External Affairs Program Manager

JOB TITLE:

External Affairs Program Manager

Location:

North Fort Myers, FL

Work Hours:

M-F 8-5pm (varied hours)

• Company-wide annual incentive plan
• Medical, vision and dental insurance
• 401(k) plan with a generous 6% company match
• Company funded Pension Plan
• On-site wellness/medical facility
• Company paid Short & Long-Term Disability insurance
• Health Savings Account with an employer contribution
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Paid time off and paid holidays
• Wellness program with financial rewards
• Tuition reimbursement
• Group life insurance
• Critical Illness and Accident Insurance

LCEC provides reliable, cost-competitive electricity to more than 260,000 members throughout a five-county service territory located in Southwest Florida.

We employ approximately 485 skilled employees and are one of more than 900 electric distribution cooperatives located throughout the United States.

LCEC has been recognized locally and statewide as an industry leader and continually receives acknowledgment for the work that our employees do in the community along with other civic, environmental and professional honors.

The External Affairs Lead is responsible for developing and executing LCEC's External Affairs strategy in alignment with organizational priorities and executive leadership direction. This position serves as the cooperative's primary point of contact for government and community stakeholders, proactively identifying risks, opportunities, and external factors that may impact operations, growth, and organizational positioning.

This position manages higher-impact stakeholder relationships and represents LCEC in strategic external engagements, leads resolution of complex community and governmental challenges and provides coordinated solutions related to stakeholder risk, community sentiment, and engagement strategy. The position works collaboratively across departments and supports organizational objectives through proactive issue identification, coordination, and external representation. Working closely with Key Accounts, Operations, and Business Continuity, this role ensures alignment between day-to-day operational execution and long-term external strategy.

The External Affairs Lead supports LCEC's ability to proactively navigate an evolving political and regulatory environment while maintaining strong community relationships and advancing organizational resilience.

• Lead LCEC's government relations, legislative affairs, and external stakeholder engagement efforts, cultivating relationships with policymakers, governmental leadership, and influential community stakeholders to support organizational priorities and long-term strategic objectives.
• Manage relationships with governmental entities in their capacity as policymakers, regulators, and community decision-makers rather than as utility customers or account holders.
• Assess emerging legislative, regulatory, political, and community issues; develop engagement strategies and provide recommendations to executive leadership regarding organizational risks, opportunities, and stakeholder impacts.
• Monitor local, state, and federal legislative actions, ordinances, and policy discussions that may impact LCEC and assess potential impacts to the organization.
• Facilitate cross functional alignment to support timely resolution of government-related challenges, inquiries, or concerns. Support development of response strategies and recommendations for leadership as needed.
• Prepare and deliver information to government stakeholders related to LCEC initiatives, infrastructure projects, service issues, rate-related matters, and outage or restoration activity.
• Provide input into messaging approaches and support leadership briefings related to governmental matters. Ensure consistency of messaging with internal guidance and organizational priorities.
• Represent LCEC in high-visibility or contentious settings requiring independent judgment and discretion.
• Support coordination with government partners during emergency events or organizational activations.
• Participate in targeted community or civic activities directly related to government…