Communications Manager

Energy Trust of Oregon, Inc.

Portland, Northern (OR, KY)

Hybrid

USD 98,000 - 152,000

Full time

8 days ago

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Benefits offered by this job

Health/dental/vision insurance

401(k) with company match

TriMet pass

Paid vacation & holidays

Work from home / office flexibility

Career advancement opportunities

Job summary

Energy Trust of Oregon, Inc. in Portland, OR, seeks a Communications Manager to lead stakeholder communications, craft strategic messages, and guide a team of communications professionals in delivering clear, impactful material for regulators, partners and the public.

This full-time exempt role requires a Bachelor’s degree in communications or related field, 7+ years in a communications PM/manager role, and energy policy experience.

Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in communications, journalism, political science or related field.
7+ years of experience as a communications project manager or manager.
4+ years of communications experience in an energy policy setting is strongly preferred.
Experience supervising staff and managing a team.
Excellent written and spoken communication skills; strong presentations.

Responsibilities

Lead stakeholder communications and manage staff delivering communications for regulators, utilities, and policymakers.
Develop, write, edit and deliver high‑quality stakeholder communications and executive materials.
Analyze complex technical and regulatory information and translate into clear communications for diverse audiences.
Provide strategic communications counsel to leaders and project teams.
Develop and execute communications plans aligned with organizational priorities.
Supervise and review team work, manage priorities and resources.

Skills

Stakeholder communications

Editorial oversight

Public speaking

Strategic communications

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in communications/journalism/political science

Master’s degree in public policy/administration (desirable)

Tools

MS Word

MS Excel

MS PowerPoint

SharePoint

Job description

Position: Communications Manager

Reports to: Communications and Brand Lead

Compensation: Competitive starting salary $97,500 – $124,900 commensurate with skills and experience. Full Pay Range: $97,500 - $152,200

*Actual compensation packages are based on several factors that are unique to each candidate, including but not limited to skill set, depth of experience, and certifications in the pay equity assessment to determine equitable salary placement. Candidates should expect compensation offers within the starting compensation range. The full pay range is included to show the potential earnings for this position with sustained high performance.

Employment Classification: Full Time, Exempt

Anticipated Start Date: As soon as possible, position is open until filled

Close Date: 9/14/26

Office Location: Portland Metro Area, Oregon, USA

About Energy Trust of Oregon
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.

What You'll Do:

Stakeholder Communications Leadership and Delivery (approximately 70% of responsibilities)

Under direction of the Marketing and Communications Lead, 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.
As an individual contributor, 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.
Independently 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.
As assigned, provide strategic communications counsel to leaders, project teams and subject matter experts regarding stakeholder engagement, messaging, communications approaches and risk mitigation.
As assigned, 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.

Internal Communications (approximately 10% of responsibilities)

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.

Team Management and Leadership (approximately 20% of responsibilities)

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.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY

This position supervises a team of communications staff and manages professional services contracts.

What you'll Need:

Bachelor’s degree incommunications, journalism,politicalscienceor related field.
Master’s degreein public policy, public administration orcommensurateexperience working in a policy environment or government relations role,desirable.
Minimumsevenyears of experienceas a communications project manager or manager, producing tailored communications and reports for staff,stakeholdersand consumers.
Minimum offouryears of communications experiencespecific to an energy policysetting with strong familiarity of energy efficiency and renewable energy program conceptsstrongly preferred.
Specific experience in a government relationssetting is preferred.
At least twoyears of experience supervising staff and/ormanaging a team.
Excellent oral and written communication skills, strong presentationskillsand sound judgment indeterminingrelevance of information based on context.
Experience producing communications and reports targeted to organizational stakeholders.
Experience producing high-quality,accuratepublic communications, including speeches, presentations, reports, newsletters, casestudiesandpress releases.
Demonstrated ability to quickly learn unfamiliar subject matter, evaluate information from multiplesourcesand synthesize complex concepts into clear,accuratecommunications for stakeholder audiences.
Demonstrated success working in highly collaborative environments that require relationship building, consensus development,peer and leadershipengagement 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, applyingEnergy Trust’sorganization style. Knowledge of AP style preferred.
Advanced user-level understanding of Microsoft Office suite, especially MS Word, MSExceland MS PowerPoint. Experience using SharePoint preferred.
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.

The above information is designed to outline the major functions and position requirements of this job. It not identify all tasks that may be expected, nor address the performance standards that must be maintained.

What You'll Get:

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