Director, Strategic Communications, IT
About The Position
WD is seeking a Director, Strategic Communications to serve as the communications lead supporting the Chief Information Officer and the IT organization. The role partners with the CIO and IT leadership to shape strategic narratives, strengthen leadership communications, engage the global IT organization, and increase visibility into how IT enables WD’s business. The Director sets the vision and strategy for CIO and IT communications, establishes processes to deliver that strategy, and advises leaders and partners with candid counsel, sound judgment, and disciplined execution. The role translates complex business and technology topics into clear, relevant, and engaging communications and collaborates with executive leaders, Chiefs of Staff, communications colleagues, HR, and cross-functional partners to strengthen leadership effectiveness, organizational alignment, and employee engagement. The position leads executive communications and IT organizational communications, supports internal and external engagements, develops leadership content and resources, and partners across the company to align communications with WD’s broader narratives. It also assesses communications effectiveness and uses AI-enabled tools and modern communications technologies to improve content development, planning, measurement, and productivity.
Requirements
- 10+ years of communications experience, including significant executive and internal communications experience supporting senior leaders.
- Demonstrated success serving as a trusted communications advisor and candid coach to senior executives and leadership teams.
- Ability to bring structure and focus to fast-moving, ambiguous environments while maintaining strong stakeholder relationships.
- Experience leading communications for a large, global function or organization.
- Exceptional writing, storytelling, and executive content development skills, including the ability to translate complex business and technical concepts into clear, compelling narratives.
- Strong understanding of executive communications, employee engagement, organizational communications, and thought leadership.
- Strong executive presence, business acumen, and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence across all organizational levels.
- Highly collaborative and adaptable, with strong project management skills and the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
- Proficiency in PowerPoint and experience leveraging modern communications technologies, including AI-enabled tools.
- Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Journalism, Marketing, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
Nice To Haves
- Experience in technology, semiconductor, infrastructure, cloud, storage, or another complex B2B industry.
Responsibilities
- Serve as the primary communications advisor to the CIO, providing strategic counsel and executive communications support.
- Develop and execute an integrated communications strategy that strengthens the CIO’s leadership platform and advances business and organizational priorities.
- Shape narratives about IT strategy, technology, innovation, AI, and IT’s role in enabling WD’s business.
- Develop executive content and messaging, including presentations, speeches, briefing materials, leadership communications, talking points, video, and multimedia content.
- Support the CIO’s internal and external engagements, including employee forums, leadership meetings, industry events, speaking opportunities, social content, and thought leadership.
- Establish planning and preparation processes for purposeful, consistent, and impactful key engagements.
- Identify opportunities to strengthen the CIO’s visibility and engagement with key audiences.
- Lead communications strategy within IT, partnering with IT leadership and communications colleagues to drive alignment around strategy, priorities, culture, and business objectives.
- Partner with the Office of the CIO, including the Chief of Staff, to translate priorities into focused communications plans and drive execution.
- Lead communications for IT all-hands, leadership meetings, organizational announcements, employee engagement initiatives, and other key moments.
- Create content that helps IT employees understand the organization’s strategy, priorities, progress, and impact.
- Showcase IT innovation and build excitement around AI, emerging technologies, and new ways of working.
- Develop resources that enable IT leaders to communicate effectively and consistently with their teams.
- Partner with HR and IT leadership to support culture, engagement, and organizational effectiveness within IT.
- Partner across Strategic Communications to align CIO and IT communications with broader WD narratives and priorities.
- Work with Employee Communications and other communications colleagues to connect IT priorities to enterprise communications.
- Collaborate with Public Relations, Marketing, HR, and other functions to support CIO visibility and thought leadership.
- Build trusted relationships across IT and the broader enterprise to drive alignment and effective execution.
- Assess communications effectiveness using engagement metrics, stakeholder feedback, and other relevant measures, and apply insights to improve.
- Leverage AI-enabled tools and modern communications technologies to enhance content development, planning, measurement, and team productivity.
Benefits
- Paid vacation time
- Paid sick leave
- Medical insurance
- Dental insurance
- Vision insurance
- Life insurance
- Accident insurance
- Disability insurance
- Tax-advantaged flexible spending and health savings accounts
- Employee assistance program
- Supplemental life and AD&D coverage
- Legal plan
- Pet insurance
- Critical illness coverage
- Accident coverage
- Hospital indemnity coverage
- Tuition reimbursement
- Transit benefits
- Applause Program
- Employee stock purchase plan
- WD Savings 401(k) Plan
- Potential eligibility for bonuses under the Short Term Incentive Plan or Sales Incentive Plan
- Potential eligibility for the annual Long-Term Incentive program, consisting of restricted stock units or cash equivalents; eligible new hires may also receive RSU awards
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Director
