Vice President Communications and Community Relations

Southside Electric Cooperative Inc; Virginia; On-site; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Retirement plan

401k after one year

HDHP Medical for employees

Dependent HDHP Medical

Dental for employees

Vision for employees

HSA

HRA

Vacation/Sick/Holidays

Life Insurance for employees

Tuition reimbursement

LifeLock/Norton premium

Job summary

Southside Electric Cooperative seeks a strategic, experienced Vice President of Communications and Community Relations to serve as chief storyteller and spokesperson. You will lead the Communications & Community Relations team, shaping internal and external messaging aligned with our mission and values.

This senior role requires utility industry experience, crisis communications expertise, and a track record in stakeholder engagement, guiding communication during outages and regulatory

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in marketing, journalism, public relations, communications or related field.
• 10+ years of utility-related work experience in a leadership communications role.
• 5+ years directing a comprehensive marketing, communications, or public relations department.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop the Communications & Community Relations team.
• Oversee internal and external communications strategy aligned with mission, vision, and values.
• Serve as primary spokesperson and communications advisor during high-pressure situations.
• Lead crisis and emergency communications during outages, storms, or major events.
• Develop organizational storytelling to strengthen member and community understanding.

Skills

Crisis communications

Media relations

Public speaking

Strategic leadership

Storytelling

Stakeholder engagement

Executive communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in marketing, journalism, public relations, communications

Job description

Pay Type: per year Benefits: Employer sponsored Retirement Plan and 401k after one year of service; Employer paid HDHP Medical for employees and employer subsidized HDHP Medical for Dependents; Employer paid dental and vision for employees and dependents; HSA; HRA; Vacation, Sick Leave, Holidays; Employer paid Life Insurance for employees; Tuition Reimbursement; Premium LifeLock with Norton

Vice President, Communications and Community Relations

Southside Electric Cooperative is seeking a strategic, experienced communications leader who understands the electric utility industry and knows how to build trust before, during, and after the moments that matter most.

At Southside Electric Cooperative, communication is more than messaging. It is how we earn confidence, support our members, strengthen our communities, and provide clear, accurate information when people are counting on us most. We are looking for a Vice President of Communications and Community Relations who can serve as SEC's chief storyteller and spokesperson while providing strategic leadership to SEC.

This is a senior leadership opportunity for someone who has worked in the utility industry and understands the responsibility, urgency, and public trust that come with providing essential electric service. The right person will know how to communicate through outages, storms, high-impact events, regulatory expectations, member concerns, media questions, and community conversations with confidence, clarity, and sound judgment.

What You Will Do

• Lead and develop the Communications & Community Relations team while building a culture of accountability, collaboration, performance, and continuous improvement.
• Lead SEC's internal and external communications strategy with messaging that is timely, accurate, transparent, member-focused, and aligned with our mission, vision, and values.
• Strengthen internal communications and employee understanding by helping leaders communicate organizational priorities, changes, decisions, and expectations clearly and consistently.
• Serve as SEC's primary spokesperson and communications advisor, representing the cooperative in media interviews, public forums, community settings, and high-pressure situations in alignment with CEO guidance.
• Lead crisis and emergency communications during outages, storms, and other significant events, providing clear, trusted information while supporting SEC's safety-first culture and the well-being of employees, members, and communities.
• Lead SEC's organizational storytelling, proactively and creatively communicating SEC's value, purpose, people, accomplishments, challenges and impact in ways that strengthen understanding and connection with members and communities.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to the executive leadership team on communications, reputation, public perception, emerging issues, and community relationships.
• Partner with executive and departmental leaders to develop clear, coordinated communication around significant organizational initiatives, complex issues, and decisions affecting employees, members, and communities.
• Plan and oversee major member and public events, including Annual Meeting and Member Advisory meetings.
• Proactively identify emerging issues, public perceptions, communication risks and opportunities that could affect SEC's reputation, member trust, or community relationships and advise Executive Leadership Team accordingly.
• Use data, performance measures, and trend analysis to guide decisions, evaluate communication effectiveness, and support business intelligence efforts.

Who We Are Looking For

The ideal candidate is a steady, strategic communicator who puts service to members and communities at the center of the work. This person communicates openly and consistently, builds trust through genuine relationships, demonstrates sound judgment under pressure, and has the resilience to lead through difficult conditions. We are looking for someone who understands the electric utility environment, respects the importance of member trust, and can translate complex utility issues into clear, meaningful communication for members, employees, media, community leaders, and industry partners.

Utility industry experience is essential. This role requires someone who has worked in the utility industry and understands the pace, responsibility, operational complexity, and public expectations of electric service. Experience with cooperative principles, outage communications, emergency response, regulatory considerations, member relations, and community-facing utility work will be especially valuable.

What you'll bring

• A bachelor's degree in marketing, journalism, public relations, communications, or a related field.
• At least 10 years of utility-related work experience in a leadership communications role.
• At least 5 years of management experience directing a comprehensive marketing, communications, or public relations department or function.
• Demonstrated experience serving as a spokesperson and leading communications through crisis, emergency, or other high-impact situations.
• Exceptional written, verbal, public speaking, media relations, and storytelling skills.
• Strong executive judgment, emotional intelligence, and the ability to communicate calmly and effectively under pressure.
• The ability to build trust and positive relationships with members, employees, board members, community leaders, media, and industry peers.

Why this role matters

SEC provides safe, reliable, affordable, and innovative power solutions through empowered people and a commitment to the Cooperative Principles. In this role, your work will directly support that mission by helping members understand the Cooperative's value, strengthening confidence in SEC, and ensuring our communities hear from us with accuracy, transparency, consistency, urgency and purpose.