Global Head of Communications

Morningstar • Chicago, IL

4d • $222,300 - $340,867 • Hybrid

About The Position

Morningstar is seeking a Head of Global Communications to lead the company’s corporate narrative, reputation, and communications strategy worldwide. Reporting to the Chief People Officer, with a dotted line to the CEO, this executive serves as a communications counselor to senior leadership and works closely with the Board of Directors and Executive Leadership team. The role builds on an established global communications function and focuses on expanding its impact and modernizing how Morningstar shares its research, insights, and expertise with external audiences.

The successful candidate will preserve Morningstar’s distinctive, independent voice and strong media relationships while developing new ways to make its research and intellectual capital compelling and accessible. The role will explore formats and channels such as video and digital storytelling, adapt to changes in audience behavior and AI, and amplify research without compromising its objectivity, integrity, or editorial independence. The leader will advise executives on narrative, speeches, platforms, positioning, visibility, and external engagement, and oversee the established internal communications organization while supporting its experienced leader and team.

The position leads an established global communications team of 20 professionals, including five direct reports, and connects communications across the enterprise. Responsibilities span corporate messaging, executive communications, media and thought leadership, digital content and AI, analytics, reputation and crisis response, global team operations, internal engagement, and employer brand communications. The role is based at Morningstar’s global headquarters in Chicago, Illinois, with an expectation of four days per week in the office. Employees select their preferred remote workday within the flexible in-office model.

Requirements

• 15+ years of communications experience, including 10+ years in senior communications leadership roles within large, global, complex organizations.
• Integrated responsibility across external, internal, executive, social, employer brand, and reputation communications.
• Demonstrated credibility advising CEOs, executive teams, and Boards on enterprise narrative, positioning, visibility, and high-stakes communications.
• Experience developing and leading enterprise media strategy, proactive storytelling, and thought leadership, with a record of building trusted relationships with influential journalists and external stakeholders.
• Experience leading enterprise social media and corporate channel strategy, with hands-on understanding of video creation and production, digital storytelling, and emerging content formats.
• Experience modernizing communications operating models, measurement systems, channels, and tools; strong data and analytics fluency; and practical experience applying AI and automation responsibly.
• Experience managing enterprise-scale reputation, issues, and crisis communications, including in regulated or market-sensitive environments.
• Proven leadership of large, multidisciplinary, geographically distributed teams, including developing leaders and maintaining high standards for accuracy, ethics, and quality.
• Record of using internal communications strategically to improve employee understanding, trust, alignment, and advocacy in a decentralized organization.
• Ability to align senior stakeholders across business units and functions without relying on direct authority, while maintaining editorial independence and sound judgment.
• Bachelor’s degree required.

Nice To Haves

• Financial services industry experience is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Build a single enterprise narrative explaining what Morningstar does, why it matters, and how it creates value; establish messaging architecture connecting corporate strategy, business priorities, and functional storytelling; and align internal and external narratives.
• Translate complex topics—including AI, independence, public/private market convergence, and governance—into clear and credible messages.
• Advise the CEO and senior leaders on positioning, visibility, and voice; shape executive narratives for employees, media, shareholders, and external forums; and prepare leaders for shareholder meetings, crises, transformation milestones, and other high-stakes moments.
• Define global media strategy by market, business group, and strategic theme; lead proactive storytelling, media relations, issues response, thought leadership, and investor-relations communications support; and oversee agency strategy and performance.
• Set enterprise social media and digital content strategy for corporate channels, employee advocacy, video, and emerging formats, including governance and measurement.
• Monitor and shape how Morningstar, its research, and its experts are represented, attributed, and discovered across AI-generated answers, AI search, and emerging platforms, partnering with Research, Marketing, Digital, Legal, and Compliance.
• Build centralized analytics and insights capabilities across reputation, engagement, and efficiency; modernize workflows through responsible AI and automation; and improve data literacy, speed, scale, consistency, and cost-effectiveness without sacrificing judgment.
• Own enterprise reputation risk; lead proactive issue identification, scenario planning, and coordinated crisis communications; and partner with Legal, Compliance, and senior leadership during high-risk moments.
• Lead a global center-of-excellence model with regional execution; define decision rights, escalation paths, and operating standards; manage the global communications budget and agency ecosystem; and lead through influence across a decentralized organization.
• Reset the employee engagement model by clarifying enterprise priorities, reducing noise, and creating shared moments that build trust and connection; set standards for relevance, cadence, and channel discipline while enabling authentic local communication.
• Partner with the Global Employer Brand Manager and People & Culture to communicate the employer brand and Employee Value Proposition, and ensure these narratives are reflected across corporate, internal, and recruiting channels.
• Support and empower the established internal communications leader and team while connecting communications across the enterprise and maintaining a strong focus on Morningstar’s external voice, research, reputation, executive communications, media strategy, thought leadership, and evolving content formats.

Benefits

• 100% 401(k) match up to 6% of salary.
• Stock ownership potential.
• Company-provided life insurance equal to 1x salary plus commission.
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision benefits, with potential premium discounts and company-provided HSA contributions of up to $500–$2,000 annually for specific plans and coverages.
• Additional medical wellness incentives of up to $300–$600 annually.
• Company-provided long- and short-term disability insurance.
• Trust-Based Time Off.
• Six-week paid sabbatical program.
• Six-week paid family caregiving leave.
• Paid parental leave of 8–24 weeks.
• Adoption assistance.
• Leadership coaching and formal mentorship opportunities.
• Annual flex stipend of $1,000 for personal education and well-being expenses.
• Tuition reimbursement.
• Charitable matching gifts program.
• Dollars for Doers volunteer program.
• Paid volunteering days.
• 15+ employee resource and affinity groups.
• Hybrid work model with four days in-office each week in most locations and a flexible choice of remote workday.

What This Job Offers

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