Manager, Strategic Communications - Toronto, ON, Canada - University Pension Plan

Description

Wednesday, January 31, 2024

ABOUT UPP

UPP is the first pension plan of its kind in Ontario's university sector, proudly serving over 39,000 members across four universities and 12 affiliate organizations. Our purpose is to bring greater retirement peace of mind to the university sector by investing with integrity and serving members with care. As a sector-wide plan designed for growth, our doors are open to all Ontario universities. Together, we're a team of progressive thinkers and agile doers operating within a fast-paced culture of collaboration and respect. We believe in bringing smart and capable people together to create, solve and grow with a clear shared vision and values of integrity, inclusivity, ingenuity, and impact. Our culture is intentionally welcoming and purposefully rooted in equity, diversity, inclusion, and reconciliation (EDIR). We believe diverse teams, perspectives, and lived experiences contribute to better decisions and a better workplace. As a long-term investor, we recognize that environmental, social and governance ("ESG") factors support risk management and value creation. As stated in our Responsible Investing Policy , we are committed to incorporating ESG considerations into our investment management activities and we collaborate with other industry participants in the promotion of a sustainable economy and society.

Join us in building a bright future for our members, our organization, and each other.

THE ROLE

Reporting to the Senior Director, Strategic Communications, the Manager, Strategic Communications, will be responsible for developing and implementing multi-channel communications plans in support of UPP's brand and strategic goals. In this hands-on role, you will drive all day-to-day external relations activities and serve as the primary support to senior executives and subject matter experts on UPP's diverse thought leadership platform.

This role requires a strong grasp of communication tactics and how to effectively translate valued information, ideas, and objectives into compelling content for diverse and wide-reaching audiences. The ideal candidate will build strong relationships with business partners and subject matter experts from across UPP to gather information and adapt that information into high impact materials.

If you are a strategic thinker with a passion for social media, media relations, and thought leadership, we invite you to apply for this exciting opportunity to lead our organization's efforts in enhancing brand visibility and industry influence.

This role is based in downtown Toronto under a hybrid work policy, allowing employees the flexibility to work remotely and in-office (approximately two days per week in-office).

SPECIFIC ACCOUNTABILITIES:

In partnership with the Senior Director, Strategic Communications, the Manager, Strategic Communications will:

Content creation and management

• Generate compelling written content that spans UPP's external communications platforms, including press releases, speeches, social media posts, web copy, articles, and other multimedia content, while ensuring consistency with the organization's key messaging and communication goals
• Collaborate with teams and departments across the organization to gather insights, identify storylines, and create content that resonates with target audiences to drive positive perceptions and increase UPP's brand awareness.
• Establish strategic objectives, performance metrics, and collaborative workflows to drive strong new performance standards and achieve business goals
• Provide editing oversight on communications materials produced by other team members to ensure message consistency and alignment, providing advice and feedback on best practices
• Collaborate with UPP's creative and digital teams to deliver polished, branded content
• Proofread and edit content to improve clarity, tone, and accessibility and ensure accuracy
• Incorporate best practices in corporate communications to optimize and enhance UPP's workflow processes and communication efforts.
• Develop social content strategies in alignment with organizational communications goals, including awareness and engagement.
• Manage internal approval processes and day-to-day social community needs.
• Actively monitor and report on social community analytics and seek opportunities to optimize content and action opportunities as they arise.
• Monitor trends and emerging technologies to keep the organization at the forefront of social media innovation

Media relations

• Proactively manage media inquiries and opportunities to promote the organization's initiatives, accomplishments, and thought leadership
• Build and mantain strong relationships with media stakeholders
• Coordinate logistics and prepare UPP team members for public appearances and events
• Oversee the curation and distribution of a daily media summary using a news aggregator service

Thought leadership

• Contribute to the implementation of a thought leadership strategy and evaluate opportunities accordingly.
• Provide communication recommendations and support to senior executives and subject matter experts on thought leadership opportunities, and guide them in effectively conveying key messages and managing public relations
• Develop key messages, speaking notes, and briefing materials for speaking engagements.
• Manage thought leadership logistics, including attending prep calls and holding the pen on material development.

Team leadership

• Contribute to both the day-to-day work of the division and to its longer-term strategic growth and development.
• Provide support for crisis communication plans and responses, ensuring the plan's ability to manage and mitigate reputational risks across various scenarios.
• Bring communications and external affairs experience, knowledge and expertise to support the work of the division, on behalf of the organization.
• Hire, train, develop and mentor junior team members.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE:

• Post-secondary education in communications, marketing, or a related field.
• Minimum 5+ years of related experience, preferably within the context of a large, multi-stakeholder organization such as a university, membership association, union, pension plan, or financial institution.
• Excellent writing and communication skills, with the ability to craft compelling thought leadership content.
• Strategic thinking and the ability to align media/social media and thought leadership initiatives with organizational objectives.
• A track record of executing innovative and impactful communications strategies.
• Knowledge of best practices related to communications, accessibility, public relations, social media and media relations.
• Knowledge of the Canadian retirement security ecosystem and pension sector, or the ability to quickly get up to speed in order to effectively communicate UPP's value proposition to external audiences
• Proven ability to develop communications that promote and strengthen relationships with a variety of audiences.
• Ability to work with strict deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong proofreading capabilities.
• Written and verbal fluency in French is considered an asset.

ATTRIBUTES:

• A creative thinker who understands messaging impact and how to attract attention and drive narratives.
• A multitasker who can comfortably flow between projects in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong organizational and planning skills; able to prioritize and deliver on deadlines.
• Able to build collaborative and trusting relationships with internal and external partners, and effectively communicate to an array of audiences.
• Ownership mindset
• Innovative at heart – able to think analytically and act creatively.
• Up to date on industry trends.

PERSONALITY TRAITS:

• Self-driven
• Creative
• Strong work ethic
• Passion for learning
• Personable
• Confident

LIFE AT UPP

Do work that matters . We are duty-bound to serve our members' interests, and it's a responsibility we don't take lightly. That's why we've ingrained sustainability in our work from day one—to ensure our members have a resilient future to retire into, both today and for generations to come.

Stronger together . Collaboration is how UPP was born, and it's how we work with each other and our partners day in, day out. No one at UPP is just a number (even if they are excellent at math) and every win is a shared win. Grow every day . You'll have the opportunity to work on unique, once-in-a-career projects that maximize your skill set and probably teach you some new ones—at any stage in your career. Prioritize wellness . At UPP, wellness takes many forms. Ultimately, it's about ensuring our people are cared for in the ways that matter to them. Check out some highlights of our inclusive employee-focused benefits program including:

• Work from abroad up to eight weeks/year
• Extended paramedical and mental health service coverage
• Health care and lifestyle spending accounts
• Fertility treatments, paid parental leave, and gender affirmation coverage
• Education Assistance program

UPP enthusiastically welcomes applications from all qualified applicants and especially invites people with lived experience as an Indigenous person, a person with a disability or as a member of another Human Rights Code protected group that faces barriers to employment to apply. Our goal is to create a barrier-free experience for every candidate throughout the recruitment process, so if you require accommodation at any point during the process, please let us know so that we can make the appropriate arrangements. It would be our honor to work with you to adapt our processes to ensure that you can meaningfully participate.

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