[Hiring] Senior Director, Western External Affairs and Communications @Southwest Power Pool

Role Description

Join Southwest Power Pool as a Senior Director of Western External Affairs and Communications! Are you ready to shape the future of the Western energy market? At Southwest Power Pool (SPP), we’re looking for a strategic leader to expand our presence across the Western Interconnection and drive meaningful stakeholder engagement that supports growth, market expansion, and long-term partnerships.

The Senior Director of Western External Affairs and Communications leads efforts to advance SPP’s strategic position and stakeholder adoption across the Western Interconnection, directly influencing organizational growth, market expansion, and key stakeholder and partner alignment. This role builds trusted relationships, earns credibility, and establishes a strong SPP presence across the region.

In parallel, this position owns communications strategy for all western activities, developing and delivering messaging that clearly articulates SPP's value proposition, regional services, and strategic priorities to western audiences. This role partners closely with the Director of Communications to ensure alignment with enterprise strategy while tailoring engagement and messaging to the unique dynamics of the Western region.

What You'll Do

• Western External Affairs
  • Drive Stakeholder Intelligence
    • Establish a proactive stakeholder intelligence framework that enables executive leadership to anticipate and respond to emerging western stakeholder, policy, and market risks with no material surprises.
  • Engage State Government and Legislative Leaders
    • Build and maintain proactive relationships with state legislators, legislative committees, and governors’ energy offices across the Western Interconnection. Serve as SPP’s primary point of contact for state government affairs, anticipating legislative and executive priorities that may affect SPP’s western activities, and positioning SPP as a credible, accessible resource for policymakers navigating the energy transition.
  • Manage Regional Media and Public Outreach
    • Partner with the Director of Communications to lead regional media relations, public communications, and outreach campaigns that elevate SPP's visibility and credibility across the western energy landscape.
  • Represent SPP Externally
    • Maintain a consistent and visible presence in regional forums and stakeholder discussions, establishing credibility and serving as a trusted source of insight to inform and advance organizational priorities. Build relationships that open doors, reduce friction, and position SPP as a valued partner in the region's energy future.
• Western Stakeholder Engagement and Strategy
  • Build and Execute Stakeholder Strategy
    • Develop and implement a comprehensive stakeholder engagement strategy, that establishes SPP as a trusted, proactive partner across western utilities, regulators, policymakers, and regional forums. Deliver measurable progress in relationship depth and stakeholder awareness and maintain relationships moving forward.
  • Serve as SPP's Western Voice
    • Act as the primary liaison between SPP and western stakeholders, ensuring timely and clear communication of organizational priorities, services developments, and strategic initiatives. Be present, accessible, and credible in the regional forums and conversations to add value and bring needed insights forward.
• Western Communications Strategy
  • Lead Western Communications
    • Establish SPP's communications presence in the west. Own the development and execution of a proactive communications strategy supporting SPP's activities and market initiatives in the Western Interconnection.
  • Develop Compelling Western Messaging
    • Lead the development of messaging, briefings, talking points, and communication materials that clearly articulate SPP's value proposition, market design, and strategic initiatives to western audiences. Translate complex energy and regulatory concepts into narratives that resonate with the target audience.
• Strategic Collaboration and Alignment
  • Align with Enterprise Communications
    • Collaborate closely with the Director of Communications to ensure all regional communications are consistent with SPP's enterprise strategy, messaging standards, and brand, while remaining tailored to the unique context of western stakeholders.
  • Bridge Internal Complexity for External Audiences
    • Partner with Regulatory Policy, Markets+, Engineering, and Operations to translate complex technical and policy developments into external messaging that western stakeholders can understand and act on.
• Strategic Leadership and Organizational Impact
  • Advise Executive Leadership
    • Provide timely, candid strategic guidance to SPP's executive leadership on western stakeholder dynamics, regulatory developments, and communications opportunities, with particular focus on areas where such dynamics create reputational risk or opportunity.
  • Organizational Leadership and Governance
    • Build and lead the Western team. Lead, develop, and grow staff supporting western stakeholder and communications activities. Foster a team culture that aligns with SPP’s overarching values and sets responsiveness, accountability, and service as priorities. The team should also be capable of sustaining SPP's western presence as the organization's footprint expands.
  • Measure and Improve Effectiveness
    • Establish and monitor performance metrics to evaluate stakeholder engagement and communications effectiveness. Use those insights to continuously sharpen the organization's western strategy.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Public Affairs, Public Policy, Business, Energy Policy, or a related field
• Minimum 10+ years of relevant experience in stakeholder engagement, public affairs, communications, regulatory policy, or energy industry roles
• At least 5 years in leadership or management positions

Requirements

• Demonstrated success managing stakeholder relationships in complex regulatory or policy environments
• Proven ability to influence and advise senior leadership on stakeholder engagement and communications strategy
• Strong strategic communications and messaging development skills
• Ability to translate complex energy, regulatory, and market concepts into clear messaging
• Strong facilitation, relationship-building, and executive presentation skills
• A bias for action and demonstrated ability to build programs, relationships, and presence where little existed before

Benefits

• Competitive pay with bonus opportunities
• Excellent insurance package including three great medical plans to choose from, employer-paid short term disability, long term disability, and life insurance
• Relocation assistance
• Flexible working environment for positions that are eligible
• Fantastic contributions to your retirement through a 401(k) savings plan with employer-match benefits and a defined benefit plan fully funded by SPP