Community Relations Specialist
TEC, Paris, TN, United States
Community Relations Specialist
The Community Relations Specialist drives community engagement strategies across active, new, and proposed fiber markets. This is a key role for developing TEC's Fiber-To-The-Home (FTTH) business. This role acts as a trusted liaison between TEC and the communities we serve, leads engagement initiatives, and helps build a scalable, best-in-class community relations function. The essential job functions and duties described below may not be the only requirements of the position. It may be necessary to follow other instructions or perform other related duties required by the company. Serve as the lead community liaison, managing communications and relationship strategies for active deployment markets as well as new and prospective market entries. Conduct market research including ride-alongs, on-site assessments, and develop/maintain Market Profiles that document community insights, landmarks, local opportunities, and key relationships. Develop and provide structured Local Market Briefs that include community sentiment, key influencers, advertising opportunities, and messaging insights to support Marketing and Sales strategies. Provide ongoing market intelligence to Marketing and Sales, including customer objections, adoption barriers, messaging insights, and hyperlocal advertising opportunities to improve campaign performance. Identify and monitor hyperlocal communication channels such as community social media groups and forums, providing insights and opportunities for localized marketing and engagement. Support pre-construction market planning by identifying community leaders, local organizations, advertising opportunities, and potential partnerships to prepare markets for deployment. Identify and engage early community champions, business prospects, and high-interest areas to support Sales pipeline development and early adoption. Lead the planning and execution of community engagement initiatives within local markets, including town halls, Chamber of Commerce meetings, civic group presentations, open houses, and community events. Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams including construction, engineering, and operations to stay ahead of build activities and proactively inform communities. Develop and help manage multi-channel communication strategies (in-person, digital, social media) to maintain transparency and strengthen TEC's local presence. Monitor community sentiment, track recurring issues, and escalate key concerns to leadership, providing insights and recommendations to support decision making and maintain community trust. Support coordination and escalation of community inquiries and concerns in collaboration with internal teams. Coordinate the resolution of construction-related community concerns (e.g., property damage, traffic access issues) by working across internal departments and ensuring satisfactory outcomes. Maintain and grow an active online community presence, regularly posting updates, responding to concerns, and advertising community engagement opportunities. Support strategic new market entry by identifying and building relationships with community leaders, civic groups, and local influencers ahead of deployment. For those with leadership experience, act as a mentor for other Community Relations Specialists, providing guidance, sharing best practices, and helping develop a scalable, high-performing team across regions. Assist in standardizing templates, playbooks, and communications tools to enhance the consistency and quality of community engagement across all markets. Provide regular executive reporting on community outreach activities, public sentiment, issue resolution metrics, and strategic recommendations. Travel regularly within assigned markets to attend meetings, engage with communities, and manage events; occasional travel to other TEC regions is expected (travel will vary depending on market expansions/launches and seasonality). Other job functions include leading, mentoring, and coaching a junior team and other duties as assigned. Job qualifications include a Bachelor's degree in a related field and two (2) years of related experience in community relations, public affairs, customer engagement, or related fields, preferably supporting infrastructure or telecommunications projects. Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, the ability to adapt messaging for diverse audiences and community groups, and proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Outlook, SharePoint, Excel) and social media community engagement tools are required. TEC is a communications company with a vision of connecting customers to the world and strengthening the communities we serve. As a family owned and operated business, we value your success and personal growth within the company. We strive to strengthen employees, build customer relationships, expand our fiber network, and increase profitability so that we can reinvest in our employees, company, and communities that we serve. As a Community Relations Specialist, you'll join an elite team that is connecting rural Americans with dedicated fiber broadband services. With over 100 years in business, TEC is an established innovative communications leader. In the early to mid-1900s, TEC connected countless people to the telephone for the first time. And today, we are accelerating access to high-quality, reliable internet solutions for communities that need it most. With offices in Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, and Louisiana, we are playing a major role in the largest internet infrastructure buildout in the history of our country, and you can be a part of this exciting time. TEC provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, gender, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability, or any other category protected by applicable Federal, State, or local laws, except where age and gender are essential bona fide occupational requirements, or where disability is a bona fide occupational disqualification. Furthermore, Equal Employment Opportunity will be provided for qualified disabled veterans and veterans of the Vietnam Era as well as other protected veterans. TEC is committed to the idea that all employees must be treated with dignity and respect. Each and every employee is expected to help maintain a nondiscriminatory workplace.
