Lead, Community Relations & Stakeholder Engagement

Southwestern Public Service Co; Missouri; Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 139,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual Incentive Program

Medical/Pharmacy Plan

Dental

Vision

Life Insurance

Dependent Care Flexible Spending Ad

Health Care Flexible Spending Ad

Health Savings Account (HSA)

Limited-Purpose FSA

Transportation Reimbursement Ad

Short-term disability (STD)

Long-term disability (LTD)

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Fitness Center Reimbursement

Tuition reimbursement

Transit programs

Employee recognition program

Pension

401(k) plan

Paid time off (PTO)

Holidays

Volunteer Paid Time Off (VPTO)

Parental Leave

Job summary

Xcel Energy in the United States seeks a leader to build and maintain community relationships across jurisdictions to support growth projects, engaging officials, NGOs and local partners while coordinating with regulatory and site development teams.

The role requires experience in multi-state public affairs, exceptional interpersonal skills, and the ability to work non-traditional hours to attend meetings; hybrid work arrangement with onsite presence several days weekly.

Qualifications

• College degree in communications, public affairs, or related field, or equivalent experience.
• 7 years of experience developing community engagement or public affairs strategy, ideally in energy, infrastructure, or large-scale development.
• Very strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to work with complex issues in a public setting.

Responsibilities

• Build community- and jurisdiction-specific engagement plans for large-load growth projects, tailored to local context and stakeholder landscape.
• Build and maintain relationships with elected officials, community leaders, relevant economic development or governing bodies, and local organizations.
• Respond to, listen for, and elevate community concerns and questions related to growth projects, including monitoring local regulatory or approval processes that may affect project timing.
• Keep internal teams informed of community sentiment and local developments; coordinate with counterparts from other OpCos and central communications team.
• Partner with existing Community Relations, Account Management, and/or local partners to ensure coordinated outreach and share learnings across the territory.
• Tailor messaging to jurisdiction-specific priorities and keep engagement aligned as regulatory filings and site development progress.
• Perform special projects and other duties, as required.

Skills

Interpersonal communication

Public relations

Stakeholder engagement

Education

College degree in communications or related field

Job description

Xcel Energy in the United States seeks a leader to build and maintain community relationships across jurisdictions to support growth projects, engaging officials, NGOs and local partners while coordinating with regulatory and site development teams.

The role requires experience in multi-state public affairs, exceptional interpersonal skills, and the ability to work non-traditional hours to attend meetings; hybrid work arrangement with onsite presence several days weekly.