External Communications Director

RWE Americas, LLC
To start as soon as possible, full time, permanent

Functional area: Communications
Remuneration: Exempt

As External Communications Director, you will lead the strategy, development, and execution of high‑impact external communications that advance RWE’s enterprise reputation, advocacy goals, and public positioning. This role shapes the company’s voice across major campaigns, media engagement, thought leadership, and public‑facing content. While deeply attuned to policy and legislative trends that affect the energy sector, this role drives storytelling, manages enterprise‑level issues and opportunities, and partners with senior leadership to proactively elevate the company’s brand, expertise, and industry leadership. The Director works cross‑functionally—collaborating with Communications, Government Relations, Policy, Regulatory, and business teams—to ensure cohesive, strategic, and compelling messaging across all external platforms. This is a senior individual contributor role. The position does not have direct people-management responsibilities. Success in this role is achieved through strategic leadership, subject matter expertise, and influence across cross-functional teams, agency partners, and senior stakeholders. 

Role Responsibilities: 

• Develop and execute proactive storytelling and media relations strategies, identifying opportunities to position RWE as a credible voice on energy and innovation while building strong relationships with national and policy-focused reporters


• Monitor legislative, regulatory, and policy developments, synthesizing trends into actionable insights that inform messaging, content development, and external engagement


• Partner with Government Relations, Policy, Legal, and Regulatory teams to ensure external communications align with advocacy goals and accurately convey RWE’s positions on key issues


• Work with the Senior Director, External Communications to help position the industry in a positive light through coalition-building and broader industry PR campaigns


• Partner on the development of high-quality external content, including press releases, speeches, op‑eds, policy statements, executive messaging, digital campaigns, and external-facing materials


• Drive executive and company thought-leadership strategy by identifying key themes, speaking opportunities, platforms, and content that enhance visibility and influence


• Serve as a key communications advisor on issues and reputation management  creating rapid‑response messaging, scenario materials, and external statements around influential policy and legislative shifts at the federal and state level


• Coordinate and execute advocacy-focused and public-facing campaigns using data insights to shape messaging, target audiences, and measure impact


• Collaborate across functions to ensure message consistency and cohesive enterprise storytelling


• Manage agency partners and external vendors supporting media relations, public affairs and campaign delivery


• Drive collection of data, metrics and insights to evaluate and report on activities and strategic effectiveness


• Work closely with industry associations to which we belong to leverage our memberships to drive priority point of view, maximize tools and resources, deepen industry relationships, and increase industry influence and brand awareness


• Proven ability to lead complex initiatives through influence rather than direct authority

Job Requirements and Experiences:

• Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Journalism, Government Affairs, or a related field


• Minimum 10 years of experience in external communications, public relations, or public affairs


• Exceptional storytelling and communications skills, with the ability to influence and inspire across all levels


• Deep understanding of business priorities and engagement needs


• Proven ability to manage multiple activities and stakeholders, with exceptional project management capabilities


• Experience working in fast-paced, global or matrixed organizations


• Exceptional writing and editing skills, with high attention to detail


• Strong collaborator with exceptional stakeholder management, influencing, and relationship-building skills


• Background in the renewable energy or broader energy sector preferred


• Experience succeeding in a senior individual contributor role that requires influencing stakeholders, driving strategy, and leading cross-functional initiatives without direct reports


• Experience directing and overseeing external PR agencies and consulting partners


• Experience driving time-sensitive, cross-functional project campaigns


• Strong time management skills with ability to multi-task across projects


• Exceptional relationship-building skills, organizational awareness, and ability to persuade others to accomplish project objectives


• A collaborative mindset, strong project management skills, and a keen eye for detail


• This position is an office-based role with some travel and visits to other RWE office and field locations


• Must be able to sit, walk, or stand for long durations of time

Work Environment:

This position is an office-based role with some travel and visits to other RWE Americas offices and field locations.  The employee must be able to sit, walk, or stand for long durations of time.

Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States. RWE Americas is unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of employment visas at this time.  

Pay range: The annual base salary range for this position in Washington D.C. is $179,000 - $225,000. The listed salary range represents our good faith estimate for this position and represents the range for new hire salaries across all U.S locations. Please note that the salary information is a general guideline only. RWE considers factors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate’s education & work experience, training & certifications, and key skills as well as market and business considerations at the time of the offer.

Benefits offered: Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, Short-Term Disability, Long-Term Disability, 401(k) match, Flexible Spending Accounts, EAP, Education Assistance, Parental Leave, Paid time off, and Holidays. Eligible employees also participate in short-term incentives, in addition to salary.

Apply with just a few clicks: ad code 92774. Any questions? Contact HR:  [email protected]

We look forward to meeting you. Of course, you can find us on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Xing, too.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, disability, veteran status, or other legally protected status.

RWE Americas, a subsidiary of RWE, is a US-based energy company that is helping to meet the growing demand for energy across the United States. Backed by RWE’s 125-year global legacy of managing diverse power assets, RWE Americas operates approximately 13 GW of power projects across 27 states. With a talented workforce of 2,000 employees, RWE Americas develops, constructs and operates wind, solar and battery storage projects that safely deliver affordable, reliable electricity to our customers. Committed to responsible development, RWE Americas invests in local and rural communities, creating jobs and partnering with stakeholders to support and strengthen the places where we live and work. Learn more about how RWE Americas is generating impact at americas.rwe.com.

At RWE Americas, we foster a culture defined by our Essential Behaviors – Have Courage, Create Impact and Actively Collaborate. We encourage bold thinking and continuous learning, and we value ownership, resilience and inclusion in everything we do. When you join us, you become part of a team that supports your development, respects your contributions and celebrates shared success. This is a place where you can grow your career and make a meaningful difference.