Vice President of External Relations

The Vice President of External Relations serves as a senior leader responsible for advancing RJL Solutions’ public relations, public affairs, external relations, stakeholder engagement, and strategic communications efforts. This highly visible, client-facing position works across the firm’s service areas to strengthen relationships, shape narratives, identify opportunities, and ensure clients are effectively positioned with the audiences and stakeholders critical to their success.

The Vice President serves as a strategic advisor to clients and company leadership, connecting communications, public policy, advocacy, community priorities, and relationship development. This position is responsible for maintaining a broad understanding of client activities and priorities and ensuring public relations and external engagement strategies are proactive, coordinated, and aligned with broader client objectives.

As a member of the Executive Leadership Team, the Vice President works collaboratively with company and department leadership to advance RJL Solutions’ mission, strengthen client relationships, identify emerging opportunities, and enhance the firm’s visibility, reputation, and impact. This position reports directly to the Chief External Relations Officer.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Public Relations & Strategic Communications

• Provide senior-level leadership for public relations and strategic communications efforts across RJL Solutions and its client portfolio.
• Serve as a strategic communications advisor to clients, identifying the stories, messages, audiences, relationships, and opportunities that can advance organizational objectives.
• Proactively identify opportunities for earned media, thought leadership, executive positioning, community visibility, stakeholder engagement, and public awareness.
• Maintain a strong understanding of client activities, priorities, challenges, and emerging issues to anticipate communications needs and opportunities.
• Connect client strategy with communications execution, ensuring internal team members have the context, direction, and information necessary to develop press releases, media materials, talking points, presentations, digital content, and other communications.
• Develop messaging and communications strategies for complex, sensitive, or high-profile initiatives.
• Advise clients and company leadership on public positioning, messaging, communications opportunities, and reputational considerations.
• Build and maintain relationships with media throughout Indiana and other relevant markets.
• Identify emerging reputational or public-facing issues and develop proactive strategies in collaboration with clients and company leadership.
• Ensure public relations and communications strategies are integrated into broader client strategies and organizational priorities.

Public Affairs & External Relations

• Develop and implement external relations and public affairs strategies that strengthen client visibility, credibility, relationships, and influence.
• Provide strategic counsel regarding the intersection of communications, public policy, stakeholder relationships, and community priorities.
• Identify emerging issues, opportunities, and external factors that may impact RJL Solutions or its clients.
• Help clients effectively communicate complex initiatives to policymakers, community leaders, business leaders, partners, stakeholders, and the public.
• Develop strategies that build awareness, understanding, and support around significant client and community initiatives.
• Maintain a strong understanding of issues affecting Indiana communities, businesses, organizations, and public-sector partners.
• Represent RJL Solutions and its clients at meetings, community conversations, public events, presentations, and other external engagements.

Stakeholder & Relationship Development

• Build and maintain trusted relationships with elected and appointed officials, business leaders, community organizations, economic development professionals, media, institutional partners, and other key stakeholders.
• Identify individuals, organizations, and resources necessary to advance client priorities and develop strategies for meaningful engagement.
• Serve as a strategic connector who brings the appropriate people and organizations together around opportunities, challenges, and shared priorities.
• Convene and facilitate conversations among public, private, nonprofit, and institutional stakeholders.
• Strengthen RJL Solutions’ network and external relationships throughout Indiana and other key markets.
• Identify opportunities to leverage relationships and partnerships to create additional value for clients and communities.

Advocacy & Government Relations Collaboration

• Support the development and execution of public affairs and advocacy strategies that advance client priorities.
• Collaborate with RJL Solutions’ Government Relations team to align communications, stakeholder engagement, public affairs, and advocacy strategies.
• Identify opportunities where public relations, communications, and stakeholder engagement can strengthen broader government relations and advocacy efforts.
• Assist in developing messaging and external engagement strategies related to legislative, regulatory, funding, or public policy priorities.
• Maintain relationships with policymakers and public-sector leaders relevant to client and company priorities.
• Ensure client communications and external engagement efforts remain aligned across audiences and consistent with broader strategic objectives.

