Communication Representative - OH Communications

FirstEnergy • Akron, OH

1d • Onsite

About The Position

FirstEnergy is a forward-thinking electric utility committed to safety, reliability, and operational excellence, headquartered in Akron, Ohio. This is an open position with FirstEnergy Service Co., a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp. The State Communications Representative is an individual contributor responsible for delivering high-quality internal, external, and customer communications that support business objectives at the state level. This role involves close partnership with the Head of State Communications and collaboration with various corporate and state teams, including Operations, External Affairs, Regulatory, Customer Accounts & Local Engagement, Safety, and Corporate Communications, to ensure consistent, accurate, and compelling information for employees, customers, and other stakeholders. The ideal candidate will work collaboratively with business leadership, provide strategic advice on communications issues, and possess strong communication skills for storytelling through written content and public speaking. A general understanding of current media trends and video, digital, and social channels is also required. The individual should be self-driven, yet adept at teamwork to strategize, identify challenges, and develop solutions for clear, concise messaging under tight deadlines.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Journalism, Marketing, Public Relations or related field.
• 3–7 years of communications experience spanning employee/internal communications, media relations, digital content or customer engagement.
• Strong writing and editing skills with ability to tailor content to diverse audiences.
• Experience with emerging communications technologies, including AI‑driven content tools, digital communication platforms and evolving multimedia formats.
• Strategic storyteller skilled at crafting relatable business narratives.
• Ability to translate complex subjects into clear messaging.
• Ability to manage multiple projects under tight deadlines.
• Familiarity with social media platforms, CMS tools and multimedia.
• Strong interpersonal skills with ability to build trust across functions.
• Willingness to support after‑hours and emergency communications.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute internal communications that inform, engage and align state employees with strategic business priorities.
• Draft employee‑focused messaging for employee portal articles, leadership updates, safety campaigns, transformation initiatives and operational activities.
• Translate complex or technical concepts into accessible internal content that supports understanding and builds employee confidence.
• Support executive communications including presentations, talking points, town hall content and internal videos.
• Coordinate with HR, Operations, Safety and Corporate Communications partners to ensure timely internal messaging.
• Draft news releases, media statements, talking points and external briefings.
• Identify and support pitching of story opportunities that strengthen FirstEnergy’s reputation.
• Build and maintain relationships with local reporters and news outlets.
• Serve as media spokesperson, delivering key messages and maintaining a positive public image.
• Monitor issues and support responses related to outages, community events and emerging topics.
• Participate in after‑hours media on‑call rotation and outage/emergency communications.
• Produce customer‑focused content supporting programs such as energy efficiency, smart meters, safety and operational updates.
• Break down complex topics into clear messaging for customers and stakeholders.
• Support community engagement through materials for events, public meetings and sponsorship initiatives.
• Ensure consistency with FirstEnergy’s brand and service commitments.
• Create digital content for web, social media, video scripts and visual displays tailored to state audiences.
• Leverage emerging communications technologies – including AI‑enabled tools, digital platforms and new multimedia formats – to enhance content creation, distribution and audience engagement.
• Conduct social and media listening to identify insights that inform messaging.
• Support management of content calendars for internal, external and customer communications.
• Assist with development of videos, graphics and other multimedia assets.
• Support communications related to regulatory filings, public open houses, legislative engagement and stakeholder issues.
• Collaborate across departments to maintain alignment in messaging.
• Attend community or public meetings as needed.
• Collaborate with Corporate Communications colleagues to ensure consistency.
• Promote a positive, inclusive, high‑performing team culture.

Benefits

• competitive pay plus incentive compensation
• a company-sponsored pension plan
• 401(k) savings plan with matching employer contribution
• a choice of medical, prescription drug, dental, vision, and life insurance programs
• skills development training with tuition reimbursement

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees