Vice President, Customer and Community Engagement

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Job Title: Vice President, Customer and Community Engagement

Posting Dates: September 24 - October 25, 2026

Starting Pay Range: $216,000 - $270,000

Competitive compensation and benefits package offered, designed to attract and retain top talent.

JOB SUMMARY

Responsible for providing strategic leadership and direction for the Customer and Community Engagement division and advancing LES’ customer experience strategy while supporting reliable, accessible, and fair service for all customers. Specific responsibilities include leading customer service operations, customer experience, customer programs, service quality assurance, customer-facing communications, as well as public and governmental affairs; and ensuring the division has the resources, data, communication, stability, and culture needed to serve customers well. This position is part of the executive leadership of LES, and as such is expected to demonstrate experience, skills and abilities consistent with a senior leader in a large, complex organization.

ABOUT LINCOLN ELECTRIC SYSTEM (LES)

Lincoln Electric System, based in Lincoln, Nebraska, is the second largest retail electric utility in the state and the 23rd largest public power utility in the U.S. LES provides electric services to Lincoln and the surrounding communities of Prairie Home, Waverly, Walton, Cheney, and Emerald, serving over 153,000 customers—88% residential and 12% commercial and industrial—across approximately 200 square miles.

A municipal utility owned by the city of Lincoln, LES employs around 560 people, with 27% represented by two IBEW unions. Guided by the LES Administrative Board, appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by City Council, the utility has a 60-year legacy of reliability, affordability, and sustainability under local control. LES is deeply engaged in the community, delivering safe, resilient, and cost-effective electric services while supporting the growth and vitality of Lincoln and the surrounding region.

Lincoln, Nebraska offers an exceptional quality of life, combining the accessibility and affordability of a mid-sized city with the cultural, educational, and economic opportunities of a larger metropolitan area. As the state capital and home to the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, the community is vibrant, growing, and deeply connected through strong civic engagement and local pride. Residents enjoy a welcoming, family-friendly environment with excellent schools, diverse neighborhoods, and a cost of living that supports both comfort and opportunity.

Lincoln is known for its extensive park system, miles of connected trails, and year-round recreational opportunities, making it easy to enjoy an active lifestyle. The city also boasts a dynamic arts and entertainment scene, locally owned restaurants and businesses, and a thriving downtown that continues to evolve. With a stable economy, low unemployment, and a strong sense of community partnership, Lincoln is an ideal place to live, work, and lead—especially those passionate about serving the public and making a meaningful impact in the community.

• Provides strategic leadership and direction for the Customer and Community Engagement division, includingensuringthe division’s purpose, priorities, roadmap, and performance measuresarein alignment with LES’ vision and enterprise priorities.
• Provides skilled leadership at the executive level that delivers a safe, productive, collaborative, and healthy work environment, intended to achieve outstanding employee experience.
• Champions the development, implementation, and measurement of best-in-classcustomer experienceprinciples and practices, providing strategic leadership for customer service, customer programs, service quality, accessibility, and other customer-focused functions.
• Provides strategic oversightand occasional tactical guidanceof public and governmental affairs and policy-related issues, ensuring the best interests of LES and theservice areaare represented and advocated for with civic leaders, public officials, community stakeholders, and industry partners.
• Provides strategic oversight for mass and crisis communications, media and public relations, advertising, education, events, and marketing strategies to strengthen LES’ brand, foster public trust, and ensure clear and consistent community engagement.
• Ensures the availability ofcustomer data, voice-of-customer insights, satisfaction measures, complaint trends, and operational metrics, and uses thoseto guide decisions and lead digital transformation and continuous improvement efforts that improve the customer experience.
• Provides effective executive leadership for complex customer and community escalations, outage and crisis communications, and other time-sensitive issues,demonstratingsound judgment and decisiveness when information may be incomplete.
• Aligns divisional budgets, staffing, and resources with strategic and service priorities and develops and supports leaders and employees through coaching, feedback, accountability, and development opportunities.
• Communicates customer service performance, risks, opportunities, priorities, and resource needs to executive leadership and supports the development and delivery of presentations and information for the LES Administrative Board and committees.
• Builds andmaintainsproductive relationships and strong partnerships across LES and with community organizations, technology partners, industry groups, civic leaders, public officials, and other stakeholders to advance enterprise priorities and strengthen LES’ ability to serve customers and the community.
• Ensures customer service practices align with applicable utility regulations,statutoryobligations, consumer protection expectations, internal guidelines, and balanced risk management practices while leading organizational change with clarity, consistency, and care.
• Participates as a member of executive leadership, bringing the customer and community perspective to enterprise decisions and fostering a culture of trust, transparency, accountability, collaboration, and service while balancing customer and employee needs, organizational priorities, operational realities, and the long-term interests of LES

Communication

Expresses ideas and information in a clear and concise manner whether verbally, written, or other means; tailors message to fit the interests and needs of the audience; delivers information in a manner that is interesting and compelling.

Customer Focus

Putting customers, both internal and external, at the center of business decisionstoidentifyand respond to current and future customer needs. Builds customer confidence, is committed to increasing customer satisfaction, sets achievable customer expectations, assumes responsibility for solving customer problems, ensures commitments to customers are met,solicitsopinions and ideas from customers, responds to internal customers.

Teamwork

The ability to effectively interact, cooperate, collaborate, and manage conflicts with other people.Shows enthusiasm toward being a member of the group; activelyparticipatesin team meetings and activities;leveragesthe skills and interests of coworkers to achieve goals and solve problems; supports team decisions.

Decision Making

Moves quickly to make good decisions and commit to a clear course of action; comfortable making sound decisions based on partial information; willing to takeappropriate riskstomaintainmomentum; shows a strong bias toward action.

Leading/Facilitating Teams

Helps team develop a vision,objectives, and goals consistent with the organization’s mission while encouraging personal ownership,anticipating, and resolving conflicts, and fostering an environment where team members are motivated to do their best work.

OTHER SKILLS AND ABILITIESREQUIRED

• Demonstrated strategic leadership with the ability to translate enterprise priorities into practical divisional strategies, lead organizational change and continuous improvement, and achieve measurable outcomes.
• Exceptional communication, listening, and relationship-building skills with the ability to effectively engage employees, executive leadership, the LES Administrative Board, public officials, community stakeholders, customers, and industry partners.
• Demonstrated emotional intelligence, empathy, sound judgment, and composure with the ability to navigate complex or sensitive situations, provide constructive feedback, develop leaders, build trust, and make effective decisions under pressure.
• Strong ability to use customer and operational data, technology, and automation toidentifyopportunities and improve service while balancing customer and community needs with organizational priorities, regulatory requirements, risk considerations, and operational realities.

REQUIRED EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, public administration, communications, marketing, management, or a related field; and
• Progressively responsible leadership experience in customer service, customer experience, community engagement, public or governmental affairs, communications, utility operations, or a related field, includingsignificant experienceleading teams, organizational strategy, and complex cross-functional initiatives; or
• An equivalent combination of education and experience sufficient to successfully perform the essential duties of the job.

REQUIRED CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS

• Valid driver’s license.

• LES is interested in every qualified candidate who is eligible to work in the United States.
• LES is unable to sponsor employment-based immigrant or non-immigrant visas.
• This is not a remote position and requires residency within a reasonable commuting distance to LES in Lincoln, Nebraska.