Director of Communications

Director of Communications. The Director of Communications will report to the Chief Marketing and Communications officer and will set and guide the strategy for all internal and external communications, website content and public relations outreach to consistently articulate the mission of the organization. The Director of Communications will oversee media relations, crisis communications, social media, corporate communications and internal communications functions. The Director of Communications will build external relationships and ensure the organization is viewed as the primary source, distributor and channel of information within the Veterinary Industry.

The Director of Communications will work closely with leadership as the communications partner on a variety of strategic initiatives. The Director of Communications will develop and implement a unified, organization-wide strategic communications plan to broaden awareness of the organization and to develop and strengthen its brand identity. The Director of Communications collaborates and integrates with the marketing team for the successful launch and implementation of integrated marketing communications campaigns. The Director of Communications works with staff and the board of directors to recognize internal and external communications opportunities and solutions, and defines and executes appropriate strategies to support them. The Director of Communications leads the media relations team in the creation of a media relations strategy for executive and board leadership which will promote and enhance meaningful relationships with targeted audiences, including media, public officials and key influencers within the veterinary industry. The Director of Communications monitors and manages the social media channels and other sources of environmental scanning. The Director of Communications will continuously identify challenges and emerging issues faced by the veterinary industry and prioritize media opportunities. The Director creates and implements a process to oversee all copy intended for public consumption to ensure its alignment with the publications policy. The Director of Communications serves as the lead point person for media interactions that promote and/or impact the organization and actively cultivates and manages press relationships to ensure coverage of issues important to the organization.

The Director of Communications provides support as needed on behalf of the organization at national, regional and local meetings and to councils/committees/task forces as assigned. The Director manages and implements crisis communications planning and response for various issues that impact the organization. The Director leads the corporate communications team in the development and implementation of internal communications strategy and execution for staff audiences and supervises development and updates of scientific information as needed. The Director manages relationships with communications-related vendors or consultants. The Director creates and implements an impressions dashboard or other method to track and measure the output, impact, engagement and effectiveness of communications activities. The Director mentors and develops staff using a supportive and collaborative approach and will promote a culture of high performance and continuous improvement that values learning.

The Director of Communications serves as the lead point person on media interactions that promote and/or impact the organization and actively cultivates and manages press relationships to ensure coverage of issues important to the organization. The Director of Communications provides support as needed on behalf of the organization at national, regional and local meetings and to councils/committees/task forces as assigned. The Director manages and implements crisis communications planning and response for various issues that impact the organization. The Director leads the corporate communications staff in executive speech writing and Board communications and supervises relationships with communications-related vendors or consultants. The Director creates and implements an impressions dashboard or other method to track and measure the output, impact, engagement and effectiveness of communications activities. The Director mentors and develops staff using a supportive and collaborative approach and promotes a culture of high performance and continuous improvement that values learning. The Director is responsible for the performance management of all direct reports including the establishment of ongoing goals and priorities, providing ongoing performance feedback, conducting annual performance appraisals’ hiring, and applying appropriate disciplinary actions when applicable within the policy and procedures of the organization.

Qualifications include 8+ years of experience in a communications role’ preferably with a nonprofit entity. Experience in media relations, social media, content development, internal and external communications and crisis communications, advanced writing, editing and verbal communication skills with the ability to present ideas with clarity and vision. The successful candidate will have a highly collaborative style and experience developing and implementing communications strategies and will be enthusiastic and innovative. The successful candidate will have strong supervisory and project management skills, excellent interpersonal and communication skills and will be a relationship builder. Our ideal individual will have the ability to manage by influence and will be flexible. Other qualifications include experience with Microsoft Office Suite, an experienced, capable leader, people manager and coach. We seek someone with a good work ethic and ability to prioritize and follow-through effectively. The incumbent will be willing to share their own ideas, amongst senior staff and board members. The successful candidate must be able to travel on behalf of the organization and must be able to work outside normal business hours.

A Bachelor’s Degree in communications, public relations, business or relevant field is required. A Master’s Degree is a plus.

To learn more and/or apply for this exciting animal health job opportunity, please apply here: