Communications Program Manager

The Communications Program Manager leads communication strategies for major projects, guiding stakeholder engagement, community outreach, and issue management from planning through delivery. This role partners across teams to assess risks, develop messaging, and outreach plans, and ensure activities align with company values, regulatory requirements, and project goals while building trust with customers and communities.

What You Will Do

Partner with project teams and internal groups to align communications with project goals, conduct situational analyses to identify risks, concerns, and engagement needs, develop and execute messaging, outreach, and participation plans, manage media relations, and oversee external contractors and community investment activities.

Why It Might Be a Fit

The ideal candidate will have a minimum of 8+ years of experience in corporate communications or public relations, proven experience with corporate reputation management and stakeholder engagement, and excellent writing and presentation skills. The role requires self-direction, team focus, and results orientation, with experience in planning and implementing communications plans and projects, and the ability to juggle multiple topics and projects at once.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Journalism, English, Public Relations, Communications or related field
• A minimum of 8+ years of experience in corporate communications environment or public relations agency
• Proven experience with corporate reputation management and stakeholder engagement
• Experience in issues management, media relations, crisis communications required
• Proven ability to gain trust quickly and to maintain confidentiality and credibility within the company and when dealing with the media
• Experience in the energy sector and public policymaking a plus
• Proven experience working with digital mediums and online community engagement
• Requires excellent writing and presentation skills
• Experience in planning and implementing communications plans and projects; track record of meeting deadlines; ability to juggle multiple topics and projects at once; and increasing responsibility
• Must be self-directed, team focused and results oriented
• Experience in the Incident Command System, or willingness to be trained/certified
• Requires PowerPoint skills, as well as other digital platforms and project management tools

Benefits

• Rich health insurance benefits with competitive employer contribution
• Free access to an online wellness resources platform
• Up to 23 Vacation Days
• 80 Hours of Sick Time
• 10 paid holidays and 3 floating holidays
• Flexible work arrangements
• 3 weeks paid parental leave
• 1500 sq foot exercise facility and secure bike room
• Meaningful annual incentive bonus opportunity in addition to base salary
• Competitive 401K company contribution and match
• 15% discount on NW Natural stock through Employee Stock Purchase Program
• Up to $5250 a year in tuition reimbursement
• Wellness incentive program
• Discounts on natural gas service
• Up to 30% discount at NW Natural Appliance Center
• TriMet Pass for all HQ employees
• Generous discounts with Verizon & AT&T Wireless