Chief Strategist and Tactician, Communications

Duties

As a leader, you are as open-minded and respectful as you are knowledgeable. Through sound analytical thinking and by taking measured and intelligent risks, you challenge conventional ways, and propose innovative tools and ambitious approaches to communicate ACOA’s policies and programs, managing news stories and developing campaigns to support our priorities.

In this wide-ranging and dynamic position, your key responsibilities will include:

• Creating and delivering high quality, ambitious impactful communications plans, products and services to support effective campaigns.
• Overseeing the strategic development and continuous improvement of communications channels, products and messages, to ensure that timely and relevant information is delivered to staff, stakeholders and the general public.
• Building close working relationships with counterparts in other government and partner organisations, ensuring that strategies, messages and activities help tell a shared story.
• Having a digital ‘head on your shoulders’, embracing the latest thinking and innovation to enable us to leverage collaborative tools and social media.
• Evaluating communication activities, including through audience and client feedback and analysis, to demonstrate their value and/or improve the service provided.
• Managing and prioritising resources to ensure that there is an appropriate balance of proactive and reactive communications activity to ensure long term objectives are met.
• Leading, inspiring and shaping the Communication team, including making recommendations on learning and development needs within the team and identifying and filling capability gaps.

You will be based at our Head Office, located in the only officially bilingual city in Canada - Moncton, NB -, a short distance from some of the most beautiful shores on the East Coast.

Located at the heart of downtown Moncton where things happen !
https://www.moncton.ca/SplashPages/MonctonIndex.htm

You are the ideal candidate for the role if you have :

• A track record of developing and delivering proactive ambitious communications strategies that enhance the reputation of an organisation, as part of an integrated communications function.
• Proven knowledge of digital, broadcast and print media, and an appreciation of the rapid pace at which stories move in a 24/7 communications environment.
• Established credibility and authority and a track record of gaining the confidence of and influencing senior management.
• Highly developed written and oral communications skills.
• The ability to brief on complex issues rapidly, presenting in a clear and concise manner and identifying key messages.
• The ability to confidently lead, inspire and empower teams and to build team capability.

Work environment

Our communications portfolio is one of the busiest in the Government of Canada and, as a Chief Strategist and Tactician, you will be part of a team of communications professionals responsible for explaining policies and programs, managing news stories and developing campaigns to support priorities.

We are looking for an experienced, versatile and passionate communicator who can operate effectively across a full range of communications disciplines to complement our team of dynamic professionals in a work environment that promotes teamwork, self-improvement, and creativity. As well as helping to manage the news agenda, you will be responsible for delivering integrated communication campaigns across multiple channels, and engaging with key stakeholders both in the media and across the public service.

Reporting to the Director General, Communications, and working closely with senior management across the organisation, you will be expected to establish clear, coherent strategies that help the department manage risks to its reputation and deliver consistent messages to its key audiences.

You will also be part of a management group dedicated to lead and continuously enhance an ambitious team that is capable of delivering communications activities that consistently meet and exceed expectations. Your ability to articulate our strategic story and provide ACOA employees with compelling content and outstanding communications advice will be crucial.

The pace of work is fast and the level of complexity offers you a challenging and dynamic environment.

Continuously striving to improve results, you will lead a team that functions as an integrated part of the organisation, nurtures close working relationships with the partners that it supports and focuses on service delivery and getting things done.

You will be highly experienced at stakeholder management and able to ensure our communications team can adapt its approach and output to the evolving needs of our internal and external stakeholders and partners.

This is a fantastic opportunity to work in an area that requires strategic oversight, leadership, non-partisan political knowledge and innovation.

Intent of the process

Anticipatory. A pool of qualified candidates will be established to staff similar positions in Moncton, NB. The pool could also be used to staff similar positions within the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and the core public administration with various tenures and various language requirements at various locations.

Positions to be filled: Number to be determined

Information you must provide

Your résumé.

You must meet all essential qualifications in order to be appointed to the position. Other qualifications may be a deciding factor in choosing the person to be appointed. Some essential and other qualifications will be assessed through your application. It is your responsibility to provide appropriate examples that illustrate how you meet each qualification. Failing to do so could result in your application being rejected.

In order to be considered, your application must clearly explain how you meet the following (essential qualifications)

Education:

Graduation from a recognized Post Secondary Institution. Preference may be given to candidates with a Bachelor Degree in Communications, Journalism, Public Relations or Marketing.

Degree equivalency

Experience:

Significant*** and recent ** demonstrable* experience in developing and managing the implementation of strategic communications.

Significant*** and recent** demonstrable* experience in the analysis and management of sensitive or complex communications issues.

