Communications Strategist

Jobtailor; La Crosse (WI); On-site; USD 52,000 - 76,000; Full time

Job summary

Dairyland Power Cooperative is seeking a Communications Specialist to support its transmission projects and external priorities. You will help plan communications, develop messages, create outreach materials, and coordinate with internal teams and external partners.

The role involves preparing presentations, tracking metrics, managing public meetings, and ensuring messaging follows approved protocols. Strong writing, edits, and stakeholder relationships are essential in this on-site Wisconsin

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in public relations, marketing, communications or related field.
• Minimum of two (2) to four (4) years of experience in communications, public relations, marketing, community engagement or related work.
• Experience in the utility industry, cooperative environment, project communications or stakeholder engagement preferred.
• Ability to support high-profile stakeholder interactions professionally, listen actively, communicate clearly, maintain composure in challenging environments and work within approved messaging and escalation protocols.
• Strong project coordination and relationship building skills.
• Demonstrated commitment to safety and operational excellence.
• Strong writing and editing skills using proper grammar, clear sentence construction, journalistic standards and AP style.

Responsibilities

• Support Dairyland Power Cooperative’s communications and stakeholder engagement efforts for assigned transmission projects, business initiatives and external-facing priorities.
• Support communication planning, stakeholder engagement and outreach activities for assigned projects and initiatives.
• Assist in preparing communication schedules, key messages, outreach materials and engagement plans.
• Coordinate communication activities with internal team members, project partners and external vendors.
• Assist with public meetings, open houses, community events, press activities and stakeholder engagement efforts.
• Prepare, edit and coordinate presentations, talking points, fact sheets, newsletters, web and social media content, project updates and other materials.
• Track project communication metrics and monitor stakeholder feedback.
• Assist with analysis of communication and engagement results and escalate significant concerns.
• Prepare project status updates and presentation materials for leadership, internal project teams, member cooperatives and stakeholders.
• Support internal and external public relations activities with communications, government affairs, grants, regulatory affairs and other departments.
• Conduct research, draft messaging, gather information, coordinate logistics and maintain project documentation.
• Respond to routine internal or external inquiries within approved messaging and escalate sensitive or higher-risk matters.
• Produce written and digital content, support events and coordinate communication requests as needed.
• Perform other duties as assigned

Skills

Communication Planning

Stakeholder Engagement

Project Coordination

Content Production

Public Relations Activities

Digital Content Creation

Presentation Preparation

Outreach Material Development

Research And Messaging

Education

Bachelor's degree in public relations, marketing, communications or related field

Tools

Social Media Platforms

Digital Communication Tools

Presentation Software

Project Management Tools

Job description

• Support Dairyland Power Cooperative’s communications and stakeholder engagement efforts for assigned transmission projects, business initiatives and external-facing priorities
• Support communication planning, stakeholder engagement and outreach activities for assigned projects and initiatives
• Assist in preparing communication schedules, key messages, outreach materials and engagement plans
• Coordinate communication activities with internal team members, project partners and external vendors
• Assist with public meetings, open houses, community events, press activities and stakeholder engagement efforts
• Prepare, edit and coordinate presentations, talking points, fact sheets, newsletters, web and social media content, project updates and other materials
• Track project communication metrics and monitor stakeholder feedback
• Assist with analysis of communication and engagement results and **escalate** significant concerns
• Prepare project status updates and presentation materials for leadership, internal project teams, member cooperatives and stakeholders
• Support internal and external public relations activities with communications, government affairs, grants, regulatory affairs and other departments
• Conduct research, draft messaging, gather information, coordinate logistics and maintain project documentation
• Respond to routine internal or external inquiries within approved messaging and **escalate** sensitive or higher-risk matters
• Produce written and digital content, support events and coordinate communication requests as needed
• Perform other duties as assigned

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in public relations, marketing, communications or related field
• Minimum of two (2) to four (4) years of experience in communications, public relations, marketing, community engagement or related work
• Experience in the utility industry, cooperative environment, project communications or stakeholder engagement preferred
• Ability to support high-profile stakeholder interactions professionally, listen actively, communicate clearly, maintain composure in challenging environments and work within approved messaging and escalation protocols
• Strong project coordination and relationship building skills
• Demonstrated commitment to safety and operational excellence
• Strong organizational and coordination skills
• Ability to learn and communicate utility- and cooperative-related issues and challenges to varied audiences with guidance
• Excellent verbal, written, digital/social media and interpersonal skills
• Attention to detail and ability to manage assigned work with appropriate guidance and supervision
• Sound judgment, tact, discretion and courtesy in oral and written communications
• Strong writing and editing skills using proper grammar, clear sentence construction, journalistic standards and AP style
• Ability to professionally represent Dairyland in business, legislative and public forums, potentially including the news media
• Ability to build collaborative working relationships
• Ability to work effectively with peers and all levels of management
• Ability to remain composed, exercise sound judgment and manage responsibilities in stressful situations, high-visibility settings and shifting priorities
• Ability to collaborate across functions and business lines and build credibility with internal partners
• Ability to quickly learn Dairyland policies and procedures
• Ability to meet the physical demands of the role, with reasonable accommodations available

Core Competencies

Demonstrates expertise in communication planning, stakeholder engagement, and project coordination within the utility industry. Proficient in producing written and digital content, managing public relations activities, and analyzing communication metrics to support organizational goals.

Highest-signal resume keywords

• Bachelor's Degree In Public Relations
• Experience In Communications
• Project Coordination Skills
• Strong Writing And Editing Skills
• Stakeholder Engagement Experience

ATS Optimization Keywords

Hard Skills

• Communication Planning
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Project Coordination
• Content Production
• Communication Metrics Analysis
• Public Relations Activities
• Digital Content Creation
• Presentation Preparation
• Outreach Material Development
• Research And Messaging

Soft Skills

• Active Listening
• Clear Communication
• Relationship Building
• Attention To Detail
• Sound Judgment

Industry Keywords

• Utility Industry
• Cooperative Environment
• Community Engagement
• Public Relations
• Marketing

Tools & Technologies

• Social Media Platforms
• Digital Communication Tools
• Presentation Software
• Project Management Tools