Communications Manager

Energy Trust of Oregon • Portland, OR

13d • Hybrid

About The Position

Energy Trust of Oregon is an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to energy efficiency and renewable energy development. We serve Oregon customers of Portland General Electric, Pacific Power, NW Natural, Cascade Natural Gas and Avista, and SW Washington customers of NW Natural. Year over year Energy Trust is recognized as one of the 100 Best Nonprofits to Work For in Oregon. Our Vision Clean, affordable energy for everyone. Our Commitment to Diversity We recognize the lack of diversity in our industry, and we actively seek to address it with our hiring and retention practices as well as our values. We believe every person and their lived experience is integral to building a vibrant culture and delivering effective services to all customers we serve. We are committed to the principles of diversity, equity and inclusion, and we encourage candidates with diverse backgrounds and experience to apply. Our Location Energy Trust provides for a range of work location options, including remote, hybrid and in-office work. This position will represent Energy Trust in public settings and potentially at community events. We are open to candidates who live throughout Oregon and Washington. The Communications Manager would be expected to report to the office on a quarterly basis, at minimum.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in communications, journalism, political science or related field.
• Minimum seven years of experience as a communications project manager or manager, producing tailored communications and reports for staff, stakeholders and consumers.
• At least two years of experience supervising staff and/or managing a team.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, strong presentation skills and sound judgment in determining relevance of information based on context.
• Experience producing communications and reports targeted to organizational stakeholders.
• Experience producing high-quality, accurate public communications, including speeches, presentations, reports, newsletters, case studies and press releases.
• Demonstrated ability to quickly learn unfamiliar subject matter, evaluate information from multiple sources and synthesize complex concepts into clear, accurate communications for stakeholder audiences.
• Demonstrated success working in highly collaborative environments that require relationship building, consensus development, peer and leadership engagement and multiple review and approval cycles.
• Experience working in a team-oriented, collaborative environment.
• Experience prioritizing and executing tasks in a high-pressure environment.
• Ability to write and edit copy, applying Energy Trust’s organization style.
• Advanced user-level understanding of Microsoft Office suite, especially MS Word, MS Excel and MS PowerPoint.
• Must be a proactive professional who has proven success in a fast-paced, highly demanding work environment, and who can be flexible and responsive to changing context and communication opportunities.
• Must be able to interact with a diverse workforce and be comfortable working in culturally diverse settings and groups.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree in public policy, public administration or commensurate experience working in a policy environment or government relations role, desirable.
• Minimum of four years of communications experience specific to an energy policy setting with strong familiarity of energy efficiency and renewable energy program concepts strongly preferred.
• Specific experience in a government relations setting is preferred.
• Knowledge of AP style preferred.
• Experience using SharePoint preferred.

Responsibilities

• Manage stakeholder-facing communications and manage staff responsible for the development and delivery of communication products for regulators, utilities, community partners, policymakers, industry organizations and other external stakeholders.
• Develop, write, edit and deliver high-quality stakeholder communications, including reports, presentations, strategic communications plans, briefing materials, key messages, talking points, speeches, public-facing materials and executive communications.
• Research, analyze and synthesize complex technical, policy, regulatory and organizational information into clear and accurate communications tailored to stakeholder audiences.
• Build subject matter expertise across a broad range of energy-specific business, policy and program topics and rapidly translate new information into effective communications products with minimal direction.
• Provide strategic communications counsel to leaders, project teams and subject matter experts regarding stakeholder engagement, messaging, communications approaches and risk mitigation.
• Develop and execute communications strategies and plans that support organizational priorities, stakeholder understanding and stakeholder engagement.
• Manage a high volume of concurrent communications projects and requests, balancing competing priorities, shifting deadlines and emerging organizational needs.
• Respond effectively to unplanned, time-sensitive and high-profile communications needs, exercising sound judgment and maintaining quality under pressure.
• Ensure stakeholder communications are accurate, clear, audience-appropriate and aligned with organizational objectives, policies and messaging standards.
• Establish and maintain productive working relationships with leaders, subject matter experts and cross-functional teams to gather information, clarify priorities and deliver effective communications products.
• Identify communications risks, gaps and opportunities and proactively recommend solutions.
• Guide and review stakeholder communications produced by the communications team while ensuring consistency, quality and strategic alignment.
• Guide and manage the team in developing and delivering internal communications activities that help employees understand organizational purpose, programs, priorities and value; communications activities include all staff meetings, a monthly internal newsletter, trainings and orientations, and email and Microsoft Teams communications.
• Advise Human Resources and organizational leaders to develop and deliver employee communications as needed to support staff awareness and engagement.
• Supervise, coach and develop a team of communications specialists, providing clear direction, feedback, prioritization support and professional development opportunities.
• Review and provide substantive editorial and strategic feedback on communications products produced by team members.
• Establish team priorities, allocate resources and adjust workloads to ensure timely delivery of stakeholder communications and organizational priorities.
• Foster a culture of accountability, responsiveness, collaboration and high performance while maintaining strong service to internal clients and external stakeholders.
• Perform other job-related duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Health/dental/vision insurance
• Employer sponsored and paid life/disability
• 401(k) with a company contribution of 6% of your salary after 90 days of employment
• TriMet pass
• Access to health and dependent FSA/HSA accounts
• Generous paid vacation, holidays and sick days
• Paid volunteer hours
• Employee assistance program
• Career advancement opportunities
• Great colleagues and culture
• Flexibility to work from home and/or an office space at the Portland, OR location
• Work from home laptop provided

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager