Director of Community Affairs

Consumers Energy is Michigan’s largest energy provider, providing natural gas and/or electricity to 6.8 million of the state’s 10 million residents in all 68 Lower Peninsula counties. Consumers Energy knows job number one is to keep the lights on for customers. We are committed to delivering reliable, clean, and affordable energy to our customers 24/7.

 

This position is not eligible for immigration sponsorship, e.g., H-1B, TN, etc. Please do not apply if you will need immigration sponsorship for a work visa now or in the future, including sponsorship for H-1B, TN, etc., now or in the future. We are unable to hire individuals with CPT, OPT, or STEM OPT for this position as the position is not eligible for participation in the H-1B lottery program and is not eligible for current or future immigration sponsorship for a work visa.

 

Location

 

This is a hybrid position (remote/onsite) with minimum required onsite days on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday assigned to One Energy Plaza located in Jackson, MI.  The candidate must be within a commutable distance to the location or willing to relocate (relocation package is available to those who qualify).

 

General Summary of Job Responsibilities

 

The Director of Community Affairs is responsible for building and sustaining strong relationships with individuals and organizations within the communities served by Consumers Energy (CE). This role collaborates with a diverse range of stakeholders, including government officials, community leaders, and members of the media. The Director will develop and implement comprehensive community outreach programs, organize impactful community events, manage CE’s social media presence, and foster partnerships with key stakeholders. Additionally, the Director will proactively identify and pursue new opportunities to enhance community engagement. This role plays a pivotal role in translating corporate initiatives into actionable community impact. This leader will drive forward thinking initiatives at the intersection of customer relations, community engagement, and environmental justice- ensuring that strategic priorities are aligned, measurable and sustainable.

 

 

This position will shape and execute high impact relationships and projects that reflect the company’s long-term vision, strengthen public trust and elevate how we serve communities. The role requires a strategic mindset, strong operational acumen, and the ability to execute cross-functional efforts that span the customer, community, and enterprise with transformational outcomes.

 

 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

 

• Translate the organizations long-term strategy into actional plans that advance equity, improve grassroot relationships and deepen community trust.
• Lead the design execution of cross functional enterprise-level initiatives that address systemic community needs and align with the company’s transformational agenda.
• Identify gaps and negative sentiment, assessing impact and lead continuous improvement efforts across environmental justice and community- facing strategies.
• Leverage customer feedback, behavioral data, and frontline experience to design solutions that are responsive, equitable, transformational, and future- focused.
• Anticipate and mitigate community -related impacts of operational changes or regulatory shifts.
• Champion equity-centered approaches that strengthen access, affordability, and representation across our service territories.
• Lead efforts to align customer experience, community impact, enterprise transformation, and equity into a strategic framework.
• Manage the company’s community storm activation process, relationship with vendors and On-Call team member process who engage in activations.

• Ensure the voice of all customers and communities that we serve are reflected in all enterprise strategies and execution plans.
• Supervise community relations staff and volunteers, providing guidance, mentorship, and ongoing support to ensure effective team performance and professional development.
• Manage the budget for community relations programs, closely monitoring expenditures and ensuring all activities remain within established financial parameters.
• Prepare comprehensive reports on community relations activities, outcomes, and impacts for presentation to senior management and the Board of Directors.
• Identify innovative opportunities for community engagement, and present strategic recommendations to senior management to enhance program reach and effectiveness.
• Track and analyze key metrics related to community engagement programs, including volunteer hours contributed, donations receive