Senior Communications Officer

About this position

Title: Senior Communications Officer
Department: Stewardship, Donor Relations & Communications
Reports to: Manager, Donor Communications
Existing Vacancy: Yes
Location: 2075 Bayview Ave, North York, ON M4N 3M5

Sunnybrook Foundation inspires lasting support for Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, one of Canada’s largest and most dynamic health science centres impacting the lives of the more than 1.3 million patients it sees each year. Sunnybrook has ranked #2 in Canada, and #30 worldwide, in Newsweek’s annual World’s Best Hospitals 2024 list.

Together with our donor community, Sunnybrook Foundation raises critical funds for Sunnybrook’s world-class academic health sciences centre to achieve our shared vision to invent the future of health care. With ambitious goals ahead, the Foundation is committed to continuing to grow our results and impact as we help Sunnybrook to raise sights, uncover new possibilities, develop talent, and deliver exceptional care.

We are one team in pursuit of a common purpose – to inspire lasting support for Sunnybrook – and we are guided by our values: Build Connectedness, Act with Integrity, Meaningful Collaboration and Strive for Excellence.

Position Overview
The Senior Communications Officer plays a lead role in Sunnybrook Foundation’s advancement effort. The candidate is a skilled and experienced advancement writer who crafts language to spark connections and build relationships between Sunnybrook and those with a desire to give. Adept at writing and designing a range of communications materials, you are a passionate storyteller who is as comfortable writing timely and persuasive custom proposals, overviews and Cases for Support, stewardship reports and letters, patient and donor profiles, recognition storyboards and more – all aligned to our brand voice. Working closely with our Major Gifts team to strategize and develop fundraising materials and impact reporting, the Senior Communications Officer is highly collaborative and comfortable navigating complexity and competing deadlines to create best-in-class donor communications that demonstrate impact, transparency, accountability and encourage donor engagement. A strong strategic partner, the Senior Communications Officer possesses communications expertise to advise on communications strategies, options, recommendations, risks and issues management across multiple channels.

As part of the Donor Communications team, the candidate is expected to quickly become a subject matter expert in Sunnybrook program areas, building relationships with medical staff and the Hospital’s Strategic Communications team, staying informed on priorities and Hospital updates, and keeping the Foundation’s key messaging and overview documents current. The Sr. Communications Officer simplifies complex medical concepts into easily understood descriptions that bring Sunnybrook’s story to life.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

• Understand the Sunnybrook brand, the strategic direction of the Foundation and Hospital priorities
• Acquire and maintain sound knowledge and understanding of the organization and all priority projects and programs
• An ability to switch between tasks and tactics requiring attention to detail and connection to the bigger picture
• Demonstrated initiative, proactivity and capacity to adapt while working across multiple tasks, competing deadlines and stakeholders to agreed timelines
• Interview specialists, research, compile, write and design proposals and stewardship reports Provide communications leadership on major gifts proposals and special projects, working closely with the Philanthropy Team and Executive Directors
• Creative and solutions-oriented; passion for communications and donor-centric storytelling; exceptional attention to detail with the ability to generate new ideas, propose changes and encourage innovation
• Liaising with colleagues to encourage use of best practices and consistent brand messaging 
• Lead and manage the workflow and deliverables of freelance partners and/or Communications intern
• Collaborate with the Marketing and Stewardship teams as donor communications lead for the Foundation’s Annual Impact Report to Donors, which may include interviewing patients and donors
• Mentor and provide guidance to new team members, particularly in the area of major donor proposal development
• Act as team lead when the Manager, Donor Communications is away from the office
• Contribute and collaborate to CORE (Create Once Reuse Everywhere) content sharing with colleagues across the Foundation and Hospital Strategic Communications   
• Use InDesign for layout of donor communications within existing templates, including proposals and stewardship reports, as well as creating new templates for team-wide use, as required
• Act as platform champion for Digital Edge, Wrike and other software platforms, developing onboarding tutorials and championing their use
• Perform all other related duties as assigned by the Manager, Donor Communications

Qualifications and Competencies

• Post-secondary education with a specialization in English, Communications, Journalism or related specialty or equivalent experience.
• Minimum of 5 years of advancement writing experience in the health-care sector, preferably in a hospital or other complex organization; Non-profit experience is considered an asset.
• Proficient in writing a range of donor communications with emphasis on fundraising proposals, overviews, impact reports and impact stories
• Strong interviewing and research skills with ability to summarize comprehensive medical information into clear, concise and compelling communications
• Excellent expository writing skills and a strong command of grammar, spelling, punctuation and syntax
• Competency in creative and multimedia storytelling enhancements, including document layout, video storyboarding and graphics
• Commitment, understanding and appreciation of EDI principles and application to donor communications.
• Excellent organizational skills with a proven ability to manage multiple projects over varying timelines, demonstrating excellence in prioritization, resourcefulness and problem-solving.
• Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills with demonstrated ability to maintain a positive, flexible and responsive attitude while managing competing interests and multiple stakeholders.   
• Work comfortably in a highly collaborative environment; ability to set priorities and targets and to meet deadlines in relation to frequently changing demands and manage competing interests
• Proficient in MS Office including Word, PowerPoint, layout capability in InDesign and project management software (e.g. Wrike)

Please submit a resume, coverletter and two writing samples.

Total Rewards Package
The hiring range for this position is $82,000-90,000 per year. The salary will be determined based on the successful candidate’s years of experience, qualifications and competencies that are relevant to this position.
In addition to a competitive salary, our total rewards package includes comprehensive health and dental benefits, participation in HOOPP (Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan), flexible work arrangements with a minimum of two (2) days in office, and learning and growth opportunities.

In addition to salary, our competitive compensation package also includes, comprehensive health and dental benefits, HOOPP (Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan), hybrid work environment with a minimum of two (2) days in office, 2 float days each fiscal year and additional Sunny Days (long weekend closures in advance of summer long weekends and Christmas Eve).

We thank all applicants in advance. Only those selected for an interview will be contacted.
​​​We know that everyone’s career journey looks a bit different and experience comes in many forms. If you’re unsure whether your experience matches all of the requirements but still think this would be a great fit, we encourage you to apply.

Sunnybrook Foundation values equity, diversity and inclusion within the workplace and is committed to fostering a work environment where employees can bring their whole selves to work, are valued for their diversity, and feel a sense of belonging.

Sunnybrook Foundation is committed to providing accessible employment practices. If you require accommodations during any stage of the recruitment process, please advise us when submitting your application and email FoundationHR@sunnybrook.ca.