Manager, Legal & Labor Communications

Intro

Are you ready to explore a world of possibilities, both at work and during your time off? Join our American Airlines family, and you’ll travel the world, grow your expertise and become the best version of you. As you embark on a new journey, you’ll tackle challenges with flexibility and grace, learning new skills and advancing your career while having the time of your life. Feel free to enrich both your personal and work life and hop on board!

Why you'll love this job

American Airlines is seeking a strategic and dynamic Manager of Communications to support our Legal and Labor organization. This role will be responsible for developing and executing internal and external communications strategies that protect and enhance the company’s reputation, support labor relations, and promote transparency and engagement across key stakeholder groups.
 
The ideal candidate will be a skilled communicator with experience in media relations, issues management, and team member engagement, and will thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.

What you'll do

As noted above, this list is intended to reflect the current job but there may be additional essential functions (and certainly non-essential job functions) that are not referenced.  Management will modify the job or require other tasks be performed whenever it is deemed appropriate to do so, observing, of course, any legal obligations including any collective bargaining obligations.

• Serve as a strategic communications partner to the Legal and Labor Relations teams, ensuring alignment of messaging across sensitive and complex topics.
• Develop and execute internal and external communication plans that support legal initiatives, labor negotiations, compliance updates, and employee relations.
• Draft clear, accurate and timely communications including press releases, statements, leader memos, talking points, FAQs and briefing documents related to legal and labor matters.
• Support the planning and execution of media interviews, video messages, and internal briefings for Legal and Labor Relations leadership team.
• Monitor legal and labor-related developments that may impact the company’s reputation and provide strategic counsel and develop response plans as needed.
• Collaborate closely with Legal, Government Affairs and People teams to ensure consistent and compliant messaging across all channels.
• Manage sensitive and confidential information with discretion, ensuring communications are legally sound and strategically positioned.
• Create content for internal platforms (e.g., intranet, newsletters, town halls) that informs and engages team members on legal and labor topics.
• Build and maintain relationships with media, particularly those covering legal, labor, and regulatory affairs, to help shape public perception.
• Measure and report on the effectiveness of communications strategies, using insights to refine future efforts.
• Support crisis communications and issues management related to legal proceedings, labor actions and regulatory changes.
• Uphold the integrity of the Global Engagement team by fostering trust and collaboration between Legal, Labor and broader company leadership.

All you'll need for success

Minimum Qualifications- Education & Prior Job Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in communications, public relations, journalism or a related field.
• Five years of relevant experience in corporate or agency communications, with demonstrated experience supporting legal, labor relations or regulatory work.
• Strong writing and storytelling skills, with the ability to translate complex topics into clear, engaging communications for internal and external audiences.
• Proven success in managing media relations and serving as a spokesperson, particularly in sensitive or high-stakes environments.
• Experience developing and executing communication strategies around legal proceedings, labor negotiations, compliance updates or employee relations.
• Ability to build and maintain relationships with reporters and other external stakeholders.
• High level of discretion and professionalism when handling confidential or sensitive information.

Preferred Qualifications- Education & Prior Job Experience

• Five years of experience supporting legal, labor relations or government affairs teams through strategic communications.
• Experience working in highly regulated industries such as aviation, transportation, or healthcare.
• Prior involvement in labor communications, including union engagement, contract negotiations and workforce messaging.
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional initiatives and influence across matrixe