Director, Communications

UniGroup • Des Peres, MO

17d • Onsite

About The Position

The Director, Communications serves as UniGroup’s lead enterprise communicator, responsible for protecting and strengthening the reputation of UniGroup and its family of brands. The role partners closely with senior leaders to deliver clear, consistent communications for employees, agents, customers, shareholders, media and other key audiences. It is a hands-on player/coach position combining strategic leadership and direct execution, including personally developing and pitching stories, advising executives, serving as a company spokesperson, leading crisis communications and guiding a small communications team.

Approximately 25% of the role is dedicated to CEO communications, including executive messaging, speeches, talking points, bylined content, and board and shareholder communications. The remaining 75% focuses on enterprise communications, including earned media, reputation management, employee and agent communications, change communications and partnership across the business. The position is on-site in Des Peres (St. Louis), Missouri.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Journalism, Communications, Public Relations, English or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
• 8+ years of experience in corporate communications, public relations, media relations or journalism, including people leadership experience.
• Demonstrated success personally pitching and placing stories with national, trade and regional media.
• Exceptional writing and editing skills, including the ability to identify compelling stories and simplify complex information.
• Experience serving as an on-the-record spokesperson, including broadcast or on-camera interviews.
• Experience leading crisis and issues communications across traditional and digital channels.
• Strong judgment and discretion when navigating sensitive or high-profile communications.
• Experience leading communications across multiple business functions and organizational priorities.
• Experience counseling senior executives and providing a clear point of view on messaging and reputational risk.
• Experience writing for and advising a CEO or comparable senior executive, including speeches, executive messaging and board-level communications.
• Understanding of how earned media, social, web and search work together to strengthen reputation and visibility.
• Ability to operate as a hands-on leader within a lean, fast-moving environment.
• Must be legally authorized to work in the United States on a permanent basis; visa sponsorship or employment authorization support is not available.

Nice To Haves

• Newsroom or reporting experience.
• Experience in transportation, logistics, relocation or another distributed service business.
• Experience within a cooperative, franchise, dealer, agent-owned or similarly decentralized business model.
• Experience communicating with boards, shareholders, members or other owner groups.
• Experience supporting a multi-brand organization.
• Familiarity with SEO and the role earned media and brand mentions play in AI-driven search and discovery.

Responsibilities

• Lead UniGroup’s enterprise communications strategy across earned media, reputation, executive, employee, agent and change communications.
• Personally develop and pitch stories to national, trade, business and local media, building direct relationships with journalists and industry voices.
• Identify stories across agents, drivers, employees and customers and extend them across earned media, social, web, video, executive content and other channels.
• Turn company data, insights and industry expertise into thought leadership and media opportunities.
• Serve as a company spokesperson for print, broadcast and on-camera interviews.
• Lead crisis and issues communications, monitor emerging reputational risks and advise leadership on appropriate responses.
• Serve as the CEO’s primary communications partner by developing speeches, talking points, internal messages, bylined content, social content and other executive communications.
• Support board, shareholder and agent-owner communications and prepare the CEO for interviews, events, town halls and other high-profile engagements.
• Counsel senior leaders on messaging, stakeholder impact, positioning and reputational risk.
• Lead communications for major enterprise priorities, organizational changes and company events, translating complex information into clear, audience-focused messaging.
• Build partnerships across Operations, IT, Finance, HR, Legal, Marketing, Sales and other functional teams, ensuring Communications is involved early in significant initiatives.
• Partner with Marketing and digital teams to strengthen the connection between earned media, social, web, search and brand visibility.
• Partner with Sales and Business Analytics on thought leadership, proof points, communications measurement and commercial impact.
• Lead, coach and develop the Communications team while remaining actively involved in day-to-day execution.
• Manage communications priorities and outside agency support to focus resources on the highest-value work.

Benefits

• Comprehensive health, dental and vision insurance.
• 401(k) retirement plan with company match.
• Generous paid time off, holidays and personal leave.
• Life insurance, disability coverage and employee assistance programs.
• Professional development and growth opportunities.
• Collaborative, team-oriented culture within a respected leader in the moving and logistics industry.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director