Director, Corporate Communications Job Summary/Company:
Sparks Group is seeking a Director, Corporate Communications who can be a strategic driver and lead the communications function for a large non-profit in Herndon, VA.

The Director, Corporate Communications is responsible for providing vision, thought leadership, ROI-based communication strategies, media and public relations management, and execution in support of the company and its various departments. Through a deep understanding of the audience, the Director will lead the development and execution of communication strategies that align with the company's mission, and effectively advances its strategic goals to its B2B and B2B2C targets, resulting in increased brand awareness, usage and growth.

Working in conjunction with key internal functions and external marketing and PR firms and consultants, the Director creates consistent brand positioning and messages; strategic and measurable communication campaigns and programs; and an integrated channel strategy leveraging the web, social media, PR, digital platforms, print and graphic media, multimedia, and events. The Director is also responsible for establishing, tracking and reporting regularly on KPIs and recommending and executing ongoing improvements to optimize performance and the end-to-end customer experience. Additionally, the Director leads the company in establishing a standardized system to measure customer satisfaction and collaborate with stakeholders enterprise wide on ways to improve customer satisfaction.

The ideal candidate must thrive in a fast-paced environment and be a strategic driver with a demonstrable track record of success who understands communication strategies for traditional, social and new media as well as how to lead and motivate a team of talented communications professionals.

Director, Corporate Communications Responsibilities:

• Collaborate with internal stakeholders, outside agencies and other stakeholders to develop and manage strategic external communications plans, channel communications, executive communications, media relations and corporate crisis communications.
• Be integrally involved in reputation and brand management for the organizations.
• Work with leadership to manage and grow external media coverage in key national and local outlets.
• Manage media research, outreach and interview requests.
• Develop talking points, white papers and other materials to support media relations and issues management.
• Develop Executive communications, speeches, and presentations.
• Design, develop and execute proactive strategies, programs and tactics to share the company vision, mission, strategy and story while supporting efforts to continue the appropriate use of the corporate brand.
• Work across the organization and externally to position the company as a trusted national leader in the education and workforce communities, continue to share and enhance our culture, and prepare and deliver integrated communications as appropriate.
• Build a network with internal business customers to develop and align messages and communication strategies and support communications, working cross-functionally and acting as a key liaison on select committees where appropriate.
• Collaborate on the development of company-wide materials including the corporate website, blogs, newsletters, corporate overview presentation, and other materials that support our business.
• Manage external communications firms in developing strategies, plans and materials, as well as in executing initiatives and programs.
• Supervise and manage a team to meet department, division and the organization's goals.
• Interview, hire, and train as needed and approved by management.
• Provide leadership and oversight to direct reports ensuring they have the necessary direction and support to meet their day to day responsibilities and goals.
• Monitor employee performance and conduct appraisals.
• Reward employees using formal and informal methods.

Director, Corporate Communications Qualifications/Background Profile:

• Bachelor's degree and 10+ years of directly related experience, with a minimum of 5 years of strategic communications leadership. A combination of education and experience, including through military service will also be considered.
• 5+ years of leadership and management experience along with development, implementation, and management of integrated communication strategies and KPIs.
• Experience driving communication strategies within the B2B2C space.
• Proven history of building and managing successful demand-generation and pipeline-building campaigns using marketing automation (preferably Pardot with integration to Salesforce).
• In-depth knowledge of traditional and online advertising, media relations, inbound marketing, social media, SEO/SEM, and Google Analytics.
• Excellent interpersonal, problem solving, communication, project and budget management, analytic, and cross-functional coordination skills as well as a strong business acumen.
• Knowledge of the education industry highly preferred.
• Expert level in Microsoft Office applications.
• Must be able to provide professional samples or portfolio (writing samples, blog posts, social media posts, collateral, infographics, etc.) when requested.

Qualified candidates should send their resume AND call Sparks Group for additional details. Please note, resume must include a valid email address in order to be considered. We look forward to discussing your background, your current job search, and your potential career path with Sparks Group!

Sparks Group is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, pregnancy, citizenship, family status, genetic information, disability, or protect veteran status.