Senior Communications Advisor

pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance; Canada; Remote; CAD 92,000 - 109,000; Full time

Job summary

The pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance is seeking a Senior Communications Advisor responsible for providing strategic communications advice and managing stakeholder engagement in a fully remote setup. Candidates should possess a degree in communications and have over 10 years of experience in health communications, with a strong focus on enhancing public understanding. This mid-senior level position offers a competitive salary and the opportunity to work with diverse groups.

Benefits

Comprehensive group benefits package

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in health communications and engagement activities.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills in English.
• Experience using multimedia software and knowledge of SEO best practices.

Responsibilities

• Provides strategic communications advice and develops communication plans.
• Monitors communications projects to ensure they stay on budget and on time.
• Liaises with stakeholders to discuss communications needs and deliverables.

Skills

Communication

Stakeholder Engagement

Strategic Planning

Problem-Solving

Presentation Skills

Education

Degree in Communications, Journalism, Public Relations or related field

Tools

Adobe Creative Cloud

Social Media Platforms

Media Monitoring Platforms

Job description

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The pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance (pCPA) brings together provincial, territorial, and federal governments for the purpose of increasing and managing access to clinically relevant and cost-effective medicines. Through collective negotiations, the pCPA has realized overall savings (as of April 1, 2024) for governments of $3.72 billion annually for brand name drugs and $914 million annually for generic drugs totaling $4.63 billion annually. The pCPA offers a 100% remote (within Canada) work environment.

About the role

The senior communications advisor is accountable to the manager, Communications by providing strategic communications advice and support on complex, communications strategies and public relations activities for the pCPA.

The person holding this position is also responsible for developing, implementing, and evaluating a wide range of high-profile corporate communications and issues management plans to support the organization’s core business goals and priorities.

To be eligible for the senior communications advisor position, candidates should have a degree in communications, journalism, public relations or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience. The ideal candidate should have 10 or more years of experience in developing and delivering health communications, and should also possess exceptional stakeholder engagement skills, with a commitment to building an effective and dynamic organizational culture.

They must possess outstanding written and oral communication abilities, along with proven expertise in delivering presentations to both internal and external stakeholders.

Key responsibilities

Communications advice and planning

• Recommends strategic communications approaches to the manager on responding to complex, high-profile, and frequently contentious communications and issues-management needs, as well as public relations activities, to improve stakeholder understanding of the organization’s mandate and initiatives.
• Provides subject-matter expertise and leads the planning and development of communications programs and recommends resources and processes.
• Identifies, analyzes and monitors public and media attitudes and issues to provide advice and insights to various policy initiatives or program changes.
• Develops, implements and evaluates communications plans to support and promote the work led by the organization.
• Identifies potential challenges and opportunities that require communications support.
• Researches, writes, edits and manages the approvals of a range of communications products, including strategic communications plans, issues management plans, news releases and articles, e-newsletters, fact sheets, backgrounders, scripts, presentations, brochures, web content, social media content, key messages, and media lines.
• Develops, maintains, and implements content calendars.
• Develops and maintains internal style guides and related tools.

Issues management support

• Anticipates and identifies emerging issues and trends with potential implications for the organization and leverages issues management strategies and communications approaches to mitigate risk and manage outcomes.
• Identifies and recommends proactive issues-management and communications approaches to respond to unexpected circumstances that require prompt responses.
• Lead or support media monitoring activities.

Project leadership and liaison

• Monitors to ensure communications projects stay on budget and on time.
• Coordinates to ensure all aspects of a comprehensive communications plan are executed effectively, including writing, production and distribution of communications materials, event planning and organization, media relations and issues management.
• Works and liaises with a wide variety of groups across Canada, including internal and external stakeholders, to provide advice and information on projects, input to joint communications projects and coordinate activities.

Stakeholder relations and engagement

• Liaises with stakeholders to obtain information and agreement on communications materials and discusses communications needs, roles and responsibilities, timelines, and deliverables.
• Liaises with external service providers to discuss services, costs, timelines, and deliverables and provide direction or advice.

Accountability

Accountable to the manager, Communications.

Qualifications

Education and experience

• A degree in communications, journalism, public relations or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 10+ years of experience in developing and delivering health communications and engagement activities or a combination of other relevant experience.

Skills and abilities

• As English is the primary working language at the pCPA, exceptional written and verbal communication skills in Englishare required.
• Effective written and verbal communication skills in French (asset)
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including demonstrated proficiency in delivering presentations to internal and external stakeholders.
• Experience writing for the web and knowledge of search engine optimization (SEO) writing best practices.
• Experience using computer systems and software, including social media platforms, media monitoring platforms, multimedia software (e.g. Adobe Creative Cloud) and email marketing software.
• Knowledge of web accessibility guidelines and experience in their application.
• Experience in data visualization is an asset.
• Experience working in the health sector, government or membership-based organization is an asset.
• Strong understanding of the Canadian pharmaceutical industry and government processes is an asset.
• Exceptional stakeholder engagement abilities and commitment to building an effective and dynamic organizational culture.
• Ability to lead and build consensus in the absence of authority.
• Ability to build and maintain effective working relationships.
• Proven problem-solving abilities, adaptable and able to exercise astute judgment.
• Strong business and digital acumen.

Employment terms

• The hiring salary range for this full-time permanent position is $92,300 - $108,600. This range reflects the salary for candidates with varying experience levels, job knowledge and qualifications relevant to the position. Specific offers will be based on individual backgrounds and qualifications.
• pCPA also provides the employees with a comprehensive group benefits package from their first day of employment.
• The ideal candidate must be legally eligible to work in Canada and can work from any location within Canada.

If you are interested in this position, please submit your resume and cover letter in one PDF document with the naming convention “Name, Last Name – Senior Communications Advisor” to the Manager, HR and Office Administration, at [e-mail] by the end of Friday, June 6, 2025.

We thank all those who express an interest; however, only those chosen for further consideration will be contacted.

The pCPA is an equal-opportunity employer. In accordance with the Accessible Canada Act, 2019 and all applicable provincial accessibility standards, upon request, accommodation will be provided by the pCPA throughout the recruitment, selection and/or assessment process to applicants with disabilities.

Seniority level

• Seniority level

  Mid-Senior level

Employment type

• Employment type

  Full-time

Job function

• Job function

  Marketing, Public Relations, and Writing/Editing

• Industries

  Hospitals and Health Care

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