Date Posted: 09/19/2023
Req ID: 33992
Faculty/Division: Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering
Department: APSC: Ofc of the Dean - Faculty General
Campus: St. George (Downtown Toronto)

About us

U of T Engineering is Canada’s #1 engineering school and among the world’s best. Our diverse community includes more than 5,200 undergraduates, 2,600 graduate students, 340 staff, 270 faculty and over 50,000 alumni. Through innovations in engineering education and research, we prepare the next generation of global engineering leaders to address the world’s most pressing challenges. The Faculty’s Engineering Strategic Communications team is a dynamic group of award-winning communications professionals who are driven to find fresh, authentic and unexpected ways to share the stories of U of T Engineering students, staff, faculty and alumni. We show engineering at the heart of bold solutions to build a better world.

Your Responsibility:

The Executive Director, Communications, provides strategic vision and leadership in communications, marketing and external relations. The incumbent will design and execute a comprehensive program designed to enhance the Faculty’s visibility and reputation locally, nationally, and internationally as among the top engineering schools worldwide. The Executive Director will consult widely to develop strategies and provide guidance to Faculty leadership and the U of T Engineering community broadly on matters related to communications, marketing, reputation management and crisis response.

Reporting to the Dean, the incumbent will oversee the creation of communications plans and strategies for internal and external audiences that advance the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering’s strategic priorities. The Executive Director provides guidance and advice to senior academic and administrative leadership on communications strategies and tactics to protect and advance the Faculty’s profile, drive key campaign objectives, strengthen external relations and manage reputational risk.

The Executive Director will actively participate in senior-level decisions, identify exposure to risk and propose appropriate actions, and lead crisis communications strategies and responses. The incumbent will also work directly with the Office of the Vice-President, Communications and University of Toronto Communications staff to coordinate on issues, maintain cohesion with University-level priorities and campaigns, and ensure continuous alignment of best practices across portfolios.

The Executive Director will maintain, strengthen and promote the Faculty’s comprehensive positioning and marketing strategies, and will design data-driven communications campaigns to advance the Faculty’s objectives. Working with the Dean and senior leadership team, the Executive Director will be responsible for the development of internal communications strategies to foster a strong community and will establish benchmarks and forms of measurement to continually evaluate and improve upon both internal and external communications strategies.

The incumbent will oversee development and deployment of appropriate marketing and communications vehicles to maximize communications through both targeted and broad-based initiatives, ensuring an integrated cohesive visual identity and messaging that advances institutional objectives and promotional strategies of the Faculty. The incumbent manages relationships with multiple internal and external stakeholders, partners and organizations.

As a leader and a mentor, the Executive Director will manage a staff of high-caliber creative professionals and assume overall responsibility for human resources, labour relations and financial management including dispute resolution and compliance of collective agreements. The incumbent directly manages the staff and the quality and efficiency of work, ensuring the structure and duties are meeting operational objectives in the most effective way.

Qualifications

Education:

University degree in Communications or in a related field or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Experience:

A minimum of ten (10) years’ of progressive communications experience, including work as a leader, project manager and writer; management experience in progressive management positions in an unionized environment; experience working in an educational institution is preferable and experience in a technical environment a strong asset.

Skills:

Superior oral and written communications skills. Strong leadership and interpersonal skills. Demonstrated experience in managing multiple complex and time-sensitive projects to completion. Must be able to meet deadlines and prioritize tasks and responsibilities. Demonstrated success at building relationships at all levels of an organization, and at fostering collaboration. Ability to assimilate and interpret significant amounts of information.

Other:

Strong commitment to values of equity, diversity and inclusion; demonstrated ability to integrate these throughout communications activities. Sound judgement. Diplomacy. Self-starter. Detail-oriented. Responsive. Flexibility to work in a consensus-driven environment. Ability to motivate staff to work collaboratively toward the goals of the Faculty and University. Political sensitivity and ability to work effectively with high-level staff across the University system and in outside organizations. Requires a keen understanding of current best practices in communications strategy, planning and execution, as well as integrated multi-platform campaign design and measurement. Knowledge of graphic design principles and an eye for first-rate design. Ability to work with minimal direct supervision.

Closing Date: 10/03/2023,11:59PM ET
Employee Group: Salaried
Appointment Type: Budget - Continuing
Schedule: Full-Time
Pay Scale Group & Hiring Zone: PM 6 -- Hiring Zone: $116,938 - $136,427 -- Broadband Salary Range: $116,938 - $194,897
Job Category: Communication/Media/Public Relations