Hiring: Director of Communications

Position Title: Director of Communications

Location: Flexible Remote Work & 150 Elgin Street, 10th Floor, Ottawa, ON

Reports To: President and CEO

 

The Ottawa Board of Trade (the board) is seeking a director of communications, a new role designed to build the brand of the board as the primary advocate on behalf of the business community and partner in building business and community success.

The director reports directly to the president & CEO (subject to change) and is responsible to create and report on annual communications plans that clearly support the strategic plan with an advocacy, membership, and inclusivity lens and integrates emerging policies, programs, and needs of business.

The director will be strategically and tactically capable of managing and collaborating with a team of partners, staff, and volunteers to execute on our plan. They will be a creative and energetic leader with a passion for city building and a genuine interest in supporting the Ottawa business community.

The director thrives in a fast paced, ever changing, and collaborative environment with a outcome focused and flexible approach. They are a dynamic presenter, thought leader and relationship builder who can articulate the important work of a local board of trade.

 

Responsibilities:

• Create and manage external and internal communications to execute on the vision, mission, and strategy of the board.
• Support messaging for the CEO office, board of directors, committees, and economic partners, calibrating the community narrative on key issues.
• Write and edit content for various collateral and channels including but not limited to advocacy strategies, articles, blogs, ad campaigns, website, event scripts and speeches, opinion pieces, letters, and member messages.
• Manage events, partnerships, and projects to maximize our ability to amplify our advocacy work and build our membership including our AGM, political meetings, CAPITAL magazine and OBE.
• Advance a leading-edge digital content strategy and coordinate the production of multimediaproducts such as videos, publications, and marketing funnels.
• Devise a member, partner and business community engagement strategy that demonstratesdiversity in sector, size, and background.
• Design and launch compelling reports based on the research and work of our advocacy andeconomic development teams.
• Leverage and deploy the work of our partners at all levels of government including the Ontarioand Canadian Chambers of Commerce, Canadian Global Cities Council, and other associations.
• Create and execute a media strategy for the board announcements and events including releases on breaking news or policy changes.
• Act as the main media contact, building strong relationships with key news outlets and preparing key points to maximize the impact for our business community.

Experience:

• A university degree or equivalent in communications, journalism or related area is an asset
• Demonstrated leadership in coordinating the delivery of results with maximum impact
• Critical ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, ever-changing environment is required
• Ability to lead through influence in a complex and evolving environment with a sense ofurgency, to meet challenging timelines and organizational goals
• Exceptional interpersonal and relationship building skills
• Executive-level written and verbal presentation skills with the ability to effectively communicateacross all levels within the organization and the membership and at all levels of government
• Experience managing staff, leading a team, and overseeing consultants (photographers,videographers, designers, venues, speakers, etc.).

 

They say you are . . .

• Politically savvy with strategic influencing and negotiation skills
• A thought leader, inquisitive and comfortable in challenging the status quo
• An effective communicator with strong business acumen
• Highly organized and deadline-driven
• A positive and energetic self-starter with the ability to work independently
• Collaborative with colleagues and partners from all levels and departments
• Agile and open to changing directions, adopting new practices, or learning something new
• Empathetic and aware of interpersonal dynamics
• A strong multitasker with the ability to navigate and prioritize competing deadlines
• A creative problem solver looking for long term win-win scenarios

 

Our environment:

The standard work week is 35 hours. The successful applicant will need to maintain flexible scheduling as both early morning and evening events occur several times each month. The engages in multiple high-volume activities that require careful scheduling and often require last-minute changes. Occasional lifting of equipment and supplies is required as well as a license to drive and a vehicle.

 

About us:

The Ottawa Board of Trade is the voice of business and a key advocate for economic development in the nation capital region. Our mission is to cultivate a thriving world class business community, one that drives community prosperity and builds an affordable, inclusive, and sustainable city. We also provide programs and services that help our members grow their business and their teams. We work with staff and volunteers that are aligned with our values of collaboration, determination, future thinking, integrity, and passion.

 

If this sounds like you, please apply by submitting a cover letter and resume to Sueling.ching@ottwabot.ca with the subject line “Director of Communications”.