Director Communications - Faculty of Environment

University of Waterloo•Waterloo, ON

10h•CA$113,286 - CA$141,607•Onsite

About The Position

The Faculty of Environment communications team brings the Faculty’s ideas, people and impact to life for audiences within and beyond Waterloo. Working across communications planning, storytelling, content, social media and digital channels, the team connects students, researchers, alumni, partners and communities with work addressing climate change, resilient cities, natural resources and biodiversity, and sustainable transitions. Combining deep knowledge of the Faculty’s priorities and audiences with the expertise, channels and standards of Waterloo’s wider communications function, the team strengthens the Faculty’s profile and contributes to Waterloo’s reputation for research, education and innovation with real-world impact. The Director, Communications is the senior communications lead for a faculty or assigned portfolio. The role applies institutional communications strategy by advising faculty or portfolio leaders, leading the embedded communications team and aligning local communications with university priorities, standards and service-line direction. It also brings faculty or portfolio insight, priorities and context into institutional communications planning, contributing to the development and refinement of institutional communications strategy. Serving as the principal communications partner between the supported portfolio and central teams, the Director enables strong communications execution within a coordinated institutional framework. The role is accountable for ensuring faculty or portfolio communications are strategically grounded, aligned and connected to the wider communications function. As Director, Communications for the Faculty of Environment, you will shape how one of Canada’s oldest and largest faculties of environment tells its story and engages the people who can help advance its mission. You will be the Faculty’s senior communications adviser—counselling the Dean and faculty leaders, setting priorities for the communications team, and turning complex research, educational achievements and community impact into clear, compelling communications for diverse audiences. Working at the intersection of the Faculty and Waterloo’s wider communications function, you will connect Faculty insight with institutional strategy, bring forward high-value stories and emerging issues, and create the conditions for coordinated, audience-focused communications that build understanding, engagement and reputation.

Requirements

Undergraduate degree in communications, public relations, journalism, English, political science, or a related field.
At least 7–9 years of progressive experience in strategic communications, public affairs, communications planning, or a related field.
At least 3–5 years experience leading, managing, and developing staff within a complex, multi-stakeholder environment.
Experience advising senior leaders on communications strategy, messaging and stakeholder considerations.
Demonstrated experience leading an embedded communications team, or operating successfully in a matrixed organizational model.
Experience coordinating communications work across multiple internal partners and functions.
Experience managing change, competing priorities and politically sensitive issues in a decentralized environment.
Strong expertise in strategic communications planning, stakeholder engagement, communications advisory services, and communications governance.
Advanced knowledge of communications strategy, narrative development, issues management, editorial planning, and organizational communications models.
Ability to translate institutional priorities, stakeholder needs, and local context into effective communications strategies and plans, while identifying when matters require institutional coordination, escalation, or central ownership.
Strong analytical capability and ability to synthesize information, stakeholder perspectives, and organizational context into communications recommendations and advice.
Ability to lead cross-functional initiatives and influence diverse stakeholders.
Excellent written and verbal communication, presentation, editing, and executive influencing skills.
Demonstrated ability to lead organizational change and influence adoption of enterprise standards and practices.
Demonstrated ability to balance strategic priorities, operational requirements and stakeholder interests in a complex environment.
Demonstrated political acuity, diplomacy, and sound judgment when navigating complex organizational, stakeholder, and reputational considerations.
Strong relationship-management capability across senior leadership and distributed communications environments.
Strong understanding of academic environments and the dynamics of faculties, departments and academic support structures.

Nice To Haves

Graduate degree is considered an asset
Experience in higher education, research-intensive environments, the broader public sector or a comparable context is strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

Leads communications planning the supported faculty or portfolio, ensuring alignment with institutional priorities, stakeholder needs, and faculty objectives.
Establishes communications priorities, planning approaches, and performance expectations that support coordinated activity across local and institutional initiatives.
Provides strategic counsel to the vice president, dean, executive officer or equivalent portfolio leadership on communications priorities, sequencing, positioning, audience considerations and escalation needs.
Supports leaders in translating faculty or portfolio priorities into clear communications approaches aligned with university direction.
Advises on communications implications of faculty or portfolio initiatives, organizational change, emerging issues and reputation-sensitive opportunities.
Operates within an agreed budget framework established collaboratively through annual planning with the supported faculty or portfolio, the AVP, CIR, and relevant communications leadership, with responsibility for monitoring, forecasting, and ensuring the appropriate and effective use of resources across the Director’s portfolio in alignment with agreed strategic priorities.
Applies institutional communications strategy, narrative direction, messaging frameworks, planning expectations, and communications standards within the supported faculty or portfolio.
Ensures local communications reflect Waterloo’s priorities, voice and governance requirements while remaining relevant to the faculty or portfolio context.
Reinforces roles, responsibilities, and expectations for communications planning and communications activities within the supported faculty or portfolio.
Contributes faculty or portfolio insight, priorities and subject-matter context to the development and refinement of institutional communications strategy, storytelling, planning and communications approaches.
Participates in emergency communications planning and response activities as assigned within the university’s emergency communications framework.
Leads faculty or portfolio communications planning within the faculty or portfolio, including prioritization of local activity and coordination with institutional campaigns, messages and service-line initiatives.
Works closely with central communications service lines, institutional partners, and faculty leadership to coordinate communications activities, planning, and resource requirements.
Clarifies what work is led locally, what is supported through central service lines, and what requires joint planning and escalation.
Identifies emerging sensitivities, competing demands or reputational risks within the supported faculty or portfolio.
Oversees communications resources assigned to the faculty or portfolio communications function, advises leadership on resourcing needs and ensures alignment with institutional communications priorities and service expectations.
Represents faculty or portfolio communications needs, risks and opportunities within institutional communications planning and coordination activities.
Provides direction, coaching, and oversight to communications staff to ensure local communications planning, advice, and execution align with institutional frameworks, service expectations, and partnership standards.
Oversees communications performance measurement, reporting, and evaluation for the supported faculty or portfolio using standardized institutional measurement frameworks.
Uses communications data, stakeholder feedback, audience insight, and local context to identify opportunities to improve communications effectiveness and service delivery.
Supports adoption of shared planning tools, standards, reporting expectations and process improvements across the function.
Uses performance information, stakeholder insight, and organizational feedback to inform communications planning and decision-making.
Leads, develops, and evaluates communications staff assigned to the supported faculty or portfolio.
Establishes team priorities, allocates work and resources, and ensures alignment with institutional communications objectives and faculty priorities.
Builds a high-performing, collaborative and audience-focused team culture.
Supports common practice in planning, messaging, stakeholder advice, storytelling, and institutional alignment across embedded communication teams.