The Community Relations Specialist drives community engagement strategies across active, new, and proposed fiber markets. This is a key role for developing TEC's Fiber-To-The-Home (FTTH) business. This role acts as a trusted liaison between TEC and the communities we serve, leads engagement initiatives, and helps build a scalable, best-in-class community relations function. The essential job functions and duties described below may not be the only requirements of the position. It may be necessary to follow other instructions or perform other related duties required by the company. Serve as the lead community liaison, managing communications and relationship strategies for active deployment markets as well as new and prospective market entries. Conduct market research including ride-alongs, on-site assessments, and develop/maintain Market Profiles that document community insights, landmarks, local opportunities, and key relationships. Develop and provide structured Local Market Briefs that include community sentiment, key influencers, advertising opportunities, and messaging insights to support Marketing and Sales strategies. Provide ongoing market intelligence to Marketing and Sales, including customer objections, adoption barriers, messaging insights, and hyperlocal advertising opportunities to improve campaign performance. Identify and monitor hyperlocal communication channels such as community social media groups and forums, providing insights and opportunities for localized marketing and engagement. Support pre-construction market planning by identifying community leaders, local organizations, advertising opportunities, and potential partnerships to prepare markets for deployment. Identify and engage early community champions, business prospects, and high-interest areas to support Sales pipeline development and early adoption. Lead the planning and execution of community engagement initiatives within local markets, including town halls, Chamber of Commerce meetings, civic group presentations, open houses, and community events. Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams including construction, engineering, and operations to stay ahead of build activities and proactively inform communities. Develop and help manage multi-channel communication strategies (in-person, digital, social media) to maintain transparency and strengthen TEC's local presence. Monitor community sentiment, track recurring issues, and escalate key concerns to leadership, providing insights and recommendations to support decision making and maintain community trust. Support coordination and escalation of community inquiries and concerns in collaboration with internal teams. Coordinate the resolution of construction-related community concerns (e.g., property damage, traffic access issues) by working across internal departments and ensuring satisfactory outcomes. Maintain and grow an active online community presence, regularly posting updates, responding to concerns, and advertising community engagement opportunities. Support strategic new market entry by identifying and building relationships with community leaders, civic groups, and local influencers ahead of deployment. For those with leadership experience, act as a mentor for other Community Relations Specialists, providing guidance, sharing best practices, and helping develop a scalable, high-performing team across regions. Assist in standardizing templates, playbooks, and communications tools to enhance the consistency and quality of community engagement across all markets. Provide regular executive reporting on community outreach activities, public sentiment, issue resolution metrics, and strategic recommendations. Travel regularly within assigned markets to attend meetings, engage with communities, and manage events; occasional travel to other TEC regions is expected (travel will vary depending on market expansions/launches and seasonality). Other job functions include leading, mentoring, and coaching a junior team and other duties as assigned. Job qualifications include a Bachelor's degree in a related field and two (2) years of related experience in community relations, public affairs, customer engagement, or related fields, preferably supporting infrastructure or telecommunications projects. Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, the ability to adapt messaging for diverse audiences and community groups, and proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Outlook, SharePoint, Excel) and social media community engagement tools are required. TEC is a communications company with a vision of connecting customers to the world and strengthening the communities we serve. As a family owned and operated business, we value your success and personal growth within the company. We strive to strengthen employees, build customer relationships, expand our fiber network, and increase profitability so that we can reinvest in our employees, company, and communities that we serve. As a Community Relations Specialist, you'll join an elite team that is connecting rural Americans with dedicated fiber broadband services. With over 100 years in business, TEC is an established innovative communications leader. In the early to mid-1900s, TEC connected countless people to the telephone for the first time. And today, we are accelerating access to high-quality, reliable internet solutions for communities that need it most. With offices in Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, and Louisiana, we are playing a major role in the largest internet infrastructure buildout in the history of our country, and you can be a part of this exciting time. TEC provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, gender, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability, or any other category protected by applicable Federal, State, or local laws, except where age and gender are essential bona fide occupational requirements, or where disability is a bona fide occupational disqualification. Furthermore, Equal Employment Opportunity will be provided for qualified disabled veterans and veterans of the Vietnam Era as well as other protected veterans. TEC is committed to the idea that all employees must be treated with dignity and respect. Each and every employee is expected to help maintain a nondiscriminatory workplace.