VP, Public Affairs

Entergy•Jackson, MS

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The VP of Public Affairs provides strategic leadership in developing and executing long-term corporate communications and stakeholder engagement strategies aligned with enterprise business objectives and industry trends. The position drives strategy across complex political and social environments through external stakeholder relationship management, policy landscape analysis, and thought leadership. It requires expertise in local political dynamics, competitive positioning, and multi-stakeholder alignment. The VP leads strategic planning, long-range campaign execution, external stakeholder engagement, and coordination across governmental affairs, regulatory affairs, communications, and other functions. The role also leads and develops the public affairs team, manages engagement strategies for the EML Advisory Board, and advances community, social responsibility, employee volunteer, and retiree initiatives in the service territory. This is an onsite corporate position based in Jackson, Mississippi, with travel of 25% to 50%. Employees may be required to work additional hours, at alternate locations, or perform additional duties during storms, outages, emergencies, or other situations as deemed necessary by the company.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree required, or an equivalent combination of training, education, and experience that provides the requisite knowledge, skills, and abilities.
At least 5 years of progressive responsibility in senior executive-level management positions in governmental affairs, public relations, communications, or a related field in a private and/or public organization.
Comprehensive knowledge of the inner legislative workings of local, state, and federal government.
Strong written and verbal communication skills.
Strong interpersonal relationship-building skills across diverse constituents.
Commitment to participative management and open decision-making, with an emphasis on strategic and pragmatic conceptual thinking.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree or equivalent preferred.
10 years of experience working directly in the Mississippi political environment preferred.
Experience developing and executing political issues or campaigns is highly desired.
Experience working with political campaigns and/or grassroots organizations preferred.

Responsibilities

Design and coordinate responses to anticipated issues in regulatory and governmental arenas, using cross-functional organization and matrix leadership.
Coordinate regulatory affairs, governmental affairs, communications, consultants, third parties, advocates, and other stakeholders to achieve strategic outcomes.
Lead the design and implementation of long-range campaign strategies aligned with business plans and enterprise-wide strategic outcomes.
Identify, prioritize, and coordinate responses to current and future issues facing the operating company in communities and in regulatory and legislative arenas.
Identify, monitor, and proactively address special-interest group issues involving communities, customer relationships, regulatory matters, and legislation.
Develop and implement strategies to improve public opinion, reputational capital, and influential relationships.
Coordinate and focus efforts on Public Service Commission and legislative issues through short- and long-term legislative strategies.
Use communications strategies and other resources to manage public perception and responses to adverse public opinion.
Develop and manage grassroots organizations of employees, retirees, and allies to address company issues proactively.
Lead strategic initiatives including low-income programs, grants and contributions, employee volunteer programs, event coordination and participation, social responsibility programs, The Power to Care, and retiree programs for the operating company.
Identify and coordinate volunteer opportunities for business-unit employees through community, board, and association participation, supporting employee development and Entergy's community presence.
Develop and execute enterprise public affairs strategy aligned with three-to-five-year corporate objectives and industry benchmarks.
Conduct environmental scanning to identify emerging trends, competitive positioning opportunities, and shifts in stakeholder sentiment; translate findings into recommendations for executive leadership.
Lead multi-year strategic communications campaigns; set objectives, success metrics, and accountability measures, track KPIs, and adjust campaigns based on stakeholder feedback and market dynamics.
Build relationships with community leaders, media, industry peers, academic institutions, and policy influencers; design engagement strategies, synthesize stakeholder feedback, and manage EML Advisory Board engagement strategies.
Monitor local political environments, electoral dynamics, and regulatory trends across service territories; brief executive leadership on risks, opportunities, and strategic implications.
Develop positioning and engagement strategies that account for local political dynamics.
Collaborate with corporate strategy, regulatory affairs, legal, HR, and operations to integrate messaging and stakeholder approaches, resolve differing perspectives, and ensure consistent corporate positioning in external communications.
Lead and develop the public affairs team; establish processes and capabilities aligned with strategic priorities and mentor team members in strategic thinking, stakeholder engagement, and complex problem-solving.