Relationship Manager and Executive Communications Lead

Senior Communications Strategist

PNNL's Communications organization is committed to elevating PNNL's reputation, inspiring action, and engaging audiences by transforming the Lab's science, mission, and impact into influential communications and compelling stories.

We are seeking a senior communications strategist who advises leaders, shapes communications priorities, and develops and executes integrated communications strategies that advance organizational objectives. This role combines relationship management, executive communications, leadership engagement, and strategic communications planning to support directorate priorities while reinforcing enterprise communications strategies and standards.

As a Relationship Manager (RM), you will serve as the primary communications advisor to an assigned directorate, partnering with leaders to translate organizational priorities into strategic communications for diverse audiences. Working with teammates across Communications, you will lead and execute executive messaging, strategic initiatives, campaigns, events, stakeholder engagement efforts, and other high-visibility communications activities.

Planning, Relationship Management, and Executive Support:

• Establish and maintain trusted advisor relationships with directorate leaders, researchers, communicators, and key stakeholders.
• Serve as the primary communications relationship lead for an assigned directorate, ensuring communications priorities align with directorate and enterprise objectives.
• Provide strategic communications counsel to senior leaders including, executive communications, presentations, talking points, reports, leadership correspondence, all-staff messages, and other high-visibility communications.
• Lead development of integrated communications strategies and plans that support organizational priorities and business goals.
• Guide communications prioritization, service levels, and resource allocations based on strategic value, organizational impact and enterprise objectives.
• Maintain visibility into communications portfolios, priorities, budgets, timelines, and outcomes.
• Define and evaluate measures of communications effectiveness.
• Proactively identify communications opportunities, risks, and emerging issues and provide actionable recommendations.
• Foster transparency and collaboration by communicating proactively with directorate leadership, communications colleagues, and Communications leadership regarding priorities, progress, risks, and opportunities.

Strategic Alignment and Communications Excellence:

• Ensure directorate communications priorities align with enterprise communications strategies, standards, and operating models.
• Reinforce communications best practices, governance expectations, and PNNL style and branding standards.
• Represent Communications within leadership environments with credibility, professionalism, and sound judgment.
• Drive integration across communications functions to ensure a coordinated client experience.
• Influence decisions through trusted relationships, strategic counsel, and data-informed recommendations.

Communications Integration and Delivery:

• Lead or coordinate communications planning and integration efforts that support leadership priorities and organizational objectives.
• Direct and coordinate communications efforts across functional teams, including executive communications, campaigns, events, presentations, internal communications, stakeholder communications, and other strategic initiatives.
• Align communications resources, expertise, and workflows across Communications functions to ensure effective execution and enterprise consistency.
• Ensure communications efforts advance strategic objectives, maintain quality standards, and deliver measurable value.

Problem Solving and Strategic Counsel:

• Identify barriers to success and recommend solutions that improve alignment, decision-making and organizational effectiveness.
• Support enterprise-level coordination by elevating cross-organizational opportunities, risks, overlaps, and communications impacts.
• Provide Communications leadership with insights regarding directorate priorities, emerging risks, strategic opportunities, and communications effectiveness.

Additional Responsibilities:

• Perform other duties consistent with the scope and level of the position.

Minimum Qualifications:

• BS/BA and 9+ years of communications experience -OR-
• MS/MA and 7+ years of communications experience

Preferred Qualifications:

• Demonstrated ability to build trusted advisor relationships and deliver strategic communications counsel to senior leaders.
• Demonstrated ability to translate organizational priorities and business goals into strategic communications approaches.
• Strong prioritization and decision-making skills, including the ability to balance competing demands and focus resources on highest-value opportunities.
• Experience coordinating complex communications portfolios, campaigns, or stakeholder engagement efforts.
• Strong judgment and discretion when handling sensitive, high-visibility, or high-risk communications matters.
• Demonstrated ability to influence decisions, drive alignment, and achieve outcomes without direct authority.
• Experience developing executive communications and supporting leadership engagement strategies.
• Ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced environment as a strategist, advisor, integrator and leader of complex communications efforts.
• Metrics-minded, with experience defining and tracking KPIs to evaluate communications effectiveness and impact.
• Familiarity with or experience supporting communications within energy, environmental, scientific, engineering, research, or technology-focused organizations preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to build credibility and influence with scientific, technical, and executive audiences.
• Excellent written, oral, and interpersonal communication skills.