POSITION SUMMARY: The Director, Public Affairs leads public affairs activities for the Company, including developing and implementing strategies to advance Company objectives while protecting and enhancing Republic’s brand and goodwill. The incumbent will support Area and Business Unit teams on f public affairs projects, including advice, strategy, implementation, and coordination with third-party public affairs firms or consultants when necessary. The Director Public Affairs will integrate communications, community relations, government affairs and policy skills into Republic’s engagement practices in the communities we serve, including advising, assisting, and empowering field leaders as they interact with the community. The incumbent also provides leadership, support and expertise to leaders throughout the organization through regular briefings and timely reporting on project status. In addition, the Director will collaborate on a regular basis with various internal stakeholders on public affairs projects including legal, engineering, communications, labor relations, and government affairs teams.
PRINCIPAL RESPONSIBILITIES:
Provides strategic oversight to field leaders with the preparation and implementation of public affairs plans that advance the Company’s business and sustainability objectives.
Organizes project strategy, teams and activities, including supporting Area and Business Unit leaders as they manage a project or by directly leading on a project, as needed.
Provides field leaders with advice on opportunities for thoughtful and durable participation in the communities we serve.
Maintains situational awareness of the external environment in the communities where there is an active public affairs project, providing updates and consultation to the project team as appropriate.
Serves as the face of the organization as needed, such as engaging with community groups, participating in community meetings, or speaking before or interacting with local government and community leaders.
Works closely with leaders to continually assess the strategic objectives for the Company on public affairs projects.
Routinely briefs leaders on public affairs project status.
Primary contact and liaison for third-party consultants or public affairs firms, when needed, to support successful outcomes on projects.
Prepares and produces external collateral or other communications resources to effectively educate, engage and strengthen ties with the community.
Develops strategies to support leaders with options for maintaining positive community relations, including establishing trust and credibility.
Ensures that relevant internal functional leaders are directly or indirectly involved on public affairs project teams, as appropriate.
Performs other job-related duties and functions as required or assigned.
QUALIFICATIONS:
Exceptional verbal and written communication abilities.
Strong understanding of how to effectively listen to and engage with diverse stakeholders and local leaders, including a deep appreciation for pertinent issues.
Excellent instincts, analytical skills and creative problem solving.
A team-player with impeccable judgment and the highest ethical standards.
Ability to effectively manage multiple people, projects, and competing deadlines.
5 years of direct responsibility in a role that involves engaging and influencing pertinent audiences or stakeholders, consistently resulting in favorable outcomes.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
Minimum of 10 years of experience in public affairs, communications, media/journalism, government affairs, or community relations.
This position is a hybrid role based at Republic Service's headquarters in Phoenix, AZ. Hybrid is 4-days per week onsite, and 1-day remote. This position will not be eligible to be fully remote.
Rewarding Compensation and Benefits
Eligible employees can elect to participate in:
• Comprehensive medical benefits coverage, dental plans and vision coverage.
• Health care and dependent care spending accounts.
• Short- and long-term disability.
• Life insurance and accidental death & dismemberment insurance.
• Employee and Family Assistance Program (EAP).
• Employee discount programs.
• Retirement plan with a generous company match.
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP).
• Paid Time Off (PTO)
• Benefits: https://jobs.republicservices.com/us/en/about-us/benefits
The statements used herein are intended to describe the general nature and level of the work being performed by an employee in this position, and are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of responsibilities, duties and skills required by an incumbent so classified. Furthermore, they do not establish a contract for employment and are subject to change at the discretion of the Company.
EEO STATEMENT:Republic Services is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, relationship or association with a protected veteran (spouses or other family members), genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.
ABOUT THE COMPANY
Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE: RSG) is a leader in the environmental services industry. We provide customers with the most complete set of products and services, including recycling, waste, special waste, hazardous waste and field services. Our industry-leading commitments to advance circularity and support decarbonization are helping deliver on our vision to partner with customers to create a more sustainable world.
In 2023, Republic’s total company revenue was $14.9 billion, and adjusted EBITDA was $4.4 billion. We serve 13 million customers and operate more than 1,000 locations, including collection and transfer stations, recycling and polymer centers, treatment facilities, and landfills.
Although we operate across North America, the collection, recycling, treatment, or disposal of materials is a local business, and the dynamics and opportunities differ in each market we serve. By combining local operational management with standardized business practices, we drive greater operating efficiencies across the company while maintaining day-to-day operational decisions at the local level, closest to the customer.
Our customers, including small businesses, major corporations and municipalities, want a partner with the expertise and capabilities to effectively manage their multiple recycling and waste streams. They choose Republic Services because we are committed to exceeding their expectations and helping them achieve their sustainability goals. Our 41,000 team members understand that it's not just what we do that matters, but how we do it.
Our company values guide our daily actions:
Safe: We protect the livelihoods of our colleagues and communities.
Committed to Serve: We go above and beyond to exceed our customers’ expectations.
Environmentally Responsible: We take action to improve our environment.
Driven: We deliver results in the right way.
Human-Centered: We respect the dignity and unique potential of every person.
We are proud of our high employee engagement score of 86. We have an inclusive and diverse culture where every voice counts. In addition, our team positively impacted 4.6 million people in 2023 through the Republic Services Charitable Foundation and local community grants. These projects are designed to meet the specific needs of the communities we serve, with a focus on building sustainable neighborhoods.
STRATEGY
Republic Services’ strategy is designed to generate profitable growth. Through acquisitions and industry advancements, we safely and sustainably manage our customers’ multiple waste streams through a North American footprint of vertically integrated assets.
We focus on three areas of growth to meet the increasing needs of our customers: recycling and waste, environmental solutions and sustainability innovation.
With our integrated approach, strengthening our position in one area advances other areas of our business. For example, as we grow volume in recycling and waste, we collect additional material to bolster our circularity capabilities. And as we expand environmental solutions, we drive additional opportunities to provide these services to our existing recycling and waste customers.
Recycling and Waste
We continue to expand our recycling and waste business footprint throughout North America through organic growth and targeted acquisitions. The 13 million customers we serve and our more than 5 million pick-ups per day provide us with a distinct advantage. We aggregate materials at scale, unlocking new opportunities for advanced recycling. In addition, we are cross-selling new products and services to better meet our customers’ specific needs.
Environmental Solutions
Our comprehensive environmental solutions capabilities help customers safely manage their most technical waste streams. We are expanding both our capabilities and our geographic footprint. We see strong growth opportunities for our offerings, including PFAS remediation, an increasing customer need.
SUSTAINABILITY INNOVATION
Republic’s recent innovations to advance circularity and decarbonization demonstrate our unique ability to leverage sustainability as a platform for growth.
The Republic Services Polymer Center is the nation’s first integrated plastics recycling facility. This innovative site processes rigid plastics from our recycling centers, producing recycled materials that promote true bottle-to-bottle circularity. We also formed Blue Polymers, a joint venture with Ravago, to develop facilities that will further process plastic material from our Polymer Centers to help meet the growing demand for sustainable packaging. We are building a network of Polymer Centers and Blue Polymer facilities across North America.
We continue to advance decarbonization at our landfills. As demand for renewable energy continues to grow, we have 70 landfill gas-to-energy projects in operation and plan to expand our portfolio to 115 projects by 2028.
RECENT RECOGNITION
Barron’s 100 Most Sustainable Companies
CDP Discloser
Dow Jones Sustainability Indices
Ethisphere’s World’s Most Ethical Companies
Fortune World’s Most Admired Companies
Great Place to Work
Sustainability Yearbook S&P Global