
Director, Strategic Communications
Job Advertisement: Director, Strategic Communications
Permanent Full-Time Position
Application Deadline: October 14, 2022
United Way Halifax is a for-impact organization that brings donors, volunteers, and partners together to create lasting social change. We believe everyone matters and deserves to belong, be safe, and live a life of their choosing. To help, United Way Halifax alleviates and reduces local poverty by funding, partnering, convening, and advocating for solutions. United Way Halifax is part of a federated movement of over 70 United Ways across the country.
The staff at United Way Halifax takes pride in bringing together people who have a range of experience, talents, and backgrounds. Our staff share a passion for the place we call home and bring many different skills and strengths to the work we do. Guided by our values of respect, trust, collaboration, adaptability, compassion, and equity, we provide a supportive and flexible work environment filled with opportunity, support, balance, and laughter.
Reporting to the President & CEO, the Director, Strategic Communications, is a member of the organization’s senior leadership team and is responsible for setting the strategy for how United Way Halifax looks, feels, sounds, and interacts with current and prospective donors, partners, media, and the community at large.
The Director provides vision, leadership and collaborative support to a team that is collectively responsible for designing and/or delivering on donor communications; impact storytelling, advocacy, and issues management priorities; media relations opportunities; website and social media management; marketing and branding initiatives; cross-departmental communication and collaboration; interested parties, partner, and government relations; and change management communication.
The key responsibilities of the role include:
• Provide organizational leadership by supporting the performance, growth and well-being of the Strategic Communications team and the Senior Leadership Team, championing cross-departmental collaboration and communication, and serving as a creative resource for all communication and engagement across United Way Halifax.
• Lead local activation of national brand guidelines, brand standards, national marketing campaigns and other brand development efforts, and lead the activation of regional marketing and donor communication opportunities in collaboration with other United Ways in Atlantic Canada to increase our visibility in the community.
• Champion the organization’s strategic communications framework, encouraging intentional positioning, messaging, and key messages for a wide variety of external speaking and communication opportunities.
• Serve as lead advisor on the strategy and messaging of key touchpoints with elected officials at all levels of government and other interested parties.
Our ideal candidate thinks both strategically and practically and has an ability to pose questions to truly understand various internal and external needs. They are warm, accessible, and have a passion for coaching staff through change and complex projects. This candidate works intentionally, develops comprehensive plans, and is deliberate about activation. They are interested in social justice and have some knowledge of the non-profit sector and issues of poverty.
Additional Qualifications:
• 10+ years of progressive experience using communication, collaboration, and relationship building to further the strategic objectives of an organization.
• Proven experience managing people and supporting and coaching individuals through change and simultaneous projects.
• Highly resourceful, entrepreneurial mindset with a proven ability to think clearly and act amidst uncertainty.
• Proven experience practicing collaborative leadership, including a strong track record of building productive working relationships with a variety of external parties, partners, and internal departments/clients.
• Experience with human-centered design and facilitation preferred but not required.
• Existing connectivity with the business community considered an asset.
• Highly skilled in working with Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
United Way Halifax is committed to a comprehensive compensation package including salary, pension contribution, health and dental benefits, generous vacation time, professional development and training, flexible work hours and location, and parking/transit pass. Salary range for this position starts at $85,000 per year. If you have questions about the role or compensation package, please contact Sara Napier at jobs@unitedwayhalifax.ca or 902-461-3070.
If this sounds like you, let us know by sharing your resume and cover letter outlining why you could be the right fit for United Way Halifax and this role. Submit your application to jobs@unitedwayhalifax.ca by October 14, 2022 (11:59pm AST).
United Way Halifax deeply values equity and is committed to ensuring our staff community reflects the diversity of the wider community. We welcome applications from African Nova Scotian people, Indigenous peoples, racialized people, women, persons with disabilities, persons of varied sexual and gender identities, and others with the skills and knowledge to productively engage with diverse communities. United Way Halifax seeks to maintain its commitment to inclusion and equity and recognizes that increasing the diversity of our staff supports this objective.
During the recruitment process, applicants have the right to request an accommodation. Applicants invited to participate in an assessment process (such as an interview or testing) and who require accommodation should discuss their needs in advance of the assessment.
United Way Halifax is committed to providing a working environment that makes our employees, volunteers, and community safe. Our community to the community means that we must maintain a workplace free of hazards and infectious disease such as COVID-19. As such, United Way Halifax requires all personnel to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
Working with us
Our staff are a diverse, committed team, dedicated to their community and to our values of trust, respect, compassion, adaptability, collaboration, and equity. We’re dedicated to providing an inclusive and supportive workplace, opportunities for professional development and growth, and meaningful work that makes a difference in our community. Like a family, we celebrate each other’s milestones and pitch in to help one another when all hands are needed.
If you share our values and are looking for a career where you can help changes lives every day, join us! We encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds, including those in need of accommodations.