Director, Global Public Affairs & Crisis Communications

Mission:

You will be Schneider Electric's global lead for high-stakes communications and stakeholder engagement. This role sets the strategy and operational readiness for crisis response, issues management, reputation, and public affairs-anticipating and shaping external dynamics across markets, advancing policy and advocacy priorities, and protecting trust during moments of scrutiny.

As a senior advisor to corporate affairs leadership and enterprise stakeholders, the Director orchestrates rapid, disciplined crisis response; drives proactive risk identification; and leads public affairs strategies that engage policymakers, regulators, NGOs, industry bodies, and community partners. The role translates complexity into clear, actionable guidance and equips leaders to communicate credibly at scale.

Responsibilities:

Crisis Communications:

• Own the global crisis communications strategy, readiness model, and escalation framework across geographies and business units.
• Serve as a core member of the crisis management team, providing expert counsel and cross-functional orchestration during critical incidents.
• Design and deliver executive simulations, table-top exercises, and training to strengthen decision-making under pressure.
• Lead or support media relations in crises (statements, media inquiries, briefings, press conferences), ensuring accuracy, speed, empathy, and legal alignment.
• Proactively identify emerging risks, conduct issue/risk assessments, and develop mitigation plans.
• Conduct post-incident reviews and drive continuous improvement of playbooks, roles, and processes.

• Develop and execute public affairs strategies that engage policymakers, regulators, NGOs, trade associations, and community leaders on priority issues (e.g., energy transition, sustainability, digital infrastructure, industrial competitiveness, workforce).
• Partner with Government Affairs teams globally to shape policy narratives, advocacy materials, executive positioning, and influence pathways; ensure consistency across markets.
• Build stakeholder maps and coalitions; lead issue-based campaigns and thought leadership to advance Schneider Electric's agenda and credibility.
• Coordinate proactive outreach during moments of heightened legislative or regulatory scrutiny.
• Strengthen relationships with third-party validators, academic institutions, and industry bodies to amplify impact.

• Support community and stakeholder engagement, fostering relationships with local organizations and leaders to enhance reputation and social impact.
• Support engagements with international NGOs and intergovernmental organizations, ensuring strategic participation, messaging discipline, and measurable outcomes.
• Elevate executive visibility and representation at global policy forums and multilateral platforms.

• Monitor reputational drivers across media, policy, and stakeholder channels; surface emerging issues early with scenario-based recommendations.
• Embed disciplined narrative development, stakeholder mapping, and risk guidance into major announcements and enterprise priorities.
• Advise senior leaders on message strategy, engagement choices, and risk trade-offs in complex or sensitive situations.

• Provide clear direction, prioritization, and development for direct reports.
• Ensure strong coordination between crisis response and public affairs workstreams; elevate the function from reactive support to proactive risk leadership.

• Bachelor's degree in communications, Public Affairs/Policy, Journalism, Political Science, or related field; MBA preferred.
• 12-15+ years of progressive experience in public affairs and corporate communications, with deep exposure to crisis communications and issues management in global/multinational contexts.
• Proven success leading complex, multi-market crisis responses and public affairs campaigns in partnership with Legal, Government Affairs, HR, Security, Sustainability.
• Demonstrated experience engaging policymakers, regulators, NGOs, and trade associations, strong understanding of public policy and stakeholder ecosystems in the U.S., U.K., and EU.
• Excellence in message development, executive counsel, media relations, and spokesperson preparation.
• Strong analytical skills and high judgment; adept at synthesizing complex information into clear, actionable guidance.
• Outstanding writing, verbal communication, and presentation skills; resilient under pressure and comfortable navigating ambiguity.
• Familiarity with crisis communication platforms, media monitoring tools, and analytics solutions.