Communications Manager - Arts, Culture and Community Services
City of Vancouver
- Vancouver, BC
- $111,139-138,924 per year
- Temporary
- Full-time
- You are an exceptional, storytelling leader who will help shape communications for the City that resonate with citizens and are reflective of City priorities.
- You will lead and inspire our team toward high performance, creativity and quality, bringing a commitment to Reconciliation, diversity, equity and inclusion to all our work.
- You will help position the team as the nexus of communications expertise within the City, collaborating with business partners across the organization toward creating and implementing creative, integrated communications solutions.
- You don’t shy away from a challenge—and you confront problems with balance and curiosity. You lead in a way that builds your team up, even in challenging times.
- Leads a team in communications planning. Lead the development, implementation and management of integrated, multi-channel citizen-centric communications planning to support ACCS priorities for both internal and external audiences, maximizing public awareness and understanding of benefit of City priorities and initiatives.
- Acts as a strategic partner. Seen as a strategic partner to the assigned business unit—one who understands the complex and varied organizational projects, priorities and issues in order to develop communications advice.
- Proactively manages issues. Proactively identifies emerging issues and opportunities on a regular basis, and recommends appropriate communications approaches.
- Works with media. Cultivate and maintain strong relationships with local and domestic media, determine key audiences and lead a proactive approach to media relations.
- Manages a budget and contractors. Effectively manage budgets and processes to execute initiatives in a cost-effective, timely fashion to support strategic objectives. Manage external contractors, including through the RFP process, including but not limited to agencies, freelance designers and writers.
- Prioritize relationships. Develops, builds and maintains excellent working relationships and understanding within their team, internal clients and stakeholders. Create an environment of trust and credibility through clear, accurate, open and timely two-way communication with staff and stakeholders.
- Use sound judgment. Leads with a high level of political acuity, judgment and diplomacy, including the handling of confidential, sensitive subject matter. Recommend appropriate communications response, staying calm even in moments of crisis.
- Use evidence. Prioritize evaluation and adjustment to inform an evidence-based approach to communications planning and ensure plans are working against set objectives, and evaluates plans to apply learning to future work.
- Lead and mentor. Leads and mentors staff with courage and heart by providing clear direction, a safe space for questions, and provide ongoing feedback so they can perform to their highest level. This includes coaching, training and development, hiring and termination, discipline, performance and attendance management.
- Stay on top of current trends. Stay abreast of the municipal landscape and pulse of Vancouver, particularly as it may have reputational impact on the City, its programs and policies.
- Ask questions. Diplomatically challenge the status quo, ask questions and suggest alternate strategies and approaches, always keeping a strategic outlook.
- Minimum bachelor’s degree in communications, journalism, public affairs, political science or a related discipline, or clear demonstration of related experience.
- Five (5) years’ experience leading a team in mid-level strategic communications roles that encompass strategic communications planning, issues management, media relations, digital communications and corporate communications.
- Work in diverse and complex private, public sector or agency experience, ideally within a unionized environment.
- A specific track record implementing communications strategies and making evidence-based decisions to support your organization’s goals.
- A specific track record implementing communications strategies that prioritize diversity, equity and inclusion and communicating with diverse communities.
- Strong, trusted, demonstrated relationships with local and domestic media, including multilingual and beat media.
- Demonstrated experience with and passion for dealing with multiple, high-profile and complex issues on a daily basis.
- Reputation as an avid learner and self-starter who follows emerging communications trends for the joy of it, including channels and tools, using data and nimbly keeping pace with change.
- Experience leading, managing and influencing diverse and multidisciplinary teams.
- Demonstrated budget experience, including creating and managing a budget in a lean environment.
- Knowledge of local government operations and processes, intergovernmental relations and roles and responsibilities of orders of government is an asset.
- Experience in the arts and culture, community services, social infrastructure, or housing operation spaces is an asset but not required.
- Familiarity with public and stakeholder engagement development and implementation is an asset but not required.