26-50 Leader, Issues Communications

Technical Safety BC•Vancouver, BC

21h•CA$95,200 - CA$128,800•Hybrid

About The Position

The Leader, Issues Communications, collaborates across the organization to lead, govern, and execute issues, crisis, and reputation management communications strategies. This role is accountable for developing, implementing, and continuously improving an integrated approach to identifying, assessing, and responding to emerging issues that may impact the organization’s reputation, operations, stakeholders, and employees. The role ensures communications related to sensitive and confidential matters are handled with a high degree of professionalism, accuracy, and strategic intent. The Leader provides senior strategic counsel to the Executive Leadership Team and plays a critical role in supporting organizational priorities by ensuring timely, transparent, and coordinated communication to the public, government, clients and external stakeholders. The role oversees earned media strategies and ensures alignment between proactive storytelling and reactive issues management to strengthen public trust and engagement. As a member of the Corporate Brand Office and crisis leadership structure, this role develops enterprise standards, tools, and frameworks that enable strong communication practices, build organizational capability, and ensure consistency across all channels and business units.

Requirements

Requires a degree in communications, public relations, journalism, or a related discipline supplemented by 7-10 years of progressive communications experience.
Extensive experience in issues management and crisis communications, including handling sensitive and confidential matters.
Experience developing earned media strategies and managing media relations and events.
Demonstrated success advising senior leadership and executives.
Strong writing, editing, and storytelling skills across multiple formats.
Proven ability to work cross-functionally and manage stakeholder relationships.
Advanced digital, media monitoring, and analytics capabilities.
High level of confidentiality, professionalism, and judgment.
Advanced web-based skills, including sentiment analysis, social measurement, presentations, Microsoft Office, Microsoft Teams, Zoom and other platforms when required.
Self-starter with excellent presentation skills.

Nice To Haves

Ability to communicate in additional languages is an asset.

Responsibilities

Develops, implements, and oversees enterprise communications plans, including sensitive and confidential issues communications and engagement strategies.
Ensures strategic information is effectively communicated to media, government, clients, and external stakeholders.
Leads proactive and reactive communications planning aligned with organizational priorities and manages earned media calendars.
Provides senior-level advice and guidance to executives and leadership team on issues communications.
Ensures consistent enterprise messaging and supports decision-making during complex issues and high-risk situations.
Coaches leaders in effective communication and media engagement.
Oversees creation of high-quality communications materials including strategy briefs, change briefs, press releases, media statements, issue updates, briefing notes, speeches, presentations, and campaign content.
Ensures clarity, consistency, and alignment with corporate messaging and brand standards.
Acts as a key point of contact for media enquiries and may serve as an organizational spokesperson.
Oversees timely, accurate, and strategic responses to media.
Manages external partner relationships and supports executive spokesperson readiness.
Leads crisis communications planning and response.
Oversees communications during incidents and ensures coordination with business continuity efforts.
Develops and maintains crisis protocols and leads simulations and preparedness activities.
Leads development of earned media strategies and products that enhance public awareness and support organizational priorities.
Coordinates and executes media announcements, briefings, and events.
Ensures alignment between issues management strategies and proactive media opportunities.
Acts as the central point of contact for priority issues and liaises with business units including Legal, People & Culture, Operations, and others to ensure consistent messaging.
Drives alignment across teams and ensures integrated communications approaches.
Monitors industry trends, public sentiment, media coverage, and emerging risks.
Anticipates potential reputational impacts and develops proactive strategies to address issues before escalation.
Performs regular analysis of communications effectiveness, media coverage, and audience engagement.
Uses insights to refine strategies and improve performance.
Leads post-incident reviews and applies learnings.
Builds enterprise capability in issues communications through training, tools, and standards.
Fosters a high-performance culture focused on responsiveness and excellence.