Advisor, External Affairs

Basic Function

The Advisor, External Affairs supports the full range of External Affairs services needed in the region, including stakeholder engagement, media relations, employee communications, social performance and social investment. They are responsible for providing advice and counsel to regional site leaders and works as a trusted business partner. This individual will develop and execute communications plans supporting the businesses’ license to operate and grow under the guidance of the Sr. Mgr., Americas External Affairs & Crisis Management. 

This individual will be the first point of contact for several asset locations located along the U.S. Gulf Coast and is responsible for proactive stakeholder engagement, as well as developing and maintaining key relationships. Additionally, this individual will be a member of the Corporate Communications Incident / Crisis Management team and could assume the role as one of the designated company spokespeople. 

They will interact with Public Affairs counterparts in the U.S. and will have the opportunity over time to support various teams and projects within the Corporate Communications group. Additionally, he/she will work closely with Government Relations on elected official engagements taking place at the sites. It is imperative that the External Affairs Advisor understands and flags key sensitive issues and trends in both the local/regional political arena (e.g. county government) and within the communities they support.  

This individual will also be responsible for developing engaging content for use across multiple communications platforms, engage with local media, and track all engagements and coverage for metrics reporting. 

Roles & Responsibilities

• Understanding of corporate communications operating within a Public Affairs department
• May develop and execute communications plans
• Generates ideas and creates content for various communications channels (e.g. Elements, LYB.com, social media and LYB content hub)
• Partner with the Corporate Communications team in both content and visual storytelling for LyondellBasell through a broad array of communication assets
• Ensures the alignment and information sharing among the Public Affairs team about new messaging, resources, upcoming events/activities, etc. 
• Act as a trusted advisor for multiple clients, acting as the first line of contact for communications with assigned clients and/or external stakeholders
• Understand and anticipate the vision of management and clients / external stakeholders
• Serve as a project owner, executing campaigns and projects as assigned with a degree of skill and professionalism
• Takes initiative to think several steps ahead and anticipates the needs of clients / stakeholders and management
• Creates and maintains communications resources and toolkits including but not limited to key message documents, power point presentations, and training materials
• Communicates proactively with Public Affairs, business colleagues and functional teams on upcoming communications to ensure awareness and alignment among all stakeholders
• Represents the company with the utmost integrity and abides by the LyondellBasell Code of Conduct
• Reviews and edits documents and language from other functional areas where applicable (e.g., external, marketing communications, internal) for accuracy and consistency
• Actively participates and communications new ideas, innovative methods and/or tools to communications leadership team
• Implement metrics systems and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to benchmark team progress and success of communications initiatives and identify opportunities for improvement
• Partner with in-house design team to execute creative concepts in alignment with overarching corporate messaging and brand standards
• Attend and/or lead group and client meetings as requested
• Responsible for responding and/or escalating client / stakeholder requests for support and follow through to close out

Min. Qualifications

Areas of Expertise

• Must demonstrate strong interpersonal communication and presentation skills, both oral and written 
• Must be detail-oriented and have the ability to set priorities to meet deadlines
• Demonstrates resilience in tacking opportunities and challenges of the job
• The ideal candidate will have strong collaboration and listening skills and works well within and across functions
• Adapts to a rapidly changing environment while maintaining work focus despite challenges or setbacks
• Drives a solution-oriented approach 
• Command of AP Style, while having strong and efficient writing competencies across digital and print platforms
• Function autonomously balancing quality of work and meeting deadlines 
• Skilled at managing multiple tasks simultaneously and effectively
• Commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, including ability to engender trust, respect and confidence 
• Proactive self-starter, willingness to assume management of projects, paying attention to detail and setting priorities to meet deadlines
• Maintain a high level of confidentiality and manage sensitive materials 
• Demonstrates solid judgement and works effectively under pressure, constantly adjusting priorities as circumstances change 
• Sets stretch targets for self to ensure high quality performance 
• Perform any additional duties as required

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in journalism, communications or public relations or related field
• Minimum of 4 or more years of relevant working experience as a communications professional in external affairs, marketing or public relations
• Preferred prior experience working in the chemical, manufacturing or related industry in a communications related field with strong writing capabilities 
• Knowledge of the Incident Command System (or similar) structure a plus
• Languages English, additional languages a plus

Competencies