Director of Corporate Reputation and Response

Huntington National Bank•Detroit, MI

8d•Onsite

About The Position

The Director of Corporate Reputation and Response is responsible for developing and implementing communications strategies that protect the company’s reputation while proactively supporting our clients, colleagues, and communities during issues and crises. As Huntington continues to grow and evolve, this role plays a critical enterprise‑wide function—ensuring the company is prepared to address complex, fast‑moving issues while maintaining the trust of our clients, colleagues, and communities. Reporting to the Director of External and Business Communications, the Director of Corporate Reputation and Response will lead Huntington’s messaging strategy and corporate response to a wide range of scenarios that may pose a reputation risk. The successful candidate is a strategic thinker who can identify and prepare for emerging risks—and respond confidently and rapidly across a range of appropriate channels, including media, social media, and colleague communications. In addition, this individual must be able to dynamically manage shifting priorities for themselves and their team through unpredictable work cycles and surges, ensuring effective performance under pressure. A core element of this role’s effectiveness is the ability to cultivate strong relationships and rapport with leaders across all areas of the company, ensuring collaborative and cohesive responses during challenging situations. Success in this position depends not only on strategic vision, but also on the ability to establish trust and credibility with senior leadership—enabling seamless communication and unified crisis management. The Director of Corporate Reputation and Response leads a small team of experts in media relations, social media, and reputation management, and will partner closely with senior leaders across the company to help monitor and manage potential issues. This leader will be instrumental in establishing a culture of awareness, preparedness, and responsiveness across the Corporate Communications team and throughout the company—fostering strong relationships that drive effective crisis resolution and protect our reputation.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree or higher in Communications, Public Relations, Journalism, or related field.
Minimum of 10 years of experience in crisis communications, public relations, or related field, with demonstrable experience in media relations and crisis management.

Nice To Haves

Demonstrated success cultivating relationships and working collaboratively with a variety of functional leaders across a large organization.
Track record leading high-performing teams and dynamically managing team priorities through high-volume and / or unpredictable work cycles.
Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and remain cool under pressure.
Proficiency in social media monitoring and management tools.
Strong written and verbal communication skills.
Strong executive presence, with high degree of comfort presenting and providing counsel to senior leaders.
Excellent judgment when working through complex situations.
Experience working in the financial services sector or another regulated industry.

Responsibilities

Build and maintain strong partnerships with key stakeholders—including senior leadership, legal, government relations and marketing teams—to provide strategic counsel and tactical communications support.
Develop and implement communication strategies, plans and messaging in response to potential crises, threats, emergencies or issues that may impact the organization.
Serve as a point of contact for internal and external communication during crises and issues, including media inquiries, stakeholder outreach, and social media engagement.
Monitor and analyze media coverage and social media activity related to crises and issues and adjust communication strategies as needed.
Lead media response strategy and engage with top-tier media in deadline-driven situations.
Provide training and guidance to colleagues on reputation management tactics and crisis communication procedures.
Evaluate the effectiveness of existing crisis communication plans and make recommendations for improvement.