Significant*** and recent** demonstrable* experience in writing and editing various communications products.

Significant*** and recent** demonstrable* experience in leveraging digital and social communications tools and platforms to support campaigns.

Recent** demonstrable* experience in managing human resources as well as budget management and planning.

*Demonstrable experience is defined as being clearly apparent or capable of being logically proved.

**Recent experience is defined as being acquired within approximately the last five (5) years.

***Significant experience is defined as experience continuously performing a broad range of relevant and impactful communications activities over a period of approximately three (3) years.

Competencies/ Abilities:

Writing
With a strong attention to detail, you excel at writing, editing, and proof-reading communications materials. As a dynamic writer in a deadline-driven environment, you promptly transform plans and strategies into creative and effective documents detailing processes, activities, or products. You are a natural storyteller with excellent editorial skills, always ready to explore new ways of creating clear, distinctive, and meaningful messages, both in content and in form. (The assessment of your writing ability will be measured throughout the content of your submission, based on clarity, conciseness, correct spelling and grammar, and the absence of typos.)

Digital or “eCommunications”
Technology-savvy, you pride yourself in being a continuous learner with the ability and desire to remain current in the application of various media and platforms, to maximize the reach and impact of messages. You are proficient in the use and impact of social media.

Creativity
You can view things in new ways or from a different perspective. While always meeting or exceeding deadlines, you can perceive different, novel, and original ways of achieving the desired outcome. You have the passion and the commitment to propose or listen to insightful ideas. You have a constant desire to innovate, in the development of graphic design and all creative services.

• Judgement
• Initiative
• Effective interpersonal skills
• Ability to manage

The following will be applied / assessed at a later date (essential for the job)

Various language requirements
English Essential or Bilingual Imperative (Various profiles)

Information on language requirements

The following may be applied / assessed at a later date (may be needed for the job)

Education:

Graduation from a recognized Post Secondary Institution with a Master's Degree in Communications, Journalism, Public Relations or Marketing.

Degree equivalency

Experience:

Experience in liaising with media representatives, private and/or public stakeholders.

Knowledge:

Knowledge of communications practices, tools, and trends.

Knowledge of Canadian media landscape (TV, radio, print and web-based media).

Abilities:

Ability to identify and resolve complex issues under pressure in a rapidly changing environment.

Ability to prioritize concurrent deliverables, meet deadlines and achieve desired outcome.

Ability to plan, organize, and execute work with a minimal number of meetings.

Organizational Needs:

In support of achieving a represented workforce, current or future organizational needs may require consideration be given to candidates self-identifying as belonging to one of the following Employment Equity groups: women, members of visible minorities, persons with disabilities, and Aboriginal peoples.

Conditions of employment

Secret security clearance - Various Security Levels (Reliability or Secret depending on the position)
Availability and willingness to after work hours and overtime on short notice.
Availability and willingness to travel on short notice.

Other information

• The language requirement is varied and will be identified by the hiring manager.
•Communication for this process will be sent via email. It is the responsibility of the candidate to ensure accurate contact information is provided and updated as required. Candidates who apply to this selection process should include an email address that accepts email from unknown users (some email systems block these types of email).
• All written and verbal communication obtained throughout the selection process, from the time of application to close of process, may be used to evaluate the candidate.
• Reference checks may be sought.
• An interview may be administered.
• A written examination may be administered.
• The use of top down selection may be used in the determination of the candidates who will be invited to any of the assessment steps in this selection process.
• Candidates must meet the essential qualifications to be appointed to a position.
• Candidates may be required to meet the asset qualifications or the organizational needs, depending on the requirements of the specific position being staffed.
• Acknowledgment of receipt of applications will not be sent; we will contact candidates when the screening process is completed.
• You must provide proof of your education credentials.
• Persons are entitled to participate in the appointment process in the official language of their choice. Applicants are asked to indicate their preferred official language in their application.

The Public Service of Canada is committed to building a skilled, diverse workforce reflective of Canadian society. As a result, it promotes employment equity and encourages candidates to indicate voluntarily on their application if they are a woman, an Aboriginal person, a person with a disability or a member of a visible minority group.

The Public Service of Canada is also committed to developing inclusive, barrier-free selection processes and work environments. If contacted in relation to a job opportunity or testing, you should advise the Public Service Commission or the departmental official in a timely fashion of the accommodation measures which must be taken to enable you to be assessed in a fair and equitable manner. Information received relating to accommodation measures will be addressed confidentially.

Preference

Preference will be given to veterans and to Canadian citizens, in that order.

Information on the preference to veterans

We thank all those who apply. Only those selected for further consideration will be contacted.