Job ID: 40815
Job Category: Communications & Marketing
Division & Section: Strategic Public & Employee Communications, Media Relations and Issues Management and Strategy & Relationships
Work Location: City Hall, 100 Queen Street West
Job Type & Duration: Full-time, Permanent
Salary: $101,900 - $131,222, Wage Grade 7
Shift Information: Monday - Friday, 35 hours per week
Affiliation: Non-Union
Number of Positions Open: 3
Posting Period: 25-SEP-2023 to 15-OCT-2023
The Strategic Public and Employee Communications (SPEC) Division is modernizing the model through which it delivers effective marketing and communications to the public and City staff. Through a centralized, centres of excellence approach that nurtures growth and opportunities for its staff, SPEC will focus on proactive storytelling that puts the City, and its divisions – as partners – at the centre. Integrated communications and marketing activities will align with the broader organizational strategy and drive measurable impact.
SPEC, a high-performing and fast-paced division, is seeking three highly-skilled Senior Communications Advisors to join the division on both the Media Relations & Issues Management Centres of Excellence and the Strategy and Relationships Centre of Excellence. These seasoned communicators will be leaders with a track record that clearly demonstrates creative communications approaches, are comfortable leading teams, and have experience with issues management strategies and emergency communications. They will not shy away from challenges, will build and maintain strong relationships, have high political acumen, seek out unique communications opportunities, anticipate and manage risk, advocate for continuous improvement, be passionate storytellers for Toronto and commit to going above and beyond in service delivery and innovation.
Major Responsibilities of all positions:
- Builds collaborative relationships with senior management, partner divisions, other interested parties, and staff across SPEC division to ensure effective implementation of communication tactics and to have oversight over emerging issues.
- Provide timely and knowledgeable strategic communications leadership and counsel as well as direction to City divisions on both a proactive and reactive basis.
- Provides strategic communication leadership after hours while on standby, after business hours and on weekends as directed.
- Responds in a timely manner to media and other requests for information on City programs and services and provides communications leadership when incidents or emergencies take place after hours.
- Monitors Council and Committee agendas and directives, interested parties, other municipalities, federal and provincial government announcements and legislation and media coverage to determine impact on the City and provides counsel to divisional management.
- Creates benchmarks and adopts a strategic approach that considers industry best practices to ensure communications are rooted in measurement and strategy.
- Manages and oversees the delivery of strategic communications/issues management services for highly sensitive, high-profile and contentious matters that have city-wide implications.
- Mentors and supervises staff within the division to promote best practices, provide advice and to establish a professional and well-respected communications service.
Media Relations & Issues Management Centres of Excellence team:
The Media Relations & Issues Management Centres of Excellence is responsible for developing and delivering media relations and issues management strategies and activities for the City. The Senior Communications Advisor will provide leadership and counsel to the City including leading communications responses for reputational issues, providing crisis communications expertise, leading in rapid response situations and developing collaborative relationships across the organization.
Major Responsibilities:
The ideal candidate is comfortable leading a variety of complex programs and projects. Key functions include:
- Identifies and anticipates reputational risks, monitors and advises on emerging issues that can affect the City's brand and the achievement of its goals.
- Develops and operationalizes communication strategies that protect and/or enhance the City's reputation and ensures senior City officials are prepared in advance to respond to challenges.
- Provides communications leadership when events, major incidents, rapid response situations or declared emergencies as directed, working quickly and effectively across all platforms in challenging conditions.
- Serving as a spokesperson and conducting media training for key spokespeople.
Strategy and Relationships Centre of Excellence team:
Members of the Strategy and Relationships Centre of Excellence provide strategic, expert communications leadership to City staff including leading proactive and innovative strategy development and planning, project management, anticipating and coordinating strategic communications needs against corporate objectives and priorities, developing collaborative relationships, and monitoring and measuring results.
Major Responsibilities:
- Identify, develop, and implement strategic and innovative, large-scale, multi-channel communications plans that detail results-oriented action plans that consider both internal and external proactive and reactive strategies, issue management, digital and media strategies and tactics that are rooted in measurement and strategy.
- Lead the development of overall strategy, the execution of communications campaigns and the management of budget to ensure corporate-wide issues are effectively managed.
- A natural project manager who is committed to measurement and evaluation of work while reporting out regularly to senior leaders.
- Leads and co-ordinates project teams to ensure that all communications strategies and corporate-wide issues are managed effectively.
- Work closely with senior City leaders and staff to build strong relationships and establish clear priorities.
Key Qualifications:
- Extensive experience in a Corporate Communications or Public Affairs environment in a major public or private sector organization.
- Extensive experience in proactive and responsive strategic communications, media relations, issues management and crisis communications and experience providing advice to senior staff and officials in these areas.
- Experience in developing effective strategies to make data and evidence informed decisions for ongoing media, social media and issues monitoring, research, and analysis, pivoting as necessary and capturing lessons learned.
- Post-secondary education in a discipline pertinent to the job function, such as Journalism, Communications or combined equivalent of education and experience.
- Proven ability to provide leadership to communications, staff and other interested parties.
- Proven ability to influence and build collaborative relationships across a broad spectrum of stakeholders, both internal and external to the organization.
- Ability to handle sensitive and confidential information with a high degree of discretion and professionalism.
- Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail, with the ability to work in a high-volume, high-stress and politically sensitive environment, while delivering a high-volume of projects under tight deadlines.
- Superior oral and written communication skills along with proven and excellent writing and editing skills for media and other audiences.
- Knowledge of outreach techniques for diverse audiences including multilingual and specialized media and community organizations, applying an inclusive and culturally sensitive lens to communications.
- A team player, with a passion for serving the people of Toronto and telling the City’s stories
- A proven storyteller who has passion and experience for bringing together compelling narratives that resonate with people.
- Training in Incident Management System (IMS) and knowledge of emergency management best practices is considered an asset.
- Experience as a media spokesperson an asset
Note To Current City of Toronto Employees
City of Toronto employees are eligible to apply for the posted job opportunity, but cannot hold two different jobs. To be considered for this job posting, you must indicate that you are a "Current City of Toronto employee" on the on-line application form, and provide your "Employee Number".
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
The City is an equal opportunity employer, dedicated to creating a workplace culture of inclusiveness that reflects the diverse residents that we serve. Learn more about the City’s commitment to employment equity.
Accommodation
The City of Toronto is committed to creating an accessible and inclusive organization. We are committed to providing barrier-free and accessible employment practices in compliance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). Should you require Code-protected accommodation through any stage of the recruitment process, please make them known when contacted and we will work with you to meet your needs. Disability-related accommodation during the application process is available upon request. Learn more about the City’s Hiring Policies and Accommodation Process.
