Media Relations Specialist (In Office 4 Days/Wk)

Media Relations Specialist
Please Note: There will be an in-office presence expectation at 241 Ralph McGill Blvd, Atlanta, GA four (4) days per week and/or as additionally required, including on call & emergency response scenarios.

Travel within the state of Georgia up to approximately 25% of the time will also be expected. (You will be reimbursed for mileage if not using a rental car or corporate vehicle.)

Position Overview
Georgia Power is seeking a strategic and highly capable Media Relations Specialist to help shape how our company is understood by customers, communities, and stakeholders across the state. This role plays a critical part in protecting and enhancing Georgia Power’s reputation by building trusted relationships with news media, supporting proactive storytelling, and responding effectively during high visibility and time sensitive moments.

The success of this role depends on the candidate’s ability to build and maintain relationships within the business across the state. The ideal candidate brings strong news judgment, excellent writing and interpersonal skills, and a desire to deeply understand the business to translate complex operational work into clear, credible stories.

Key Responsibilities
Media Relations & Spokesperson Support

Serve as a day-to-day media contact for assigned topics, regions, or business units, working closely with the media relations manager and senior communications leaders

Respond to inbound media inquiries with accuracy, urgency, and sound judgment, including during storms, emergencies, or emerging issues

Participate in an on‑call media rotation and tracking 24 hours a day, seven days a week when scheduled and during emergencies/storms.

Proactive Story Development & Pitching

Develop and pitch proactive, hyperlocal story ideas that reflect Georgia Power’s operational priorities, community investments, reliability efforts, and customer benefits

Maintain a forward-looking pipeline of story opportunities informed by ongoing engagement with internal partners

Identify emerging media trends, seasonal moments, and news hooks to recommend timely outreach

Business Immersion & Internal Partnership

Build strong working relationships with internal stakeholders across operations, reliability, customer service, generation, transmission, and community engagement

Regularly engage with assigned business units through meetings, site visits, and time in the field to surface authentic, credible story ideas

Serve as a communications partner who understands the business well enough to anticipate opportunities and risks

Issues, Crisis & Event Communications

Support reactive communications during storms, outages, regulatory developments, or other high-profile issues

Assist in drafting statements, FAQs, talking points, and background materials under tight deadlines

Support media engagement around major announcements, infrastructure projects, and public events

Executive & Subject Matter Support

Help prepare leaders and subject matter experts for media interviews by developing background briefs, anticipated Q&A, and reporter profiles

Provide clear, trusted counsel on messaging, tone, and interview dynamics

Content, Tracking & Measurement

Draft and edit press releases, media advisories, newsroom stories, and briefing materials

Track media coverage, pitch outcomes, and relationship activity to inform future strategy and continuous improvement

Success in This Role Looks Like:

Proactive media coverage is generated consistently through strong pitching and sustained reporter relationships

A healthy, forward looking story pipeline exists for assigned regions or business units

Internal partners view this role as a trusted communications advisor who understands their work and helps tell their story

Media inquiries are handled accurately, promptly, and professionally—even in high-pressure situations

Relationships with reporters are strong enough that Georgia Power is seen as a credible, responsive, and reliable source

Field engagement and business immersion regularly result in compelling, operationally grounded stories

Media efforts clearly connect Georgia Power’s work to customer benefit, reliability, and community impact

Qualifications
Required

Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Journalism, Public Relations, or a related field

3-5 years of experience in media relations, journalism, public affairs, or corporate communications

Demonstrated experience working with news media and responding on deadline

Strong writing and editing skills, with the ability to simplify complex topics

Sound judgment, discretion, and professionalism in high visibility situations

Preferred

Experience serving as an organizational spokesperson

Familiarity with utilities, energy, infrastructure, environmental policy, or regulated industries

On camera or broadcast interview experience

Experience supporting crisis or issues communications

Knowledge of Georgia media markets

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

Strong understanding of newsroom operations and what drives coverage

Excellent verbal communication skills and executive presence

Ability to manage multiple priorities under tight deadlines

High emotional intelligence and collaborative working style

Comfortable operating in fast‑moving or ambiguous situations

Behavioral Attributes

Demonstrates Georgia Power values: Safety First, Act with Integrity, Intentional Inclusion, and Superior Performance

Calm, credible, and steady under pressure

Proactive, self‑directed, and accountable

Curious about the business and motivated to continuously improve communications outcomes

Why This Role Matters
This role helps define Georgia Power’s public voice—telling the story of how we serve customers, invest in communities, and keep the lights on every day. It offers meaningful visibility, responsibility, and the opportunity to make a real impact on how the company is perceived across Georgia.

Benefits
Southern Company invests in the well‑being of its employees and their families through a comprehensive total rewards strategy that includes competitive base salary, annual incentive awards for eligible employees and health, welfare and retirement benefits designed to support physical, financial, and emotional/social well‑being. This position may also be eligible for additional compensation, such as an incentive program, with the amount of any bonus/awards subject to the terms and conditions of the applicable incentive plan(s). A summary of the benefits offered for this position can be found here https://seo.nlx.org/southernco/pdf/SOCO-Benefits.pdf . Additional and specific details about total compensation and benefits will also be provided during the hiring process.

Equal Opportunity Employer
Southern Company is an equal opportunity employer where an applicant's qualifications are considered without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other basis prohibited by law.

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