Communications InternAt — Suburban Water Systems

This position will be willing and able to perform the following duties and other requests/projects as needed:

1. Department Administrative Support: Prepare and submit sponsorship check requests for approval. Scheduling meetings for Communications Director. Maintain a media calendar to track key events and commitments. Other administrative requests from Communications Director.
2. Internal Communication: Prepare and publish internal communication pieces utilizing the company intranet, email, presentations, posted notices, and other cost-effective channels. (email announcements, Craig’s List, Capital Construction articles, promotion announcements, etc.). Request webmaster to adjust company’s intranet website pages to add, correct, update, and remove content. Plan and execute internal events with employees and managers to facilitate employee recognition, feedback, team building, and interaction between different departments. Other internal communication tasks as assigned.
3. External Communications and Public Relations: Participate in public relations events outside of normal business hours and on weekends, including staffing the company’s information table. Request webmaster to adjust company’s internet website pages to add, correct, update, and remove content. Support company’s social media presence, including monitoring accounts, creating content, posting content and responses, and training managers increase their social media participation. Prepare and publish external communications pieces, including water quality reports, customer bill stuffers/brochures, special event/display materials, audio-visual presentations, retail newspaper advertising, letters to customers, customer service Q&As, etc. Schedule and coordinate meetings between company managers, local agency leaders and elected officials (city, county, water districts, etc.) to build and strengthen relationships. Report measures of communication effectiveness and engagement, including tracking Google Analytics of Suburban’s webpage to identify frequency of sits visited by customers. Maintain company branding standards, by reviewing outgoing work product, to ensure a uniform image for company published materials.\u200b\u200b\u200b\u200b
4. Other external communications and public relations tasks a assigned.

Internal Communication
• Prepare and publish regular internal communication pieces utilizing the company intranet, email, newsletters, presentations, posted notices, and other cost-effective channels.
• Regularly monitor the company's intranet pages, internet website, and social media presence, enhancing the utility to employees and customers, and encouraging employee usage and engagement.
• Work with Director to regular, accurate, timely, creative, and engaging communications to all company employees through a range of channels, ensuring ease of access to communications, clarity, and consistency of messaging.
• Works with managers and team leaders to identify appropriate communications to keep staff informed, and helps to educate those leaders about when and how best to communicate for effectiveness.
• Helps plan and execute internal events to facilitate employee recognition, feedback, team building, and interaction between employees and managements, and employees of different departments.
• Participates in public relations events with employees

External Communications - Public Relations
• Regularly monitor company's internet website, and social media presence, to enhance the utility of these channels to customers, respond to comments, facilitate customer service, present the company's best image, and encourage engagement.
• Proactively pursue opportunities to gain positive public awareness for the company including company-sponsored public events and community events.
• Write and design specific communications pieces, including customer bill stuffers/brochures, special event/display materials, audio-visual presentations, retail newspaper advertising, letters to customers, customer service Q&As, etc.
• Monitor a media calendar to track all key events and commitments.
• Identify and report measures of communication effectiveness and engagement.
• Work closely with Regulatory Department to ensure all required communications are delivered accurately and timely to customers.
• Maintain company branding standards, reviewing outgoing work product, and ensuring a uniform image for company published materials.

Training:

1. One on One Mentor Meetings
2. Job Shadowing
3. Chamber and Community Involvement
4. Communication Webinars and Trainings

 Learning Outcomes:

1. Apply communications studies to real life, corporate situations. i.e- promote an event, plan an event, track media and media contacts, etc.
2. Develop Self-Confidence: Use the internship to develop self-confidence in doing relevant tasks in the workplace, speaking up in meetings, and working relatively independently.
3. Improve and Enhance Communication Skills: Refine verbal and written communication skills. i.e- presenting updates in meetings will target verbal skills, while email correspondence will enhance written abilities.
4. Make Industry Contacts: Will make industry contacts who we’ll aim to work closely with, gain advice from, and obtain their contact details to remain in touch for when the intern is looking for jobs after graduation.
5. Build a Professional Portfolio: A goal is to collate practical examples of intern’s work during the internship (such as reports, plans, or presentations).