Strategist

Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo; Fort McMurray; On-site; CAD 117,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

A municipal government in Fort McMurray is seeking a Communications Strategist for a temporary full-time position. The role involves supporting various departments in their communications and engagement needs, effectively managing public awareness and relationships. Ideal candidates will have 5+ years of relevant experience and a degree in communications or related field. This position offers a starting salary up to $124,392 CAD, depending on experience.

Benefits

Competitive compensation

Accommodation support during interview process

Qualifications

• 5+ years experience in communications, public affairs, or related field.
• Experience on large, longer term projects is an asset.
• Must submit a Criminal Record Check.

Responsibilities

• Support municipal departments' communications and engagement needs.
• Manage media relations, crisis communications, and public engagement.
• Collaborate with Elected Officials and Senior Leadership Team.

Skills

Ability to work with various groups

Experience developing public participation plans

Media relationship building

Strong written and verbal communication

Presentation and public speaking skills

Self-starter, effective multitasking

Education

Degree in Communications, Public Relations, or related

Job description

Requisition ID: 3842

Affiliation: Exempt

Position Type: Temporary Full Time

Fixed Term Duration: Approximately two (2) months

Number of Openings: 1

Bi-weekly Working Hours : 70 hours bi-weekly

Shift / Work Schedule : Monday to Friday

Department / Branch: Office of the CAO, Strategic Communications

Job Location: Fort McMurray

Starting Salary Range

• $117,668 - $124,392 (Pay Band F)

COLA: Bi-Weekly - $480

Posted (dd / mm / yyyy) : 18 / 10 / 2025

Closing Date (dd / mm / yyyy) : 26 / 10 / 2025

Posting Type : Internal and External

The Municipality offers competitive compensation. The starting salary for this position will be within the range listed above and dependent upon the qualifications and experience of the successful candidate.

We strive to make our hiring process accessible to all candidates. If you require accommodation for the interview or any other part of the application process, please let us know.

ABOUT THE DIVISION

The Office of the CAO provides leadership, oversight, and strategic guidance to ensure the effective delivery of municipal programs and services. The office brings together critical functions including Corporate Records, Strategic Communications, and Council & Administration Support, that enables the Municipality to operate efficiently, transparently, and in alignment with its strategic priorities.

By coordinating organizational initiatives, supporting Council and senior leadership, and ensuring clear and consistent communication both internally and with the public, the Office of the CAO plays a vital role in advancing the Municipality’s mission. The team fosters innovation, accountability, and collaboration across departments, helping to ensure that every project and decision contributes to a thriving community.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

The Strategist supports the Communications and Engagement needs of all municipal departments. This role creates public awareness around Strategic Plan goals and priorities, and Municipal services, projects, and initiatives through the development, implementation, and measurement of internal and external communications, engagement strategies and plans, and the building of relationships with organizations, groups, and communities across the region.

Primary responsibilities of this position include :

Departmental Advice: Guided by corporate goals, municipal plans, and strategic priorities the Strategist may act as a municipal departmental partner in key areas of issues management, crisis communications, public participation, media relations, social media, intergovernmental relations, environmental scanning, internal communications and other corporate communication and stakeholder relations functions. This role may serve as a point of contact between municipal departments, sharing information, advising on community concerns and interests, and connecting key people together. A critical thinker, the incumbent is expected to have the confidence and ability to identify emerging issues and recommend effective responses, share complex information in an accessible and understandable manner, develop opportunities for public feedback, and assist with overall program service delivery to ensure a positive and accurate representation of the municipality to the public and its partners within all communities of the region and beyond its borders.

Strategic Communication: This role requires a degree of autonomy, using earned credibility and professional judgment to manage political risk and sensitivities, and preserve the Municipality's reputation. Deliverables may include briefing notes, media responses, speeches for elected officials, surveys, key messaging statements, proactive crisis communications plans, facilitation of engagement sessions, policy or protocol development support, social media messaging and news releases. This position is involved in confidential matters including labour / employee relations, legal proceedings, organizational design, operational reviews, budget, business planning and contracting services.

Service Delivery: Works in collaboration with Elected Officials, CAO, the Senior Leadership Team, and other staff, consultants and contractors and is expected to provide advice that is consistent, innovative, and strategic. While working closely with other members of the department, the incumbent will research, develop, and implement best practices related to this field, ensuring the continuous improvement and ongoing effectiveness. Will utilize the resources available by distributing project deliverables to other members of the team as required and is accountable for the results. In addition to taking responsibility for any other assigned duties, the position is also a key member in emergency operations centre support.

SKILLS REQUIREMENTS

• Demonstrated ability working with a variety of groups, some of which may include : elected officials, senior management, media, community organizations, stakeholders, general public, etc., as well as ability to advise internal partners how to work with these groups.
• Demonstrated experience developing relationships and implementing results-oriented communications and public participation plans and strategies.
• Demonstrated experience building and maintaining strong relationships with internal and external partners.
• Demonstrated skill working with media.
• Proven ability writing for different audiences and using different social media platforms.
• Strong organizational skills and strong aptitude for effective teamwork.
• Written and verbal communication skills that allow you to inform and advise others clearly.
• Strong presentation and public speaking skills.
• Must be a self starter able to work on multiple projects simultaneously, with minimum supervision and direction.
• Ability to understand, analyse, and interpret verbal and written direction or content which may be complex in nature.
• Ability to work under pressure with short deadlines or on time sensitive tasks, while recognizing emerging issues and prioritizing them in sequence.
• Personal commitment to continuous learning by improving knowledge and skills.

EDUCATION

• Five (5) years' experience in communications, public affairs, public engagement, or related field is required.
• Experience in working on large, longer term projects is considered an asset.
• Experience working in a public sector environment with unionized and non-unionized employees is considered an asset.

EXPERIENCE

• Degree in Communications, Public Relations, Journalism, Political Science or other related discipline is required.
• Incident Command System (ICS) 100, 200, & 300 training is required within the first year of employment, training will be provided by the Municipality.
• International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) certification and / or International Association of Public Participation (IAP2) certification is considered an asset.
• An equivalent combination of education and work experience may be considered.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

• Submission of a Criminal Record Check.
• A valid Class five (5) Operator’s License is required as incumbent will be required to operate a personal or municipal vehicle for business use on a regular basis.

SAFETY

As an employee of the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, the incumbent is responsible and accountable for knowing and working in accordance with the Health and Safety Directive. As per Section 2 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act, the incumbent shall ensure, while in the employ of the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, the health and safety of employees, contractors, and the public.