Senior Communications Advisor, Strategic Communications
Job Category: Communications & Marketing
Division & Section: Strategic Public & Employee Communications, Media Relations and Issues Management
Work Location: City Hall, 100 Queen Street West
Job Type & Duration: Full-time, Permanent
Salary: $102,155- $135,815, Wage Grade 7.
Target Hiring Zone: $102,155- $115,000
Shift Information: Monday to Friday, 35 hours per week
Affiliation: Non-Union
Number of Positions Open: 1
Posting Period: 24-Feb-2025 to 10-Mar-2025
The Strategic Public and Employee Communications (SPEC) Division delivers effective marketing and communications to the public and City of Toronto staff. Through a centralized, centres of excellence approach that nurtures growth and opportunities for its staff, SPEC will focus on proactive storytelling that puts the City and its divisions – as partners – at the centre. Integrated communications and marketing activities will align with the broader organizational strategy and drive measurable impact.
SPEC, a high-performing and fast-paced division, is currently seeking a highly skilled Senior Communications Advisor to join the Media Relations and Issues Management Centre of Excellence. Successful candidates are seasoned communicators with a track record that clearly demonstrate creative communications approaches, are comfortable leading teams and have experience with issues management strategies and emergency communications. They will not shy away from challenges, will build and maintain strong relationships, have high political acumen, seek out unique communications opportunities, anticipate and manage risk, advocate for continuous improvement, be passionate storytellers for Toronto and commit to going above and beyond in service delivery and innovation.
Hybrid Work Program
This position is eligible for enrolment in the Hybrid Work Program, which allows employees to work some days in the office and some days remotely, where operationally feasible. It is supported by the Remote Work Policy. In the hybrid work model, People Leaders will determine remote work arrangements with their team that best support operational requirements.
SPEC Centres of Excellence
In your cover letter and/or resume, please specify the Centre(s) of Excellence you are most interested in.
Strategy and Relationships
Build and nurture relationships with City divisions as the primary contact responsible for communications strategy and counsel. Communication Advisors in this section develop annual workplans and serve as project managers for communications planning, execution and measurement with the other COEs.
Responsibilities for this particular role working with Toronto Emergency Management may include, in addition to strategy, some content writing for public education products, social and web.
Employee Communications
Lead city-wide internal communications as well as the development of communications for the City Manager (the leader of the Toronto Public Service) and senior leadership team. The unit is also responsible for internal communications planning, execution, employer branding and internal channels including the intranet.
Public Education, Marketing and Creative
Create compelling narratives to inform and educate the public through traditional, social and digital advertising campaigns, as well as various public education materials to achieve strategic objectives while reaching diverse audiences.
Digital Engagement
Provide communications leadership and ownership of the City’s digital channels, includingtoronto.ca and corporate social media accounts. The unit directs the development of digital communications strategies, content and design standards, and digital brand and content planning and creation.
Media Relations and Issue Management
Develop and deliver media relations and issues management strategies and activities. The unit anticipates, monitors and works to mitigate issues and proactively engage with the media to build strong relationships and achieve balanced and informed coverage. The unit also protects and enhances the City’s reputation.
Major responsibilities for all Senior Communications Advisor positions across SPEC Centre of Excellence teams include:
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Builds collaborative relationships with senior management, partner divisions, other interested parties, and staff across SPEC division to ensure effective implementation of communication tactics and to have oversight over emerging issues.
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Provides timely and knowledgeable strategic communications leadership and counsel as well as direction to City divisions on both a proactive and reactive basis.
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Provides strategic communication leadership after hours while on standby, after business hours and on weekends as directed.
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Responds in a timely manner to media and other requests for information on City programs and services and provides communications leadership when incidents or emergencies take place after hours.
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Monitors Council and Committee agendas and directives, interested parties, other municipalities, federal and provincial government announcements and legislation and media coverage to determine impact on the City and provides counsel to divisional management.
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Creates benchmarks and adopts a strategic approach that considers industry best practices to ensure communications are rooted in measurement and strategy.
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Manages and oversees the delivery of strategic communications/issues management services for highly sensitive, high-profile and contentious matters that have city-wide implications.
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Mentors and supervises staff within the division to promote best practices, provide advice and to establish a professional and well-respected communications service.
Key Qualifications of all Senior Communications Advisor positions across SPEC Centre of Excellence Teams:
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Post-secondary education in a discipline related to the job function, such as journalism, communications, marketing or combined equivalent of education and experience.
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Extensive experience in a corporate communications, public affairs or marketing environment in a major public or private sector organization.
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Extensive experience in proactive and responsive strategic communications, media relations, issues management and crisis communications, and experience providing advice to senior staff and officials in these areas.
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Extensive experience in developing effective strategies to make data and evidence informed decisions for ongoing media, social media and issues monitoring, research, and analysis, pivoting as necessary and capturing lessons learned.
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Proven ability to provide leadership to communications, staff and other interested parties.
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Proven ability to influence and build collaborative relationships across a broad spectrum of stakeholders, both internal and external to the organization.
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Ability to handle sensitive and confidential information with a high degree of discretion and professionalism.
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Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail, with the ability to work in a high-volume, high-stress and politically sensitive environment, while delivering a high-volume of projects under tight deadlines.
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Superior oral and written communication skills along with proven and excellent writing and editing skills for media and other audiences.
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Knowledge of outreach techniques for diverse audiences including multilingual and specialized media and community organizations, applying an inclusive and culturally sensitive lens to communications.
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A team player, with a passion for serving the people of Toronto and telling the City’s stories.
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A proven storyteller who has passion and experience for bringing together compelling narratives that resonate with people.
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Training in Incident Management System (IMS) and knowledge of emergency management best practices is considered an asset.
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Experience as a media spokesperson an asset.
Toronto is home to more than 2.9 million people whose diversity and experiences make this great city Canada’s leading economic engine and one of the world’s most diverse and livable cities. As the fourth largest city in North America, Toronto is a global leader in technology, finance, film, music, culture, and innovation, and consistently places at the top of international rankings due to investments championed by its government, residents and businesses. For more information, visit jobs.toronto.ca or follow us on Twitter at Twitter.com/CityTOjobs, on LinkedIn at Linkedin.com/company/city-of-toronto or on Facebook at Facebook.com/CityTOjobs.
How to Apply:
For more information on this and other opportunities with the City of Toronto, visit us online at https://jobs.toronto.ca/jobsatcity/job/Toronto-SENIOR-COMM-ADVISOR-STRATEGIC-COMM-ON-M4Y-0E6/589868617/. To apply online, submit your resume through the job portal, quoting Job ID 53802, by Monday, March 10, 2025.
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
The City is an equal opportunity employer, dedicated to creating a workplace culture of inclusiveness that reflects the diverse residents that we serve. Learn more about the City’s commitment to employment equity.
Accommodation
The City of Toronto is committed to creating an accessible and inclusive organization. We are committed to providing barrier-free and accessible employment practices in compliance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). Should you require Code-protected accommodation through any stage of the recruitment process, please make them known when contacted and we will work with you to meet your needs. Disability-related accommodation during the application process is available upon request. Learn more about the City’s Hiring Policies and Accommodation Process.