PR and Communications Manager

Public Relations & Communications Manager

Reports To: Marketing Director                           Type: Exempt

Department: Marketing                                        Location: Remote, Hybrid, or On-site

Direct Reports: None

Why This Role Matters

At Western Weather Group, we exist to help organizations turn unpredictable weather into confident, data-driven decisions. We do that by designing, selling, and supporting end-to-end precision environmental monitoring systems, data dissemination, and forecast services for utilities, agriculture, and municipal clients across the country.

As our Public Relations & Communications Manager, you make sure the industry hears that story. You're WWG's voice in the trade press, earning visibility with electric utilities and agricultural growers through real relationships with editors, reporters, and industry partners. You'll turn station installations, product launches, and customer milestones into coverage, line up press for our executives and sales team at trade shows, and bring customers into the conversation as credible voices for our work. Working closely with Marketing, the Executive Team, and Sales, you'll shape how the industry sees WWG and show leadership the results.

What You'll Do

Earned Media Strategy & Executive Visibility

• Build and own the annual earned media strategy, target publication list, and PR budget, including recommendations on sponsorships and paid placements.
• Develop the CEO and WWG subject matter experts as recognized industry voices through bylines, interviews, podcasts, speaking submissions, and awards.
• Prepare spokespeople with briefing documents, talking points, and media training.

Media & Partner Relations

• Develop and maintain relationships with trade, business, regional, and national media to earn consistent visibility in WWG's target industries.
• Pitch and secure coverage, contributed articles, and interviews featuring WWG experts, customers, and partners.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for all media inquiries.
• Work with strategic partners on joint announcements and co-marketing media opportunities.

Customer & Partner Media Events

• Plan and execute media events around station installations, product launches, and customer milestones.
• Secure customer participation, prepare customer spokespeople, and manage approvals on messaging and quotes.

Trade Show Media Support

• Build pre-show media plans and secure press interviews and editor meetings for executives and Sales at industry events.
• Track resulting coverage and partner with Marketing and Sales on follow-up.

Thought Leadership Content

• Own the media messaging and talking points guide within WWG's brand guidelines, working with Marketing to define core messages, proof points, and approved language for each vertical (electric utility and agriculture), and keep it current as products, customers, and partners change.
• Write pitches, press releases, media advisories, contributed articles, and executive bylines.
• Partner with Sales, Customer Success, and technical teams to source real stories from the field and develop them into case studies and media angles.
• Make sure every PR win is promoted across WWG and executive social channels.

Rapid Response & Issues Communications

• Turn severe weather events, wildfire season, and industry news into timely media opportunities using WWG station data and meteorologist commentary.
• Build and maintain a rapid-response and issues communications playbook, including approval workflows for time-sensitive statements.

Measurement & Reporting

• Monitor utility, weather, and ag-tech media, including competitor coverage.
• Deliver a monthly impact report to leadership covering share of voice, competitor activity, coverage quality, and coverage used in sales conversations.
• Track how earned media contributes to search and AI answer engine visibility.
• Bring media and market trends back to Marketing as recommended thought leadership topics.

Who You Are

You live our values of customer focus, curiosity, and expertise, and you bring the strengths this role needs.

• Customer Focused: You build long-term, respectful relationships with customers and make them the credible voices in the stories you tell.
• Curious: You ask the next question, dig into the data behind a story, and stay ahead of what is happening across utilities and agriculture.
• Humble Expert: You know your craft, keep sharpening it, and put our experts and customers in the spotlight.
• Relationship Builder: You build trusted relationships with editors, partners, and colleagues at every level.
• Clear Communicator: You write and speak with clarity, and you can turn a field deployment into a story an editor wants to run.
• Strategic & Hands-On: You set the plan and do the work to land the placement.
• Sound Judgment: You hold strong ethical standards and know when a statement needs another set of eyes.
• Detail-Oriented: You get the facts, names, and quotes right and keep events, launches, and news cycles on deadline.

What You Bring

Knowledge & Skills

• Established relationships with electric utility and/or agriculture trade press; you can name the publications and editors you've worked with.
• Strong writer across press releases, pitches, contributed articles, and social content.
• Excellent interpersonal and problem-solving skills.
• Comfortable working cross-functionally with Sales, Customer Success, and technical teams.

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Communications, Public Relations, Journalism, Marketing, or a related field preferred, or equivalent experience.

Experience

• 5+ years in PR or communications, with meaningful time in the utility, energy, or agriculture/ag-tech space.
• A record of securing coverage, not just pitching it, and reporting results to leadership.
• Experience building executive visibility programs, including speaking placements and bylines.
• Experience working with customers on media events, from securing participation to managing approvals.
• Experience setting up press opportunities for sales teams at trade shows and conferences.
• Experience owning a PR, media, or events budget.
• Experience with rapid-response or issues communications, especially around weather, wildfire, or grid events, preferred.
• Familiarity with weather/climate data, IoT hardware, or field-deployed sensor networks preferred.
• Experience measuring PR impact on pipeline or AI/search visibility preferred.
• Experience helping launch or run a customer advisory board preferred.

Tools You'll Use

• Laptop and standard office equipment.
• Microsoft Office 365 (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Media database and monitoring tools.
• Social media platforms, including LinkedIn.

Work Environment

• Remote, hybrid, or on-site at our Chico, CA office.
• Regular computer use and frequent phone, video, and in-person interaction with media, customers, and colleagues.
• Travel required for customer events, trade shows, conferences, and company events.
• Must be legally authorized to work in the United States without company sponsorship now or in the future.

Why You'll Love Working at WWG

• Health, Dental, and Vision insurance - 90% of employee premium paid by WWG, 50% for eligible dependents.
• 401(k) with 4% company match, plus discretionary profit sharing.
• Vacation paid time off starting at 15 days (120 hours) annually, increasing with tenure.
• Open lines of communication with management and executives, plus company-wide anonymous feedback sessions that guide real change.
• Fun, sponsored outings and team-building events.
• A high-visibility role where you shape how the industry sees WWG.

Equal Opportunity

Western Weather Group is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to fair pay practices, transparency, and building an inclusive workplace where every employee is treated with respect.

This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee incumbent in this position. Employees will be required to follow any other job-related instructions and to perform any other job-related duties as requested.

A review of this position has excluded the marginal functions of the position that are incidental to the performance of fundamental job duties. All duties and responsibilities are essential job functions and requirements and are subject to possible modification to reasonably accommodate individuals with disabilities. To perform this job successfully, the employee must possess the skills, aptitudes, and abilities to perform each duty proficiently. The requirements listed in this document are the minimum levels of knowledge, skills, or abilities. This document does not create an employment contract, implied or otherwise, other than an "at will" relationship.