee speeches, presentations, talking points, executive messaging, and other leadership communications.
Oversee media relations and serve as a senior resource for media engagement, news coverage, emerging issues, and matters affecting NBU or its communities.
Lead communications for critical services, significant projects, operational issues, emergencies, and other high-impact events.
Direct crisis and issues communications and ensure preparedness for rapid, transparent, and effective communications during critical situations.
Oversee content across NBU’s communications ecosystem, including websites, social media, video, digital platforms, print materials, presentations, and public service announcements.
Establish an enterprise approach to internal communications that informs and engages employees and connects them to NBU’s mission, priorities, culture, and direction.
Oversee social media strategy, presence, monitoring, and engagement.
Establish and evaluate communications performance measures and key performance indicators for reach, engagement, effectiveness, and stakeholder impact.
Ensure communications practices reflect the requirements and complexities of a multifaceted, regulated utility and public-service organization.
Identify emerging communications trends, technologies, platforms, and stakeholder expectations and recommend approaches to improve NBU’s effectiveness and relevance.
Provide executive leadership and direction for External Relations and strengthen relationships with communities, government entities, civic organizations, community leaders, and other stakeholders.
Advise the CEO and executive leadership on community, governmental, civic, and external stakeholder relationships.
Oversee an integrated approach to community engagement that promotes transparency, meaningful dialogue, understanding, and trust.
Manage Government Relations and support effective relationships with local, regional, state, and federal officials, agencies, and other governmental stakeholders.
Provide executive oversight of the Community Advisory Panel (CAP), supporting meaningful community perspectives and an effective forum for dialogue and engagement.
Provide executive leadership and oversight for the OneWater initiative, aligning communications, engagement, education, and external relationships with NBU’s integrated approach to water resources and long-term community stewardship.
Provide executive oversight and organizational leadership for Headwaters at the Comal as a community, environmental, educational, and stewardship asset.
Build and maintain relationships with community organizations, civic leaders, educational institutions, business and industry partners, nonprofit organizations, and other stakeholders.
Develop engagement approaches that build awareness and understanding of NBU’s essential services, projects, initiatives, community investments, and public responsibilities.
Anticipate emerging community and stakeholder issues and advise executive leadership on opportunities to strengthen relationships, address concerns, and enhance public understanding.
Represent NBU as a senior organizational leader at community, governmental, civic, and industry events and forums.
Strengthen NBU’s reputation as a trusted, transparent, responsive, and engaged community partner.
Serve as a strategic thought partner and trusted advisor to the CEO and executive leadership team on communications, reputation, external relationships, stakeholder engagement, and emerging issues.
Connect communications and external relations across the organization to create a unified enterprise voice and coordinated stakeholder experience.
Lead, develop, coach, and empower the Communications and External Relations teams and foster trust, accountability, collaboration, creativity, inclusion, and continuous improvement.
Establish priorities, measure outcomes, and allocate resources to maximize organizational and stakeholder impact.
Build partnerships across NBU and encourage leaders and employees to serve as effective organizational ambassadors.
Provide leadership during complex, high-profile, or sensitive matters requiring coordinated internal and external engagement.
Use stakeholder insights, data, research, analytics, and emerging trends to inform strategies and recommendations.
Ensure communications and external relations align with NBU’s mission, organizational priorities, policies, regulatory obligations, and core values.
Maintain relationships with NBU’s Board of Trustees, executive leadership, employees, customers, community leaders, government officials, media, and other key stakeholders.
Maintain regular attendance and manage leave schedules to ensure responsibilities, special projects, and critical assignments are supported.
Promote employee engagement and organizational alignment through leadership, communication, and collaboration.
Adhere to NBU safety guidelines and practices and maintain a clean and safe work area, office, field site, and vehicle, as applicable.
Provide executive oversight and support for community engagement, volunteer, and social responsibility efforts.
Maintain effective customer service and stakeholder relationship skills in interactions with employees, customers, community members, government officials, and the public.
Maintain strict confidentiality of business, employee, customer, and other sensitive information and safeguard confidential documents and communications.
Adhere to NBU policies and procedures and exemplify NBU’s core values and leadership expectations.
Participate in and support initiatives that advance NBU’s annual priorities and organizational objectives.