Director, Corporate Communications and Marketing

Overview

The City of Kitchener is seeking a Director, Corporate Communications and Marketing to lead its strategic communications function.

The largest municipality in Waterloo Region, Kitchener is a vibrant city, with strong and active neighbourhoods, an industrious and innovative history, and a proud reputation for engaging with and consulting our community. With an increasingly diverse population, we are committed to becoming a more equitable and inclusive community. We welcome a communications leader who shares our commitment to these values and will assist us in strengthening our communications practices to reach all audiences in our community.

At the City of Kitchener, our people, and our organizational culture, are our greatest strength. With a passionate commitment to public service, our people live our core values of trust and respect, change and growth, and collaboration every day. Our culture is guided by our People Plan; more than just a foundation of our Strategic Plan, our People Plan is our culture story and inspiration.

As Kitchener’s Director, Corporate Communications and Marketing, you are an expert in identifying and advising on and managing complex issues with exceptional judgement and instinct. You have a keen ability to manage by influence, collaborate and build consensus with peers and leaders. You have strong political and corporate acumen and your superior communication and writing skills are valued by the executive teams you support. Your highly proactive nature and personal initiative enable you to quickly and effectively build relationships and deliver results. You are an inspiring storyteller with a passion for community.

The Director reports to the General Manager, Corporate Services and is a member of the Corporate Services Senior Management Team.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership & Communications Planning
  • Develops and implements a strategic communications and marketing strategy that supports the city’s vision, strategic plan, and service delivery goals.
  • Oversees integrated campaigns across digital, print and broadcast platforms to inform and engage diverse audiences.
  • Monitors emerging trends in public sector communications and leverage data-driven insights to continuously improve outreach and engagement.
  • Guides the continuous improvement of the city’s digital platforms, ensuring exceptional accessibility and user experien ce

• Media Relations & Issues Managemen t
  • Develops and maintains robust issues management protocols, including media monitoring, and fulfills the role of Emergency Information Officer within the City’s emergency management structure
  • Builds and sustains positive and professional relationships with media outlets and external partners to foster trust and ensure the city is responsive, transparent and accessible
  • Provides strategic direction and advice on complex issues to internal partners and senior leaders

• Team Leadership
  • Leads a multidisciplinary team of communications professionals, including specialists in citizen engagement, communications, digital content and graphic design
  • Fosters a culture of creativity, innovation, collaboration and accountability
  • Provides mentorship and professional development within the team to build capacity and resilience across the team
  • Oversees the division’s budget to ensure efficient and impactful service

Requirements

• 4 Year Honours Degree in Journalism, Marketing, Communications, Public Relations or related discipline
• At least 7-10 years’ experience leading strategic communications/media relations with direct experience managing complex issues on behalf of a publicly visible organization
• Experience advising executive leaders on issues management with a proven track record in crisis communications, media relations, and stakeholder engagement
• Experience leading a team, managing multiple tasks while meeting competing deadlines
• Experience developing others, with the ability to inspire people around a common vision, build consensus and motivate action, strong facilitation and mediation skills;
• Ability to quickly understand and navigate organizational systems, structures, culture and people to achieve results
• Exceptional communications judgement, a service mind-set and a collaborative approach to working with colleagues and media partners.
• Deep understanding of municipal government and the issues and priorities in the local municipal context

Note: All interested applicants are encouraged to apply. In the event there is no successful applicant with the stated level of education and experience, other applicants will be considered if a combination of their education and experience meets the following pre-determined equivalency:

• 3-Year Degree/Diploma with minimum 10 years related and relevant experience OR
• Undergraduate degree with a Master’s degree with minimum 4 years of related and relevant experience