Senior Manager, External Communications

WM, a Fortune 250 company, is the leading provider of comprehensive waste and environmental services in North America. We are strongly committed to a foundation of operating excellence, professionalism and financial strength. WM serves nearly 25 million customers in residential, commercial, industrial and municipal markets throughout North America through a network of collection operations, transfer stations, landfills, recycling facilities and waste-based energy production projects.

I.  Job Summary

This corporate, Houston-based position is responsible for drafting and executing WM’s external communications plans and strategy related to media relations and executive visibility. While not directly responsible, it’s important to have the ability to think holistically across all channels and make recommendations for robust storytelling (e.g., earned, owned, social, internal).

This position is part of a team responsible for translating the company’s strategy into clear, compelling communications. This team is accountable for the company’s relationships with the media, creation of messaging and maintaining brand reputation. 

The role also requires an understanding of and ability to guide the process for development of content assets – such as video and photography – that strengthen and support WM’s communications strategies. 

In this role, the Senior Manager of External Communications develops and executes storytelling that positions WM as a leader in technology and innovation, highlights the people behind our work and showcases how we help customers solve their toughest challenges. This role ensures alignment across stakeholders and delivers targeted messages that elevate our brand purpose.

With the above storytelling objectives in mind, this individual will create and execute comprehensive external communications plans to support WM’s senior leadership team and other executives across the WM organization. 

II.  Essential Duties and Responsibilities 

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Other minor duties may be assigned. 

Traditional External Communications Responsibilities:

• Leads and works alongside other communications team members, external agencies for story mining within the organization to identify story opportunities that bolster WM’s reputation as a leader and innovator in the environmental services industry and beyond. 
• Responsible for creating comprehensive, multi-channel communications strategies and campaigns to raise WM’s profile with external audiences, including employees, media, customers, communities, and shareholders.
• Liaises with team that oversees the strategy for Area communicators across North America, ensuring consistent messaging is brought down to a local level, as well as the delivery of relevant communications tools. 
• Integrates overall reporting for quality and quantity of media coverage alongside any owned channels performance while using data to inform future strategies and tactics.
• Exceptional writer and copy editor. 
• Creative, results- and solutions-oriented thinker that can craft communications plans that garner results. 
• Comfortable with proactive media relations outreach. 
• Protect WM’s reputation through creative storytelling, strategic media relations and external communications planning.
• Assists with directing external agency relationships.

III. Qualifications

The requirements listed below are representative of the qualifications necessary to perform the job.

A.  Education and Experience

Education: Bachelor’s Degree (accredited), or equivalent experience in Communication, Journalism or Public Relations.

Experience: 

• 7-9 years of overall external communications experience (with a strong emphasis on media relations, executive visibility and comprehensive communications plans) working for an agency or in an in-house Corporate Communications role at a Fortune 500 company. 

• Possess a keen understanding of integrated communications and the ability to make recommendations for storytelling across all channels.

   

   

   

B. Other Knowledge Skills or Abilities

• Crisis communications experience preferred.
• Experience in advocacy communications/working with government relations teams preferred.
• Strong written and oral communication skills. 
• Demonstrated ability to work as part of a team but also be a self-starter with the ability to work independently and with minimal supervision. 
• Ability to prioritize requests and leverage communications resources in a matrixed environment for business requests.
• Ability to craft impactful storytelling messages. 
• Experience securing local and national