Primary Role

The External Affairs Specialist plays a vital role in advancing West Virginia American Water’s mission by serving as a visible and engaged representative of the company in the communities we serve. This position is responsible for leading community outreach efforts, managing social media engagement, triaging customer service inquiries, and supporting strategic communications initiatives. The Specialist will work closely with the state External Affairs (EA) team and corporate partners to ensure consistent messaging, responsive communication, and meaningful community impact. Some holiday and weekend hours are required.

Key Accountabilities

• Community Engagement & Outreach 
  Leads efforts to build and sustain strong relationships with community organizations, local leaders, and customers. Represents the company at public events, forums, and outreach activities to promote awareness of customer assistance programs and other community initiatives. Chairs the Community Investment Committee, overseeing funding decisions and partnerships that align with the company’s mission and values. 

• Social Media Strategy & Customer Interaction 
  Manages WVAW’s social media presence in coordination with corporate and state External Affairs teams. Develops and executes content strategies, monitors engagement, and responds to customer inquiries via inbox messages and comments. Triages customer service-related questions received through social media and other EA channels to the appropriate internal teams, ensuring timely and accurate resolution.

• Strategic Communications & Media Relations
  Supports the development and implementation of proactive communications strategies that align with business goals. Serves as a backup to the External Affairs Manager for media relations and press responses. Assists in drafting media materials, coordinating press events, and responding to critical incidents with clear, timely messaging.

• Integrated Communications Planning
  Collaborates with internal communications, customer communications, and corporate teams to ensure consistent messaging across all platforms. Contributes to the development of strategic communications plans, including key awareness campaigns and brand-building initiatives. Ensures alignment and integration of messaging across state and corporate levels.

• Local Government & Stakeholder Relations
  While not a primary focus, supports the facilitation of relationships with local elected officials and regulatory stakeholders through community engagement and outreach. Ensures the company is well-positioned and aligned with key local influencers and decision-makers.

• Monitoring & Insights
  Tracks internal and external developments that may impact the company’s reputation or operations. Identifies opportunities and risks, and provides insights to inform communications strategies and stakeholder engagement.

Knowledge/Skills

• Demonstrates a strong understanding of strategic communications, particularly in community engagement, social media management, and customer outreach.
• Knowledgeable about community-based organizations, local stakeholders, and grassroots initiatives, with the ability to build and sustain meaningful relationships across diverse communities.
• Proficient in managing social media platforms, including content creation, audience engagement, and customer/constituent inquiries.
• Skilled in developing clear, consistent messaging across multiple channels, including digital, print, and in-person communications.
• Understands the dynamics of customer service operations and can effectively route inquiries to appropriate internal teams for resolution.
• Familiar with corporate social responsibility principles and community investment strategies, including grantmaking and partnership development.
• Possesses strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to tailor messaging to different audiences including customers, community leaders, and internal stakeholders.
• Capable of supporting media relations activities, including drafting press materials and coordinating responses during critical incidents.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities, meet deadlines, and produce high-quality communications materials under pressure.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, PowerPoint, Excel) and comfortable working with databases and digital tools to support outreach and reporting.
• Understands the importance of compliance with disclosure requirements for publicly traded companies and can distinguish between material and non-material information.
• Collaborative and team-oriented, with experience working across departments and with partners to ensure alignment and integration of communications efforts.

Experience/Education

• Bachelor’s degree in journalism, communications, public relations, English, advertising or related field preferred, or demonstrated experience commensurate with the requirements of the position.
• Three to five years of experience in public relations, media relations, media reporting, marketing and community relations in a fast-paced corporate, government and/or agency environment.

Certifications & Licenses

Valid drivers’ license.

Work Environment

Occasional weekend, evening and holiday work.

Competencies