State Communications & Media Relations Lead

FirstEnergy; Greensburg (Westmoreland County); On-site; USD 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive pay

Company-sponsored pension plan

401(k) savings plan with matching

Medical, prescription drug, dental, &

Tuition reimbursement

Job summary

FirstEnergy in the United States seeks a State Communications Representative to advance the company’s reputation through strategic media relations, external communications and digital engagement at the state level.

The role emphasizes reporting to the Head of State Communications and collaboration across Operations, External Affairs, Regulatory, Customer Accounts & Local Engagement to identify opportunities and manage high‑profile situations.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Communications, Journalism, PR, Marketing or related field.
• 3–7 years in public relations, media relations, corporate communications, journalism or related field.
• Proven success building media relationships and securing positive earned media coverage.
• Experience serving as a spokesperson or preparing leaders for media interactions.
• Exceptional writing, editing and storytelling skills.
• Strong understanding of media relations, news cycles, social media trends and reputation management.
• Experience creating digital and social media content for external audiences.
• Ability to translate complex or technical information into clear, audience-focused messaging.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a primary media contact within the assigned state.
• Develop and execute proactive media relations strategies that enhance FirstEnergy's reputation and increase positive visibility.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with reporters, editors, producers and other media contacts.
• Identify, develop and pitch compelling stories that showcase company initiatives, employees, customer programs and community impact.
• Draft news releases, media statements, talking points, briefing materials and executive messaging.
• Monitor news coverage and emerging issues, recommending communication strategies and response plans.
• Support crisis, outage and emergency communications, including participation in after‑hours media on‑call rotations.
• Develop customer-facing communications related to reliability, safety, energy efficiency, operational updates and major company initiatives.
• Support communications for community events, public meetings, sponsorships and stakeholder engagement activities.
• Assist with communications related to regulatory proceedings, public policy issues and legislative engagement.
• Translate complex business, technical and regulatory topics into clear, compelling messaging for external audiences.

Skills

Writing

Editing

Storytelling

Media relations

Education

Bachelor's degree in Communications, Journalism, Public Relations, Marketing or related field

Job description

FirstEnergy in the United States seeks a State Communications Representative to advance the company’s reputation through strategic media relations, external communications and digital engagement at the state level.

The role emphasizes reporting to the Head of State Communications and collaboration across Operations, External Affairs, Regulatory, Customer Accounts & Local Engagement to identify opportunities and manage high‑profile situations.