Director of Strategic Communications
- Job Type
- Full Time
- Job Level
- Other
- Location
- Toronto, ON
- Impact Area
- Other
- Impact Category
- Other
- Company Type
- Other
About this position
The Ontario Long Term Care Association (OLTCA), representing 70 percent of Ontario’s long-term care homes, is seeking a Director of Strategic Communications.
OLTCA is a member-driven organization, representing small, medium and large, private, not-for-profit, municipal, hospital, culturally-specific, and First Nations homes in rural, urban and Northern locations across the province. Our diverse membership provides a unified platform for the changes we need to transform the system for Ontario’s long-term care residents.
OLTCA maintains a robust public policy capacity and an active presence in discussions within legislatures and government agencies about the future of long-term care in Ontario.
The Director of Strategic Communications will amplify that policy work by identifying external, member and internal communications opportunities to drive positive change and stabilize long-term care in Ontario.
Director of Strategic Communications
As part of a dynamic, collaborative team, the Director of Strategic Communications reports to the Vice-President, Policy and Operations, while working closely with all departments, committees and members within OLTCA.
The position has two direct reports: the Senior Manager, External Communications, and the Senior Manager, Member Communications and Engagement.
To ensure alignment with organizational policy objectives, the position holds a dotted-line reporting relationship with the CEO, particularly for the CEO’s speeches, media interviews, legislative committee meetings and conference presentations.
Responsibilities
The Director of Strategic Communications has a pivotal role in enhancing the profile and influence of OLTCA.
Responsibilities include:
- Member communications and engagement
- Digital/print communications and websites
- Thought leadership
- Media relations
- Social media
- Stakeholder relations and engagement
- Internal communications
- Association advocacy
Communications Goals
The Director will work to achieve certain communications goals, including:
- Enhancing the profile of long-term care in Ontario and beyond
- Promoting the quality of care, living and innovation in OLTCA member homes
- Building awareness of the association's strategic priorities
- Engaging OLTCA members and sharing information and tools, including supporting their local advocacy efforts
- Fostering thought leadership on long-term care as a valued and critical partner of an integrated health system
- Monitoring the landscape of government relations and public policy
- Leading the development and implementation of strategic communications activities that support and contribute to the achievement of OLTCA advocacy objectives
- Effectively managing rapidly changing issues across the integrated strategic communications program
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Communications Management and Planning
- Implementing a multi-faceted, integrated Strategic Communications program aligned with sector trends, challenges, opportunities, OLTCA’s brand and its strategic priorities
- Consulting with knowledge leaders to inform internal, member and external communications strategies on key issues
- Leveraging effective communication tools and resources on long-term care issues
- Ensuring OLTCA communications meet high standards, using leading practices to deliver content across multi-faceted mediums, including creating and editing content
- Contributing to the planning and execution of an ongoing strategic communications plan that showcases OLTCA contributions to Ontario’s health care system
- Supporting the production and release of OLTCA reports, policy papers, case studies, and other products
- Working closely with other OLTCA staff, members and partners to ensure clarity and consistency in all communications
- In collaboration with the VP, Policy and Operations, actively engaging with key stakeholders, including members, business partners, elected leaders, government agencies and officials, and health system partners
- Promoting meaningful feedback and dialogue
- Staying abreast of media, government, and sector communications to identify, address, and mitigate sector risks
- Collaborating with internal and external stakeholders to coordinate responses, media relations, and pre-emptive initiatives
- Creating materials for a sector-wide audience demonstrating the OLTCA’s insight, innovation, and expertise
- Recommending and managing future-looking opportunities that enable the association to engage and educate audiences while fostering meaningful exchange
- Creating compelling and accurate content for OLTCA’s digital communications, website, social media, magazine, and podcast to engage and increase awareness among OLTCA audiences
- Ensuring OLTCA’s content is accurate, compelling, and aligned with OLTCA’s strategic priorities
- Maintaining a media relations practice reinforcing OLTCA as the “go-to” resource for LTC sector trends, challenges and solutions
- Leading response to media inquiries, including drafting responses in consultation with subject matter experts within the OLTCA team
- Drafting and overseeing the development of media statements in alignment with the OLTCA’s strategic communications goals and political insights
- Leading and overseeing media liaising, education, relationship-building, monitoring and reporting, including organizing proactive media relations for briefings or 1:1 interviews
- Monitoring and reporting of all OLTCA news coverage
- Maintaining reliable communication channels for OLTCA members , including regular updates, bulletins, members’ calls; supporting members’ local priorities and advocacy; and profiling their good new stories
- Embodying responsible leadership for the team members, ensuring clear accountabilities, ongoing work quality and effective project management
- Contributing to the staff’s performance and career development, including performance reviews, coaching and training opportunities
- Monitoring and reporting on the performance of all communications initiatives
- Proposing changes and iterations based on learnings
- Developing project roadmaps, timelines, and action plans, ensuring resources, tasks, and milestones are clearly outlined and achievable
- Collaborating with cross-functional teams to coordinate efforts and ensure consistent messaging across all projects
- Managing resources, and personnel allocation, optimizing for maximum project efficiency while meeting timeline and quality expectations
- Defining and monitoring communications project KPIs, providing regular progress reports, insights, and post-project analysis to drive continuous improvement in project management processes
- Demonstrating flexibility in response to changing project scopes and business needs, effectively reprioritizing tasks to maintain project momentum
- Preparing communications briefing materials for Board meetings and decisions
- Sharing strategic communications expertise in support of critical decisions, risk management strategies and opportunities for advancement
- Supporting the Advocacy Committee and its mandate, including:
- Designing the agenda for each meeting in consultation with the CEO and Advocacy Committee Chair
- Creating the materials for meetings
- Actively participating in meetings, where appropriate
Qualifications
The successful candidate will bring experience and skills that, while not an exact match to these qualifications, align with the competencies and potential outlined in this description.
- Demonstrated understanding of the health and long-term care policy landscape and the political acuity to thrive in a complex stakeholder environment
- Experience with managing media relations and interacting with journalists and media outlets, and being the voice of an organization on social media
- Experience working in political offices, including managing and advising on political campaign strategies
- Outstanding writer and editor, with proven ability to write for a variety of formats
- A highly motivated and flexible individual, with the ability to adapt quickly to new information, situations and challenges
- A strategic and creative thinker who is adept at taking conceptual ideas and moving them to implementation
- Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects and priorities
- Experience in budget and resource management
- Ability to effectively work with staff, Board and stakeholders at all levels
- Excellent critical thinking skills and skills making challenging decisions with sound judgement and diplomacy
- Post-secondary education in the area of Public Relations, Communications, Journalism, Public Policy, Political Science or related fields
- Minimum of 7 years’ experience in a strategic communications or related roles
How to apply
- To apply, please send your CV and cover letter to careers@oltca.com by Friday, November 29.
- Please add the position title to your email subject.
- Only successful applicants will be notified by email that they have been accepted for the next round of the interview process.
- OLTCA may reach out and ask for supplementary material or additional information to support their review of your application.
- OLTCA is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or disability.
Salary and Benefits
- OLTCA offers competitive salary and benefits, including paid employee health and dental benefit programs, company vision plan and healthy paid vacation, personal days, and sick day program.
- The salary range for this position is $115,000 to $135,000 per annum.
- The main business and operating hours are from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM but there will be meetings and events that take place before or after business hours and in various parts of Ontario. The candidate will be required to participate in select meetings and events that take place around Ontario and before and after normal business hours.
- The candidate should reside in Ontario.