On behalf of our client, Wawanesa Insurance, we are currently recruiting a Director of Communications and Community Affairs to join their team in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Reporting to the SVP and CHRO, the Director, Communications and Community Affairs will lead the creation and implementation of Wawanesa’s Communications and Community Affairs functions. This individual will play a pivotal strategic role by articulating the company’s vision and strategy and ensuring alignment both internally and externally.
The Director, Communications and Community Affairs will support the CEO and other Wawanesa executives in shaping and distributing messaging that reinforces the company’s vision, as well as overseeing communications for the enterprise. These internal and external communications include: branding, media relations and community affairs. The Director will work with the CHRO to establish an enterprise-wide communications strategy.
Responsibilities:
Develop, refine, evolve and deliver an innovative and customer-focused corporate communications strategy that meets the evolving needs of the business
Develop and maintain consistent messaging to be used across the organization that articulates the strategy and vision of the company
Define a distinct “voice” for Wawanesa and the leadership team, and ensure a consistent application across all communicators and channels throughout the organization
Support the senior leaders’ communications needs (e.g., speaking engagements, conferences, town-halls, media interviews)
Lead a team of Communications professionals across the areas of: External Communications (Media, Public Relations and Creative/Branding); Strategy and Change Communications; and Internal Communications, Standards and Services
Provide direction and guidance to functional / business area communication leads and ensure cohesion within the communications team
Build relationships and collaborative partnerships with key stakeholders in the organization to drive alignment across all communications activities
Serve as a spokesperson and point of contact for media interactions that helps promote and/or impact the organization
Assess and develop a communication channel plans, including updating, acquiring and deploying tools to modernize function’s effectiveness
Measure and assess Communications key performance indicators (KPIs), and develop actions to rectify areas of sub-optimal performance
Support the CHRO in managing and decision making regarding Wawanesa’s philanthropic program
Promote a culture of high performance, continuous improvement, customer centricity and collaborative environment
Skills & Qualifications:
Minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in communications, public relations, journalism, English, marketing or equivalent, and advanced degree would be preferred
Additional certifications in Media / PR, Social Media, Marketing would be considered an asset
10+ years’ experience in corporate communications, preferably serving the insurance and/or financial services sector
Demonstrated experience leading internal and external communications and creating a department’s mandate and organizational structure
Proven success record of leading and supporting large-scale business transformation and change management efforts that enable strategy and impact business performance
Demonstrated experience in developing and executing comprehensive multi-year communications strategies in support of overarching corporate objectives
Experience in providing strategic counsel to senior level executives and developing communications to support executive (e.g., C-Level) speaking commitments
Ability to think creatively and continually evolve internal and external communications strategies using knowledge of the latest communication channel tools and social media
Excellent leadership, consultative, diagnostic and organizational skills
Demonstrated experience building collaborative, executive-level partnerships while working through organizational complexity
This is an ideal career opportunity for a creative and experienced communications professional who is a forward thinking and strategic team player with a customer-centric orientation.
TO APPLY:
If you feel you have the demonstrated background and are interested in learning more about this exciting opportunity please forward your resume to Kamalita.Ketler@mnp.ca or call 204.336.6107.