Community Relations Specialist - Oahu

Community Relations Specialist - Oahu

The P QR COMMUNITY RELATIONS Department of the P COMMUNITY AFFAIRS Division at Hawaiian Electric Company has one management vacancy available. (Role: Professional) Job Function:
Develops, implements and coordinates community relations programs to further Company goals and objectives, including identifying critical community issues and concerns that may potentially impact the Company and recommending actions designed to address them.

Essential Functions:

Develops and implements strategic community relations and communications plans aimed at advancing the achievement of Company goals and facilitating the acceptance of Company initiatives and programs. Plans should incorporate insight gained through building key relationships with residential customers, community leaders, neighborhood boards, and other civic, community, and charitable organizations. Provide community relations guidance and consultation to Company personnel and assists in preparation of meetings, presentations, and materials necessary for public outreach.

Evening and/or weekend work may be necessary to ensure successful working relationships within the community. Functions as the company's liaison with customer and community stakeholders for major capital projects and smaller-scale projects. Provides community relations guidance, consultation, and strategy development for these projects to project personnel and assists in preparation of presentations for project managers. Conducts outreach and presentations before public groups and agencies in sometimes potentially hostile environments to explain the Company's position and address sensitive community concerns.

Responds to escalated concerns from customers or community members impacted by projects. Collaborates with Government Relations on critical issues being discussed with public and elected officials, including state and local agencies. Conducts research as needed to assist with responding to inquiries from federal, state, and county elected officials and government agencies. Works closely with Corporate Communications and Government Relations on external communications.

Apprise, inform, and educate Company management and employees about customer and community concerns that may impact operations to assure that the Company is fully aware of the environment in which it is operating and doing business. Solicit, monitor, and assess customer and community issues, community newsletters and other communications to track community sentiment and feeling. Also provides community relations support and training to employees and contractors to ensure awareness and sensitivity to customer and community member needs.

Provides cultural support for Company's projects in culturally sensitive areas and assists project leads with compliance with historic preservation issues. Collaborates closely with Community Relations Manager, Community Affairs Director, and Consultants to develop strategies for navigating through cultural sensitivities unique to Hawai'i. Such sensitivities include inadvertent burial discoveries, cultural protocols, and working in cultural resource areas. Coordinates project outreach with the State Historic Preservation Division, O'ahu Island Burial Council, known lineal and cultural descendants, and the Company's archaeological consultants.

Helps to avoid inadvertent damage to cultural and archaeological resources and violation of federal and state laws by field crews by promoting an understanding of Hawai'i's unique culture through cultural sensitivity training to employees and contractors. Participates in Company emergency response activities as assigned, including any activities required to prepare for such emergency response.

Basic Qualifications:

Knowledge Requirements Working knowledge of key community organizations and business in general. Working knowledge of federal, state, economic, business, and political climates. Demonstrated knowledge of communications and information dissemination techniques. Working understanding of the ways people communicate, listen, learn, and react. Working knowledge of personal computers and related software applications such as spreadsheets, word-processing, etc. Working knowledge of budgeting and forecasting processes.

Expert knowledge of Company operations; working knowledge of utility industry operations; basic familiarity with varying communities the Company serves, and the issues facing it and the industry. Sound understanding of individual, group, and organizational behavior. Skills Requirements The community relations function relies on a high level of people skills necessary to form and maintain positive and genuine relationships under potentially adverse conditions.

It also requires a high level of business skills, organization, and communication savvy. People Skills Leadership skills and ability to work with a variety of individuals dealing with sensitive, difficult or confrontational issues and hostile…