Specialist, Advocacy Communications

Canadian Cancer Society•St. John's, NL

2d•CA$53,000 - CA$63,000•Hybrid

About The Position

As a member of the Strategic Communications team at the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS), the Specialist, Advocacy Communications plays a key role in elevating awareness and knowledge of CCS’s advocacy priorities. Reporting to the Senior Communications Manager, this role develops and executes communications plans to demonstrate the impact of our advocacy work. This includes but is not limited to writing and content development, project management and media relations. Working closely with advocacy, health policy and mission teams across the organization, the Specialist shapes clear, compelling narratives that resonate with cause supporters, elected officials, government decision-makers, advocates and the general public with the goal of advancing CCS’s advocacy goals and overall strategic plan. This role is ideal for a results-oriented communicator with strong project management skills, who has demonstrated experience in advocacy communications and media relations.

Requirements

Post-secondary degree or diploma in communications, public relations, journalism, political science or related field and 3 to 5 years of experience in media relations or communications, or an equivalent combination of education and experience
Demonstrated experience in communications strategy and tactics, including media and public relations
Knowledge of federal, regional and provincial government decision-making processes, regulatory and legislative processes and structures is essential, with broad knowledge of advocacy, lobbying, media relations and community engagement tactics
Experience communicating about advocacy, public policy and/or government relations
Strong editing skills and attention to detail
Demonstrated flexibility, resourcefulness, resiliency and the willingness and capacity to produce quality results under pressure and to deadline
Proven ability to present creative solutions to problems and issues management
Excellent written (knowledge of CP style), listening and oral skills
Proven experience with media monitoring (Meltwater, Cision), reporting and analysis
Proficiency in Microsoft tools including PowerPoint, Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams as well as SharePoint

Nice To Haves

Bilingualism (French/English) is highly preferred, with French being an asset due to the organization’s nationwide operations and the need for effective communication across various regions.
Experience in a health-related environment, cancer organization or non-profit setting is an asset

Responsibilities

Develop comprehensive communications plans and tools aligned with CCS’s mission and organizational priorities to support advocacy initiatives and drive audience engagement and growth.
Liaise with internal stakeholders to develop a variety of engaging communications materials such as news releases, key messages, fact sheets, speeches, presentations, digital content and more.
Advise advocacy partners on communications opportunities, helping identify timely, high-impact moments to engage audiences, elevate priority issues and strengthen CCS’s impact.
Translate complex advocacy and public policy initiatives into clear, compelling content tailored for a variety of audiences and channels.
Identify, develop and package compelling advocacy stories that support effective multimedia storytelling across the organization.
Assesses advocacy communications performance and recommend and implement innovative strategies to strengthen impact.
Plan and execute targeted media relations and public relations activities to elevate CCS’s advocacy priorities.
Work with fundraising colleagues to position advocacy impact for donor audiences, helping grow CCS’s market share through strong, advocacy‑oriented storytelling.
Work with internal communications to build organization‑wide awareness of advocacy priorities and successes, ensuring alignment and amplification across teams.
Work alongside the brand marketing and digital engagement teams to support marketing and social communications as required.
Project manage content approvals and sharing between internal and external stakeholders in a timely, collaborative and professional manner.
Act as a point of contact on behalf of CCS for media and assist with media requests, triaging inquiries, supporting spokespeople and tracking results.
Provide support writing and editing various advocacy-related materials including reports, speaking notes, presentations, letters to politicians and bureaucrats and more.
Publish content to cancer.ca and the Canadian News Wire as required.
Provide ad-hoc support to the Strategic Communications team.
Contribute to our culture of diversity, inclusion, belonging and equity (DIBE) by ensuring that all staff feel represented, valued, and heard across all aspects of their identity, including gender, age, religion, ethnicity, nationality, race, and sexuality.
Other duties as assigned