Director, Strategic Communications

World Vision Canada; Ottawa; On-site; CAD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

World Vision Canada is seeking a Director of Strategic Communications to lead the organization's public voice. This senior role combines strategic leadership with hands-on editorial ownership, shaping messaging across campaigns, media, and leadership communications in collaboration with Brand & Marketing and the President’s Office.

The role emphasizes exceptional writing, editing, and editorial judgement, with responsibility for developing core messaging, guiding rapid response, and elevating

Responsibilities

• Act as the primary editorial steward of World Vision Canada's public voice, ensuring clarity, consistency, and quality in high-profile communications
• Partner with advocacy, policy, and program teams to shape clear, compelling public positioning
• Personally develop core messaging that guides communications across the organization
• Lead the direct writing and editing of key external communications, including executive voice, thought leadership, op-eds, speeches, narrative frameworks, and rapid response messaging
• Work upstream of campaigns to shape top-line messaging and positioning, in close partnership with Brand & Marketing, who lead creative development and execution
• Refine and operationalize an integrated communications approach across the organization
• Set an earned media strategy for thought leadership, public positioning and issue engagement
• Define core narrative and messaging that underpin media engagement
• Shape thought leadership, including op-eds, commentary and media positioning
• Partner closely with Media Relations to translate strategy into media outreach, pitching and coverage
• Co-develop and shape execution of CEO and senior leadership visibility in public conversations aligned with World Vision Canada's priorities
• Advise on messaging for external leadership communications and public engagement
• Ensure consistency and clarity of voice across external leadership communications
• Define and guide prioritization of public engagement, identifying where World Vision Canada should lead, respond, or remain silent
• Set direction for rapid response to emerging issues and media opportunities, with execution led by Media Relations within established frameworks and guardrails
• Provide senior-level judgement on positioning in complex or high-risk public moments, in coordination with senior leadership
• Develop clear, timely messaging under tight deadlines
• Coordinate aligned responses across teams
• Build and strengthen communications systems, including messaging frameworks and rapid-response protocols
• Co-develop and track performance indicators related to share of voice, message pull-through in public discourse and understanding of World Vision Canada

Job description

Position:

Director, Strategic Communications

Reports to:

Director, Public Affairs and Voice

Position Term:

Full Time Permanent

Primary Location:

Mississauga, Ontario, Canada

Workplace Type:

Hybrid (GTA or Ottawa preferred)

Job Purpose

This role leads and operationalizes World Vision Canada's strategic communications approach, serving as the primary editorial steward of its public voice and personally shaping clear, compelling messaging that establishes us as a bold and hopeful Christian voice for children.

Operating within Public Affairs & Voice, the role works in close partnership with Brand & Marketing, Programs & Partnerships, and the President’s Office to align messaging, shape public engagement and strengthen World Vision Canada's visibility and credibility in public conversations.

This is a highly hands-on role requiring exceptional writing, editing and editorial judgement.

The role combines strategic leadership and hands-on editorial ownership, co-developing and stewarding narrative guardrails to guide World Vision Canada's public voice across the organization, and shaping how that voice is expressed across campaigns, earned media, and leadership communications. This complements Brand & Marketing’s leadership of campaign execution, content, and creative.

Responsibilities

Strategic Communications & Editorial Leadership

• Act as the primary editorial steward of World Vision Canada's public voice, ensuring clarity, consistency, and quality in high-profile communications
• Partner with advocacy, policy, and program teams to shape clear, compelling public positioning
• Personally develop core messaging that guides communications across the organization
• Lead the direct writing and editing of key external communications, including executive voice, thought leadership, op-eds, speeches, narrative frameworks, and rapid response messaging
• Work upstream of campaigns to shape top-line messaging and positioning, in close partnership with Brand & Marketing, who lead creative development and execution
• Refine and operationalize an integrated communications approach across the organization

Earned Media & Thought Leadership

• Set an earned media strategy for thought leadership, public positioning and issue engagement
• Define core narrative and messaging that underpin media engagement
• Shape thought leadership, including op-eds, commentary and media positioning
• Partner closely with Media Relations to translate strategy into media outreach, pitching and coverage

Leadership Positioning

• Co-develop and shape execution of CEO and senior leadership visibility in public conversations aligned with World Vision Canada's priorities
• Advise on messaging for external leadership communications and public engagement
• Ensure consistency and clarity of voice across external leadership communications

Rapid Response & Issues Engagement

• Define and guide prioritization of public engagement, identifying where World Vision Canada should lead, respond, or remain silent
• Set direction for rapid response to emerging issues and media opportunities, with execution led by Media Relations within established frameworks and guardrails
• Provide senior-level judgement on positioning in complex or high-risk public moments, in coordination with senior leadership
• Develop clear, timely messaging under tight deadlines
• Coordinate aligned responses across teams

Systems & Performance

• Build and strengthen communications systems, including messaging frameworks and rapid-response protocols
• Co-develop and track performance indicators related to share of voice, message pull-through in public discourse and understanding of World Vision Canada

Qualifications