Cross-Department & Client Strategy

• Work collaboratively across RJL Solutions’ Government Relations, Community & Economic Development, Marketing & Communications, Association Management, and other service areas to ensure clients benefit from coordinated strategies and the full breadth of the firm’s expertise.
• Provide external relations, communications, and stakeholder engagement expertise to economic and community development initiatives led by RJL Solutions’ Community & Economic Development practice.
• Collaborate with economic development leadership to identify stakeholders, communications needs, public affairs considerations, and relationship strategies that support significant projects and initiatives.
• Connect information and opportunities across client engagements and service areas to identify broader strategic implications and opportunities.
• Serve as a senior strategic resource on complex or multidisciplinary client engagements.
• Promote strong internal communication and coordination to ensure client strategies are aligned and effectively executed.

Client Leadership & Business Growth

• Serve as a trusted advisor to clients, executives, community leaders, and other senior stakeholders.
• Provide strategic leadership across multiple client engagements and priorities while maintaining strong organization, responsiveness, and follow-through.
• Identify opportunities to deepen client relationships and expand the value and impact of RJL Solutions’ services.
• Cultivate relationships that create opportunities for future business growth, partnerships, and collaboration.
• Assist with proposal development, client presentations, and strategic pursuit efforts.
• Represent RJL Solutions at professional, community, industry, and networking events.
• Strengthen RJL Solutions’ visibility, credibility, and reputation as a trusted strategic partner.

Team Leadership & Development

• Provide leadership, mentorship, and strategic direction to team members supporting public relations, communications, and external relations activities.
• Establish priorities and coordinate resources necessary to execute public relations and external relations strategies effectively.
• Promote a culture of excellence, accountability, collaboration, responsiveness, and high-quality client service.
• Support professional development and help team members understand the broader strategic context surrounding their work.
• Foster collaboration across departments and disciplines to ensure coordinated execution of client and company priorities.

Executive Leadership Responsibilities

• Serve as an active member of RJL Solutions’ Executive Leadership Team.
• Collaborate with executive leadership to establish organizational priorities and long-term strategic objectives.
• Provide strategic insight regarding external trends, public affairs, reputational considerations, client opportunities, and emerging issues.
• Support cross-department collaboration and coordination across the organization.
• Contribute to company-wide leadership initiatives, culture development, business growth, and organizational strategy.
• Represent RJL Solutions as a senior leader with clients, partners, community leaders, public officials, media, and other external stakeholders.

QUALIFICATIONS & SKILLS:

• Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Public Relations, Public Affairs, Political Science, Public Administration, Business, Marketing, or a related field.
• Master’s degree preferred.
• Significant progressively responsible experience in public relations, public affairs, external relations, strategic communications, government relations, community engagement, or a related field, including senior leadership responsibilities.
• Demonstrated experience developing and leading public relations, public affairs, communications, or stakeholder engagement strategies.
• Demonstrated success building and maintaining relationships with executives, elected officials, business leaders, media, community organizations, and other senior stakeholders.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills with the ability to understand and communicate complex issues clearly and persuasively.
• Strong strategic judgment with the ability to recognize connections, implications, risks, and opportunities across multiple issues and client priorities.
• Demonstrated ability to anticipate communications and public affairs needs and translate strategy into actionable priorities.
• Strong understanding of media relations, reputation management, stakeholder engagement, and strategic communications.
• Ability to navigate complex political, business, community, and public-facing environments.
• Strong facilitation, presentation, and public speaking skills.
• Ability to manage multiple complex priorities and client engagements while maintaining strong organization, responsiveness, and attention to detail.
• Proven ability to collaborate across disciplines and provide strategic direction to team members responsible for execution.
• Strong understanding of Indiana communities, government, business, media, and public policy is highly valued.
• High degree of professionalism, discretion, accountability, and sound judgment.