Job Description

Senior Community Engagement Specialist – Energy Projects

The Community Engagement team is searching for a Senior Community Engagement Specialist to enable customer outreach for energy-related initiatives, construction activities and capital projects. The scope of this role is primarily focused on energy-related projects and issues, but the team is dynamic and works across issues to support each other when needed.

How will you make an impact?

• Astutely navigate the complexity of the energy industry and the layers of regulatory and permitting requirements for energy projects
• Use your in-depth knowledge and experience to define community engagement strategy, create measurable objectives, monitor performance, and train and mentor other team members
• Create and implement engagement strategies based on the International Association of Public Participation (IAP2) Spectrum of Public Participation
• Pursue innovative methods for engaging customers on important issues and projects
• Manage in-person customer and construction crew interactions in a wide variety of conditions **
• Provide community engagement consultation to other departments and leadership; provide strategic counsel to staff on policy decisions, procedures, and operations
• Anticipate and plan for risk
• Lead and facilitate public meetings and community presentations, to include in-person, hybrid and virtual forums
• Adapt engagement strategies to the unique needs of different audiences and projects
• De-escalate customer conflicts, including one-on-one discussions with residential and commercial customers, and interactions with construction contractors, internal construction and operational crews
• Provide timely and accurate customer notifications for energy-related construction projects
• Protect the organization's brand by embracing transparency, accessibility, flexibility and accountability
• Support crisis response
• Participate in a 24/7 on-call emergency response team on a rotating basis

Who You Are:

• Bachelor’s degree in Public Relations, Communications, or a closely related field
• Possess 7+ years of experience in planning, implementing and evaluating customer engagement strategies
• Can negotiate the dynamism of the energy industry as well as the demands of representing a community-owned utility
• Can demonstrate critical thinking and problem-solving skills
• Possess strong writing skills with the ability to translate complex topics in a way that makes them easy to understand and relatable to affected audiences
• Ability to navigate a large volume of projects, requests and tasks within the same timeline
• Detail focused and a commitment to meeting deadlines
• Comfortable with software tools and platforms to support customer outreach, effective communication and collaboration
• Highly relational with demonstrated experience building and strengthening relationships with internal staff and affected communities
• Proven ability to provide strategic engagement counsel to individual contributors, managers, executives and board members
• Bilingual in English/Spanish preferred, but not required for consideration

**NOTE: As this position is a combination of field work and office work, the selected candidate will spend time working inside and spend time outdoors transporting and carrying equipment to and from public meetings, visiting construction sites, hiking/climbing/walking to locations (some remote) and may be impacted by various weather conditions.

A valid, unrestricted driver's license is required for this position.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS/WORKING CONDITIONS:
- Exerts up to 20 lbs. of force occasionally, and/or up to 10 lbs. of force frequently, and/or a small amount of force constantly to move objects. Physical demand requirements are in excess of those required for Sedentary Work. Even though the weight lifted may be only a small amount, a job should be rated Light Work when it requires walking or standing to a significant degree or when it requires sitting most of the time, but entails pushing and/or pulling of arm or leg controls and/or when the job requires working at a production rate pace entailing the constant pushing and/or pulling of materials even though the weight of those materials is small. NOTE: The constant stress and strain of maintaining a production rate pace, especially in an industrial setting, can be and is physically demanding work even though the amount of force exerted is negligible.
- Positions in this class typically require reaching, standing, walking, grasping, talking, hearing, seeing and repetitive motions.

Who We Are: Colorado Springs Utilities is the largest community owned, not-for-profit, four-service utility in the nation. For 100 years, we have provided Colorado Springs with safe, reliable and competitively-priced electric, natural gas, water and wastewater services. We care about our community's well-being, support local business and have an interest in all things that help make Colorado Springs a great place to live, work and play

Be a part of a unique, customer-owned and operated four-service utility. With our rare distinction of providing four utility services – natural gas, electricity, water, and wastewater treatment – we offer a varied, fast-paced work culture teeming with potential.

Colorado Springs Utilities infuses corporate responsibility and safety into daily business operations with the foundation of decision-making focused on our community owners, employees, and environment. As an employee, you will have an opportunity to contribute ideas and solutions in an engaging, dynamic team environment.

Our Commitment to Our Employees…
Our people are the heart and soul of Colorado Springs Utilities. They keep the lights on, gas flowing, water coming in, and wastewater leaving. We don't just say people are important – we prove it! That’s why we are honored to invest in protecting the health and financial security of our employees and their families through our rich benefits program.

Time Off to Recharge

• Vacation – Start with 13 days annually, increasing to 24 days with tenure
• Personal Leave –3 days per year
• Paid Holidays –12 paid holidays per year
• Sick Leave – 12 days per year for personal or family health needs
• Vacation Buy – Option to purchase up to 40 additional hours annually

Health & Wellness – Benefits elected are effective the first of the following month

• Medical Plans: Three comprehensive options, including a $0 premium High-Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) with Health Savings Account (HSA) eligibility
• Zero Health: Access to hundreds of medical services at no cost
• Dental & Vision: Two dental plans and one vision plan
• Family Building-Benefits: Support for fertility, preservation, adoption, and surrogacy
• Wellness Program: A voluntary program that rewards you for prioritizing self-care! If you're enrolled in a our medical plan, you and your spouse can earn up to $600 in HRA or HSA contributions by completing healthy activities
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA): Pre-tax contributions for healthcare and dependent care expenses
• Health Savings Account (HSA): Available with HDHP

Financial & Retirement Security

• Pension Plan: Colorado PERA provides retirement benefits and peace of mind
• Supplemental Retirement Plans: PERAPlus 401(k), MissionSquare Roth IRA, and 457 plans
• Disability Coverage: Short-Term and Long-Term Disability insurance available
• Life Insurance: Employer-paid coverage with optional supplemental plans
• Long-Term Care Insurance: Available for purchase to support extended care needs

Additional Support

• Employee Assistance Program (EAP): Confidential support for mental health, stress, legal, financial, and work-life balance
• Tuition Reimbursement: Up to $5,250 annually to support continued education
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness: As a qualifying employer, your student loan payments may be eligible for loan forgiveness