Prin Community Affairs Mgr

Consumers Energy•MULTIPLE LOCATIONS, MI

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Principal Community Affairs Manager leads regional stakeholder engagement for major enterprise projects and develops and maintains strong relationships with local government, business, and community stakeholders. The role serves as a team leader and subject matter expert, sharing knowledge and helping the company deliver hometown service while acting as a customer advocate and company ambassador. It focuses on engaging affected communities early, developing stakeholder strategies, identifying and mitigating community and stakeholder risks, and translating local insights into recommendations that strengthen project readiness, community sentiment, and project outcomes. Working in a highly matrixed environment, the manager collaborates with project leaders, operations, engineering, legal, communications, governmental affairs, and regional community affairs partners to connect community needs with business decisions. The position is hybrid, with required onsite work Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, and may be assigned to a Consumers Energy Service Center anywhere in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. The selected candidate must live within commuting distance or be willing to relocate; relocation assistance is available to those who qualify. The position is not eligible for current or future immigration sponsorship. The role also supports corporate citizenship, community relations, strategic events, sponsorships and grants, regional budgets, franchise agreements, and Business Plan Deployment goals. It handles complex customer complaints by connecting them with appropriate operations personnel for timely mitigation.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in public relations, communications, or a related area of study and 7 years of experience developing relationships with local government, chambers of commerce, economic development organizations, and other community organizations; presenting company information; and budgetary responsibility; or an associate’s degree in a related area and 9 years of such experience; or a high school diploma and 11 years of such experience.
Strong knowledge of utility practices, project development processes, and stakeholder engagement principles.
Ability to translate complex utility, engineering, operational, regulatory, and project information into clear, accurate, audience-appropriate information for customers, community stakeholders, and local officials.
Ability to assess stakeholder landscapes, community sentiment, and project risk and convert findings into practical engagement strategies.
Ability to influence without direct authority and lead work across complex, cross-functional, highly matrixed teams.
Ability to connect local community insights to business priorities, project decisions, and measurable outcomes.
Strong analytical judgment, strategic thinking, issue management, and executive communication skills.
Ability to work independently and proactively across an assigned region while managing multiple concurrent projects.
Public meeting planning and leadership abilities.
Strong communication, public speaking, writing, and problem-solving abilities.
Ability to collaborate with diverse audiences.
Knowledge of utility best practices and procedures.
Knowledge of social media practices to leverage the company brand.
Time-management skills and ability to respond to urgent and unplanned events.
Must be within commuting distance of an assigned Consumers Energy Service Center in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula or willing to relocate.
Must not require current or future work-visa immigration sponsorship; the position is also not eligible for CPT, OPT, or STEM OPT employment.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree.
Project management, facilitation, or stakeholder engagement training.
Demonstrated experience supporting major projects, infrastructure, renewable development, permitting, issue management, or other complex enterprise initiatives.
Demonstrated success influencing cross-functional teams, identifying stakeholder risk, and translating community insights into strategies or business decisions.

Responsibilities

Develop and execute regional stakeholder engagement strategies for major enterprise projects, including renewable development, electric and gas infrastructure, generation facility transitions, and other high-impact initiatives.
Engage communities early in the project lifecycle to understand local priorities, concerns, potential barriers, and opportunities for shared value.
Connect communities and enterprise project teams, translating community feedback, sentiment, and stakeholder intelligence into business recommendations and actions.
Design stakeholder engagements by selecting appropriate tactics, forums, internal subject matter experts, and relationship owners based on project objectives, stakeholder needs, and risk.
Translate complex utility and project information into clear stakeholder-facing messages and prepare internal experts to participate effectively in engagements.
Identify, document, escalate, and help mitigate stakeholder, permitting, reputation, and community risks before they impede project delivery.
Coordinate engagement plans, project milestones, communications, decision points, roles, and handoffs across a matrixed organization.
Plan and lead accessible, locally relevant public meetings, listening sessions, community co-design activities, and other engagement events.
Set measurable engagement objectives and track outcomes, including stakeholder sentiment, issue resolution, relationship strength, community commitments, and project readiness.
Own goals, manage applicable budgets, and support operating reviews and Business Plan Deployment goals related to enterprise project engagement.
Plan, direct, communicate, and collaborate with company executives to strengthen the brand and key strategic relationships.
Promote corporate citizenship and encourage coworkers to participate in volunteer activities that support company priorities and brand.
Cultivate relationships with municipalities, communities, and economic development organizations; serve as a key contact and proactively educate stakeholders about company projects and initiatives.
Track goals using Planner, COMET, or other appropriate systems.
Build favorable visibility and recognition through leadership and participation in strategic community events, and identify opportunities to promote the company brand.
Serve as a subject matter expert on complex customer complaints and refer them to appropriate operations personnel for effective mitigation.
Develop and track Business Plan Deployment goals, schedule operating reviews, and assist team members.
Own the regional team budget and approve sponsorships.
Coordinate franchise schedules and ensure agreements are signed and returned to corporate legal before prior agreements expire.
Identify strategic and tactical grant and sponsorship opportunities aligned with company goals, and review Foundation grant and sponsorship requests.
Perform other duties as assigned or necessary.