Community Relations Specialist – ERP Readiness

Jobtailor; Hartford (CT); Hybrid; USD 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Eversource is seeking a Community Relations professional to develop and manage relationships with municipalities, community groups, and local stakeholders in the Hartford area. You will lead outreach, prepare presentations, and coordinate programs that align with regulatory and economic development goals.

The role requires collaboration with Corporate Communications and Governmental Affairs to monitor policy changes, support emergency preparedness, and represent the company at public forums and

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Communications, Public/Government Administration or related discipline or equivalent experience.
• Three (3) to five (5) years’ experience in community/customer care or government relations; five years preferred
• Experience preparing and delivering presentations
• Good understanding of municipal, state, and regional government and the regulatory process
• Knowledge of utility business, regulatory, and energy supply issues
• Knowledge of crisis communication and media relations
• Proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, outage management systems, and virtual meeting software

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain favorable relationships with surrounding communities
• Implement and coordinate community goodwill programs and solicit stakeholder feedback
• Represent Eversource at community gatherings and forums
• Serve as a point of contact for government officials, economic development agencies, business leaders, and nonprofit/community organizations
• Educate the company on community viewpoints and support favorable municipal and community support
• Support regional, state, and local economic development initiatives and public-private partnerships
• Collaborate with Corporate Communications, Governmental Affairs, and other departments on outreach strategies

Skills

Community Engagement

Stakeholder Communication

Crisis Communication

Regulatory Process Knowledge

Report Production

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Communications

Tools

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft PowerPoint

Outage Management Systems

Virtual Meeting Software

Social Media Platforms

Job description

• Develop and maintain favorable relationships with surrounding communities
• Implement and coordinate community goodwill programs and solicit stakeholder feedback
• Represent Eversource at community gatherings and forums
• Serve as a point of contact for government officials, economic development agencies, business leaders, and nonprofit/community organizations
• Educate the company on community viewpoints and support favorable municipal and community support
• Support regional, state, and local economic development initiatives and public-private partnerships
• Implement community and municipal outreach and relationship-development strategies
• Support emergency preparedness and response, strategic corporate giving, employee engagement, volunteerism, and business membership activities
• Identify and support reputation-related initiatives, proposals, concerns, and issues
• Support internal partners during project meetings, municipal briefings, and town/city council, board, commission, and committee meetings
• Identify corporate giving opportunities, solicit and screen grant proposals, and recommend grant awards
• Communicate with municipal leaders regarding siting, permitting, construction, maintenance, transmission, distribution, vegetation, and reliability projects
• Monitor local government policy changes, elections, ordinances, and board/council activities
• Advise internal partners on local political activities, sensitivities, and emergent issues
• Build relationships with community, private, and nonprofit organizations
• Develop, maintain, and implement Community Liaison Plans for emergency preparedness
• Collaborate with Corporate Communications, Governmental Affairs, Media Relations, Electric and Gas Operations, Transmission, and Regulatory Affairs

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree in Communications, Public/Government Administration or related discipline or equivalent experience
• Three (3) to five (5) years’ experience in community/customer care or government relations; five years preferred
• Experience preparing and delivering presentations
• Good understanding of municipal, state, and regional government and the regulatory process
• Knowledge of utility business, regulatory, and energy supply issues
• Knowledge of crisis communication and media relations
• Proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, company outage management systems, and virtual meeting software
• Ability to use Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to support company initiatives
• Ability to produce and deliver in-depth reports and presentations
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Collaborative, organizational, and interpersonal skills
• Ability to work with confidential information with integrity
• Valid motor vehicle license required
• Must be available for emergency storm assignments
• Must be available to travel between MA/CT/NH as necessary
• Night, weekend, evening, and extended-hours availability
• Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines
• Comfortable leveraging mobile technologies to work remotely as needed
• Eversource will not offer immigration-related sponsorship; applicants requiring visa sponsorship to start employment will not be considered

Core Competencies

Demonstrates expertise in community engagement, stakeholder communication, and government relations, with a strong understanding of municipal and regulatory processes. Proficient in developing community liaison plans and managing corporate giving initiatives while maintaining strong interpersonal and organizational skills.

Highest-signal resume keywords

• Bachelor’s Degree in Communications
• Community/Customer Care Experience
• Government Relations Experience
• Crisis Communication Knowledge
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office

Hard Skills

• Community Engagement
• Stakeholder Communication
• Grant Proposal Management
• Crisis Communication
• Regulatory Process Knowledge
• Presentation Preparation
• Report Production
• Emergency Preparedness Planning
• Municipal Outreach Strategies
• Utility Business Knowledge

Soft Skills

• Strong Written Communication
• Strong Verbal Communication
• Collaborative Skills
• Organizational Skills
• Interpersonal Skills

Certifications & Qualifications

• Valid Motor Vehicle License

Industry Keywords

• Community Goodwill Programs
• Public-Private Partnerships
• Economic Development Initiatives
• Municipal Briefings
• Local Government Policy Monitoring

Tools & Technologies

• Microsoft Word
• Microsoft Excel
• Microsoft PowerPoint
• Outage Management Systems
• Virtual Meeting Software
• Social Media Platforms