Manager, External Relations

California Resources Corporation (CRC) is an independent energy and carbon management company committed to energy transition. CRC is committed to environmental stewardship while safely providing local, responsibly sourced energy. CRC is also focused on maximizing the value of its land, mineral ownership, and energy expertise for decarbonization by developing carbon capture and storage (CCS) and other emissions reducing projects.

CRC and its Aera subsidiary have a large portfolio of lower-risk conventional opportunities in the following major California oil and gas basins: San Joaquin, Los Angeles, Ventura, and Sacramento. CRC's highly qualified workforce specializes in applying advanced technology to efficiently operate critical energy infrastructure under world-leading safety, labor, human rights, and environmental standards.

CRC’s External Affairs Department is seeking to fill a Manager, External Affairs position based in Long Beach, California. Reporting to the Senior Director of Communications, this position will also work with senior executives throughout the organization. The Manager will be a proactive member of the External Affairs team responsible for elevating the impact of CRC’s community outreach activity. 

The Manager will be responsible for managing local media relations, external affairs, local government relations, executive engagement and internal communications in the Long Beach and Huntington Beach. The base annual salary for this posted position is reasonably expected to range from $125K to $155K, with a target annual bonus of 15% of base salary and eligibility to participate in our long-term incentive program.  Individual pay decisions are based on several factors, including education, experience level and relevant industry experience. Benefits Include: Medical, Dental, Vision, 401k with Match, Paid holidays, FSA, HSA.

General External Affairs Support

Project management

• Develop, lead Beach areas in the Los Angeles Basin, and for developing strategy and logistical management of enterprise-wide projects that best position CRC across the State of California.
• Implement long- and short-term External Affairs and Communications planning that supports key business initiatives
• Plan and oversee all aspects of a project from start to finish
• Ensure projects are delivered on-time, and within scope and budget
• Coordinate internal resources, including Subject Matter Experts, and third parties/vendors as appropriate

Content creation

• Draft internal/external news articles, facts, video, infographics, social media posts, etc.

Research

• Research industry and topical issues that impact CRC using publicly available information
• Mine for data and statistics in government and third-party reports and reputable websites for information; provide team with data that affects company business objectives including by region and industry sector

Community Relations and Outreach

• Develop and maintain relationships with business and community leaders and institutions around CRC’s operations in the Long Beach/Huntington Beach areas
• Monitor and advise the External Affairs team and senior management on Long Beach/Huntington Beach public relations, government and regulatory issues and opportunities for engagement — utilize community contacts as appropriate
• Provide community relations/public relations support to the Legal, Tax and senior management teams in local disputes (including litigation) or other issues; develop and implement media relations strategy as appropriate
• Identify and coordinate local charitable giving and sponsorship opportunities; determine business purpose per CRC’s three focus areas of giving: 1.) Public Health, Safety, and the Environment 2.) STEM/Job Training, and 3.) Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I)
  • Prepare annual budget for Los Angeles Basin
    • Administers budget, check requests, and tracks spending
  • Benchmark giving and PR exposure versus competitors
• Coordinate local sponsored events and ads; aligns with People Operations (HR) on securing appropriate people to attend events
• Promote charitable giving and employee volunteerism with media and identifies opportunities to maximize exposure with community partners (e.g., organization press releases, third-party newsletters and social media)
• Draft and submit internal news briefs (and photos) for CRC Connect (intranet) on events, results and media coverage from charitable giving, important issues, etc.
• Serve as a CRC liaison to the community and assure appropriate representation at community functions, including political, industry related and charitable fundraising events
• Coordinate tours / presentations to community groups, company representatives, political leaders, etc.
• Facilitate meetings between CRC representatives and community groups as needed
• Represent CRC on coalitions, committees and boards in the community such as local colleges, chambers of commerce, etc. (meetings attendance not to exceed 40% of time)
• Develop / maintain strategic relationships with external affairs counterparts in the energy industry and other industries that are important to CRC’s areas of operation
• Provide assistance to company representatives on Western States Petroleum Association (WSPA) and other committees
• Coordinate / review company sponsorships for industry functions, chamber events

Media Relations / External Communications

• Serve as the company spokesperson for CRC’s operations in the Los Angeles Basin; and back-up for other areas of operation if needed.
• Handle local media inquiries; draft and manage approvals of media statements and press releases as appropriate
• Lead local incident (e.g., releases) and crisis communication media relations; serve as initial onsite communications lead
• Coordinate and staff interviews with subject matter experts; draft briefing documents and talking points, create Q&A documents and coordinate approvals with appropriate CRC staff and management
• Coordinate company public speakers for groups such as WSPA, CEI as appropriate
• Provide media relations recommendations to address key regional business issues (e.g., offshore oil production, water injection, and other environmental activist campaigns)
• Monitor local news, track stories and distributes to the External Affairs team and senior management as needed
• Assist as needed with CRC filming, photo shoots, input for projects (e.g., brochures, fact sheets, infographics, etc.)

Local Government Relations

• Monitor local government issues and work with Government Affairs, Legal and others in tracking state legislation impacting CRC in the Long Beach and Huntington Beach areas; develop mitigation strategy when necessary
• Develop / maintain relationships with appropriate state and local elected officials
• Provide team and senior management with information regarding legislators, issues and proposed legislation that affects company business objectives
• Assist Government Affairs, Health, Safety and Environmental (HSE), Legal and others to develop and maintain relationships with Long Beach Energy Resources (LBER) and critical regulatory agencies such as CalGEM, Cal EPA, Department of Fish & Game, California Energy Commission, etc.
• Align with Government Affairs with labor relationships

Required Qualifications

• Minimum Seven (7) years of relevant experience, knowledge, skills and abilities
• Bachelor’s degree required
• Outstanding strategist with strong business acumen who can formulate a compelling narrative that brings together community leaders, employees and other stakeholders to understand the value of local energy production
• Ability to align across functions to drive clarity and synchronize diverse perspectives
• Confidence, enthusiasm, and proactive approach to public affairs
• Proven ability to create and deliver on a timely basis, consistent, clear and compelling communications, including executive communications
• Demonstrated good judgment and interpersonal skills to develop relationships with key executives and manage projects from inception to completion
• Ability to lead multiple projects simultaneously and set/meet deadlines and budgets
• Adept at time management and prioritizing progress on projects over filling time with meetings
• Experience bringing a fresh and creative approach to public affairs programs so they reach intended audiences, with insight on how to increase engagement
• Eagerness and ability to learn and grasp global, state and local public policy and scientific developments with the aptitude to distill and relate financial, technical and policy information to diverse audiences
• Strong organizational and time management skills
• Ability to thrive in high pressure environment
• Demonstrated effectiveness working in a matrixed organization, including ability to build consensus among diverse leaders and stakeholders with competing priorities
• Resilient team member who makes the entire team stronger and sees feedback as a positive learning cue
• Must be a team player and goal-oriented