COMPANY: Knoxville Utilities Board
POSITION: Communications Manager
JOB DESCRIPTION:
Are you interested in leading a critical area for a service-oriented company that impacts the lives of people in Knox and parts of seven surrounding counties? The Knoxville Utilities Board (KUB) is seeking a Manager of Communications to help keep customers, employees and other stakeholders informed about utility-related issues that are important to them. KUB has a more than 80-year history of service to communities in our region, currently serving more than 460,000 customers.
We are focused on excellence, with award winning performance in all areas of the company, and we are always looking for ways to improve. For example, we’re currently rolling out a new fiber internet service to all our electric system customers within the next 6 years. We have led the way in our infrastructure renewal program, Century II, which improves reliability and resilience by replacing and maintaining aging infrastructure before it fails. Our employees are committed to the community, using company-provided volunteer time to serve non-profit organizations in the communities we serve and supporting an annual United Way campaign. In everything we do, we are committed to quality.
The Manager of Communications is responsible for corporate communications, including employee communications, customer communications, media relations, social media, public relations and public awareness activities, corporate publications, and public information officer (PIO) duties during emergency events. This position reports to the Chief Administrative Officer. KUB’s Communications department is staffed with 13 employees, including 5 employees who are responsible for KUB’s internal print and mail operations. Writing, design and some video production are performed in-house. Contractors are used for some video production and large print jobs.
The Manager of Communications will work closely with executive leadership, marketing, community relations, human resources and operational functions to effectively communicate with a variety of stakeholders. The Manager of Communications will work hand in hand with the Manager of Marketing, which shares responsibility for social media when used for marketing purposes and manages all paid media. The two departments work together to ensure cohesive branding across all platforms, and to coordinate messaging effectively.
SKILLS/REQUIREMENTS:
The successful candidate will have the following skills:
- Exceptional writing skills and creativity
- Leadership and teambuilding
- Timeliness and attention to detail
- Organizational and time management skills
- Confident communicator/presenter
- Cool in a crisis
Minimum Requirements:
- Bachelors degree in Communications, Public Relations, Journalism, or a related field
- At least five years’ experience managing others
- Prior experience as a PIO or spokesperson, in a corporate communications role, or other
comparable experience. - Exceptional writing skills
Preferred Requirements:
- Advanced degree
- Media experience
- Other specialized communications skills (design, video production, social media expertise).
APPLY:
*To be considered for this job, you must apply for this position on our company website at http://www.kub.org.*
About the Selection Process
Phase 1 – Submit online application at http://www.kub.org
Phase 2 – Experience, training, and education evaluation
Phase 3 – Interview with department representatives
Phase 4 – Written, performance, and behavioral exercises
Phase 5 – Background investigation
Phase 6 – Physical assessment and/or drug screen
If special accommodations are needed at any phase of the selection process, please notify Human Resources in advance.