Director, Communications

JLL•Chicago, CO

1d•Onsite

About The Position

JLL is seeking a Director of Executive Thought Leadership to own how the firm’s most senior leaders are seen and recognized in the market. This is an individual contributor role with full ownership of the function and no direct reports. It owns the strategy and standards for executive positioning across the platforms where JLL leadership shows up: global speaking stages, earned media, owned content channels, and flagship internal forums. The role reports to and takes direction from the Head of Corporate Communications and works across the Communications Center of Excellence. The role sets the framework and governance for how JLL builds executive thought leadership, then partners with communications and marketing peers across the business to bring the strategy to life. It owns the model and the standards, and delivery happens through those partnerships. The role brings together disciplines that have historically been managed separately: organic speaking, earned media, executive owned content, internal visibility, and on-stage and on-camera performance. The role will build a single in-house capability that gives a defined cohort of senior leaders coordinated, high-quality support, and to connect that support to clear business outcomes. The person must operate comfortably in a highly matrixed global organization and carry the presence to advise and brief members of the Global Executive Board. The successful candidate will bring 7 to 10 years of relevant experience and a track record of building executive platforms inside large, matrixed organizations.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Marketing, Journalism, or a related field
7 to 10 years of relevant experience in communications, executive positioning, or thought leadership, ideally within a large, matrixed organization
Proven track record building executive thought leadership platforms and content programs for senior leaders
Experience applying criteria-based frameworks to prioritize communications investment against business strategy
Experience managing and optimizing external agency partnerships, with clear reporting and value standards
Strong understanding of how earned media, owned content, and speaking work together to build reputation
Awareness of how modern digital approaches, including AI and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), shape how corporate reputation is discovered and represented
Advanced project management skills, with the ability to run multiple concurrent programs across teams
Credibility and presence to advise and brief members of the Global Executive Board
Comfortable operating as an individual contributor in a highly matrixed, global organization, delivering through influence rather than a team
Partners effectively with communications leads across the Communications CoE
Able to navigate competing demands calmly in high-visibility settings
Clear communicator with diverse stakeholders, from subject matter experts to global leaders
High level of integrity and discretion when handling sensitive information

Responsibilities

Own the firm-wide strategy, publishing cadence, and operating framework for executive positioning across senior leadership
Own the function’s framework and outcomes, working through communications and marketing partners across business lines and corporate functions, under the direction of the Head of Corporate Communications
Manage the intake and selection of leaders into the program, applying a clear, criteria-based model that prioritizes the value and relevance of each leader’s perspective over seniority
Run a regular review cycle that keeps the supported cohort current as business priorities shift
Own prioritization of the function’s time and budget when demands compete, in agreement with the Head of Corporate Communications
Set the approach and standards for executive platforms across speaking, media, and owned content, and map the right targets for each leader
Direct the pursuit of organic speaking slots at premier global stages and media outlets, for example Davos (WEF), MIPIM, FII, and Semafor, in partnership with external communications
Oversee ghostwriting and content development, delivered through partners, so each leader’s external narrative and owned content stay joined up
Establish on-stage, on-camera, and broadcast performance coaching so leaders show up consistently well
Partner with the business lines and corporate functions communications leads to give leaders visibility at flagship internal forums, recognizing that internal profile shapes external profile
Work with digital and AI teams to enable self-service tools that let the broader employee base amplify the brand at scale
Manage external agency partners where specialist support is needed, holding them to consistent quality and reporting standards
Define and own a measurement framework that spans activity, quality, and business impact, replacing awareness-only reporting
Set baselines where none exist today and define how the function’s contribution to pipeline is tracked, working with marketing operations and analytics
Report progress to business line and corporate function communications leaders as well as senior leadership through a consistent, data-driven dashboard
Partner with the Brand and Content teams so all materials meet JLL’s visual identity and content standards
Act as a trusted advisor to business line and corporate function communications leaders on how their most senior people show up in the market
Bring an executive-positioning perspective into annual planning and OKR setting