Director, Regional Affairs

Tampa Electric Company•Tampa, FL

17d

About The Position

The Director Regional Affairs is a key leadership position reporting directly to the VP State and Regional Affairs. Responsible for leading the Tampa Electric Regional Affairs team and overseeing the development and implementation of stakeholder strategies for Tampa Electric service areas. This position is critical to the fulfillment of the Company’s vision plans and the Director, Regional Affairs must be able to translate strategic plans into specific Company objectives and metrics. Operating through collaboration, the Director, Regional Affairs will cultivate internal and external relationships across key stakeholder groups, including local elected officials, economic development organizations, governmental staff, community leaders, and industry leaders. Effectively lead cross-functional teams through regional stakeholder engagement strategies which result in measurable deliverables and successful outcomes for the Company. Responsible for strategically connecting the vision of Tampa Electric with the communities and customers they served. Provides innovative solutions and technical oversight to the Regional Affairs team on efforts related to local government relations, economic development, stakeholder engagement, community investment, franchise agreements, customer matters, emergency response functions and operations support, including permitting and infrastructure projects. Leads targeted corporate earnings growth and goals through strong government, economic and community development initiatives.

Requirements

Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited college in Business, Political Science, Engineering or any other related field of study.
Valid Florida Driver’s License or eligibility to acquire one is required.
Minimum of ten years of work experience related to the Duties & Responsibilities of this position is required including four years of leadership experience.
A history of building relationships with community leaders, government officials, internal management and/or internal business units is required.
Experience with governmental relations, stakeholder outreach and engagement, public affairs, economic development initiatives and shaping strategy.
Knowledge in one or more key areas related to the position, and of governmental processes at local, state, or federal level; ability to understand complex regulatory and legislative issues; knowledge of the utility sector.
Excellent written, oral and interpersonal communication skills and demonstrated ability for oral presentation.

Nice To Haves

Working in electric, natural gas or general utility industry in a capacity that deals with local governments and agencies, community groups, utility planning functions, or policy is preferred.
Experience leading a team of government and/or community relations professionals is preferred.

Responsibilities

Leads and develops a results-driven Regional Affairs management team responsible for successfully delivering on Company goals through a broad range of local government relations, economic development, stakeholder engagement, community investment, operations and customer support. (15%)
Leads the development of regional stakeholder engagement strategy plans and related measures of success to effectively manage key political, economic development, community investment, regulatory, governmental and industry relationships in the assigned areas; achieved through proactively identifying the risks and opportunities to our business, strategically aligning resources to effectively shape positive outcomes related to these areas and establishing open communication channels with key stakeholders at the local, state, regional and federal levels. (20%)
Lead the development of Company’s Community Investment strategy, including contributions, participation, and communications; provide guidance on the Company’s board involvement in key organizations in support of interests and business needs at the local, regional and state levels; oversee development and maintenance of philanthropic and grant funding programs, policies, procedures and evaluation systems that balance the needs of the community with those of the company; and oversee employment engagement and ensure appropriate structure to develop, promote and increase employee volunteerism and participation. (20%)
Aligns Company interests and representation with key economic development organizations (EDOs) to promote corporate earnings and community growth, supporting the Company’s efforts to support EDO partners and communities to retain and expand existing commercial and industrial customers and attracting innovative new customers to the company’s service areas. Develops forward-thinking communication strategies to advise the Company and business units on areas of potential to support growth opportunities for Tampa Electric, such as candidates for elected office, relevant local, regional and state policies, and business intelligence. (15%)
Participates actively in the political process in the assigned areas; Leads the Regional Affairs team in identifying, anticipating and managing political and reputational concerns and/or opportunities that arise before assigned political bodies affecting corporate or partner interests and effectively shapes positive outcomes. (10%)
Leads Regional Affairs team in the successful franchise enactment/renewal process in the assigned areas, providing strategic guidance on municipal or operational/business unit concerns. Provides tactical support to operations/business units on elevated issues related to local municipal governments including rights-of-way access, permitting, franchise agreements, relocation of facilities, emergencies, customer matters and any local government policy, ordinance or rule that affects providing reliable, safe, cost-effective service. (10%)
Proactive public affairs review of strategic initiatives and projects and other issues in the various business units across Florida to identify potential stakeholder/community concerns; provide guidance and leadership on stakeholder engagement/community outreach. (10%)