Chief Communications Officer

About the role

The Chief Communications Officer at New Braunfels Utilities (NBU) provides executive leadership and strategic direction for the organization’s Enterprise Communications and External Relations functions, strengthening NBU’s reputation, relationships, transparency, and connection with the communities it serves.

The Chief Communications Officer serves as a trusted advisor to the CEO and executive leadership team and is responsible for ensuring that NBU communicates with clarity, consistency, transparency, and purpose across all audiences and channels. The Chief Communications Officer leads NBU’s enterprise-wide communications strategy, including internal and external communications, executive communications, media relations, digital communications, social media, video, creative content, brand management, communications platforms, and critical service and crisis communications. The role ensures NBU’s voice and brand are cohesive across the organization and that employees, customers, community members, media, government officials, and other stakeholders have timely, accurate, and meaningful information.

In addition, the CCO provides executive leadership for NBU’s External Relations function, cultivating strong and trusted relationships with community stakeholders, government officials and agencies, community organizations, and other external partners. This includes oversight of NBU’s community engagement efforts, Government Relations, the Community Advisory Panel (CAP), the OneWater initiative, and Headwaters at the Comal. The CCO ensures these efforts are aligned with NBU’s mission, values, public responsibilities, and long-term commitment to the communities and environment it serves.

As a member of the executive leadership team, the CCO brings a people-first leadership approach, builds organizational alignment, and creates an environment of trust, accountability, collaboration, creativity, and empowerment. The CCO leads with a focus on strategic vision, enterprise alignment, and stakeholder impact, ensuring NBU’s communications and external relationships reflect the organization’s mission and core values.

Responsibilities

Enterprise Communications

• Serves as the principal communications advisor to the CEO and executive leadership, and NBU leadership team on matters affecting the organization, its customers, employees, community, reputation, and public understanding.
• Establishes the vision, direction, and enterprise-wide framework for NBU’s internal and external communications.
• Leads an integrated communications function encompassing internal communications, external communications, executive communications, media relations, social media, digital communications, video, creative content, communications platforms, and brand management.
• Develops and implements comprehensive communications strategies that strengthen NBU’s reputation, enhance stakeholder understanding, and support organizational priorities.
• Oversees NBU’s enterprise brand and ensures consistent, credible, and compelling representation across communications channels, platforms, and stakeholder experiences.
• Provides executive communications counsel and oversees the development of speeches, presentations, talking points, executive messaging, and other leadership communications.
• Oversees media relations and serves as a senior organizational resource for media engagement, news coverage, emerging issues, and matters that may affect NBU or the communities it serves.
• Leads communications related to critical services, significant projects, operational issues, emergencies, and other high-impact events.
• Directs crisis and issues communications, ensuring NBU is prepared to communicate rapidly, transparently, and effectively during emerging or critical situations.
• Oversees the development and delivery of content across NBU’s communications ecosystem, including websites, social media, video, digital platforms, print materials, presentations, public service announcements, and other channels.
• Establishes an enterprise approach to internal communications that informs, engages, and connects employees to NBU’s mission, priorities, culture, and organizational direction.
• Oversees NBU’s social media strategy, presence, monitoring, and engagement across relevant platforms.
• Establishes and evaluates communications performance measures and key performance indicators to assess reach, engagement, effectiveness, and stakeholder impact.
• Ensures communications practices appropriately reflect the requirements and complexities of operating a multifaceted, regulated utility and public-service organization.
• Identifies emerging communications trends, technologies, platforms, and stakeholder expectations and recommends approaches that enhance NBU’s effectiveness and relevance.

External Relations

• Provides executive leadership and direction for NBU’s External Relations function, strengthening relationships and building trust with communities, government entities, civic organizations, community leaders, and other external stakeholders.
• Serves as a senior advisor to the CEO and executive leadership regarding community, governmental, civic, and external stakeholder relationships.
• Oversees an integrated approach to community engagement that promotes transparency, meaningful dialogue, understanding, and trust.
• Manages NBU’s Government Relations efforts and supports effective relationships with local, regional, state, and federal officials, agencies, and other governmental stakeholders.
• Provides executive oversight of the Community Advisory Panel (CAP), ensuring the organization benefits from meaningful community perspectives and maintains an effective forum for dialogue and engagement.
• Provides executive leadership and oversight for the