Vice President, Communications

WWF-Canada; Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 126,000 - 141,000; Full time

Job summary

WWF-Canada is seeking a Vice President, Communications to lead strateg ic communications, editorial standards, and media relations. Hybrid role with offices in Toronto, Ottawa or Montréal.

You will guide a team of managers and specialists, shaping narratives that connect Canadians with conservation work, and safeguarding WWF-Canada’s reputation across platforms.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive experience in communications, journalism, digital and social media, or public relations.
• At least 6+ years’ experience at the senior management level.
• Post-secondary education in a related field, or an additional 3+ years of relevant experience.
• 4+ years of experience developing, leading, and mentoring a high-performance communications team.
• Nonprofit sector experience preferred.
• Strong track record of media placement across all platforms.
• Proven experience developing messages on complex issues.
• Experience using audience, engagement or performance data to inform strategic and editorial decisions.
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience in project management and process design.
• Bilingualism (English/French) is an asset.

Responsibilities

• Develop and protect WWF-Canada's public-facing narrative, ensuring consistent messaging across channels.
• Oversee conservation communications and translate programmatic work into clear narratives.
• Direct earned media strategy in collaboration with leadership.
• Lead crisis and issues management with senior leadership on responses.
• Foster a high-performing team of communications and editorial specialists.
• Oversee editorial quality across content formats—written, social, video, audio.
• Analyze content and media performance data to inform strategy.
• Lead development of the annual communications strategy with leaders.
• Partner with Development to align storytelling with fundraising goals.
• Draft and propose budgets for communications, editorial, and vendors.
• Engage external partners, agencies, freelancers, and manage contracts.
• Assess and improve communications workflows and approvals.

Skills

Leadership & mentoring

Media placements

Strategic communications

Editorial oversight

Written & verbal communication

Education

Post-secondary education in communications or related field

Job description

Position: Vice President, Communications

Location: Hybrid – Work from a WWF-Canada office in either Toronto, Ottawa or Montréal

Reporting To: Senior Vice President, Strategic Communications

Direct Reports: Senior Manager, Communications

Senior Manager, Editorial

Position Type: Permanent, Full-Time

Starting Salary Range: $126,300 to $141,000 annually

(commensurate upon related skills and experience)

Position Description

The Vice President (VP), Communications leads WWF-Canada’s communications strategy, issues management, editorial standards and media relations, ensuring the organization communicates clearly, credibly and compellingly with Canadians while protecting its reputation.

The VP leads a team of managers and specialists who work across the organization to translate the complexity of conservation into narratives that resonate with audiences, grounding our work in stories that feel urgent, human and hopeful. They manage WWF's reputation with vigilance, helping the organization earn and maintain trust in an increasingly complex and fast-moving environment. They ensure the organization is equipped to communicate confidently across channels, platforms and media, and that WWF-Canada is building public presence and credibility that supports the organization's broader engagement and acquisition goals.

As a member of WWF’s Strategic Communications leadership team, the VP sets the strategic direction for communications, allocates resources, advises senior leaders on reputation and audience considerations, and works collaboratively with Conservation and Development departments to achieve organizational objectives.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and protect WWF-Canada's public-facing narrative, ensuring the organization's messaging framework is applied consistently across channels and formats.
• Oversee conservation communications, translating WWF-Canada’s scientific and programmatic work into clear, compelling narratives that build public understanding and drive support for conservation outcomes.
• Direct the organization’s earned media strategy, working in collaboration with Conservation leadership to ensure the organization is well-prepared and consistently represented in media coverage.
• Lead crisis and issues management, anticipating reputational risk, and alongside senior leadership, determining how WWF-Canada responds to sensitive external developments.
• Foster a high-performing team of communications and editorial specialists, including managing, mentoring, and developing direct reports, identifying opportunities, facilitating execution, and seeking solutions to challenges.
• Oversee editorial quality control across all content formats — written, social, video, and audio — ensuring accuracy, tone, clarity, and strategic alignment, and that storytelling builds audiences WWF-Canada can engage and grow over time.
• Analyze content and media performance data to inform message strategy, editorial priorities, and resource allocation.
• Lead development of the annual communications strategy in partnership with Strategic Communications leaders, aligned to divisional and organizational plans.
• Partner with Development leadership to ensure communications and storytelling build the public visibility, trust, and audience growth that support WWF-Canada's fundraising and engagement goals.
• Draft and propose the communications, editorial, and vendor/agency budget, within the broader Strategic Communications divisional budget.
• Engage external partners, agencies, freelancers, and contractors — determining scope of work, preparing briefs, and negotiating contracts.
• Assess and continuously improve communications workflows and approval processes, including editorial review, media response, and executive sign-off.

What We Are Looking For

• 10+ years of progressive experience in communications, journalism, digital and social media, or public relations, with at least 6+ years’ experience at the senior management level.
• Post-secondary education in a related field (i.e. communications, journalism, public relations, etc.), or an additional 3+ years of relevant experience.
• 4+ years of experience developing, leading, and mentoring a high-performance communications team.
• Nonprofit sector experience preferred; mission-driven organization experience required.
• Strong track record of media placement across all platforms.
• Proven experience developing messages on complex issues.
• Experience working with audience, engagement or performance data to inform strategic and editorial decisions.
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience in project management and process design.
• Bilingualism (English/French) is an asset.
• Familiarity with First Nations Principles of OCAP, BC First Nations Data Governance Initiative, or other similar data sovereignty guidelines an asset.
• Identify & align with WWF’s core values: Courage, Integrity, Respect, and Collaboration.

Other Information

• This job is posted for an existing vacancy.
• This is a hybrid role based in Toronto, Ottawa, or Montréal, requiring a minimum of 1 in-office day per week.
• For successful candidates who live outside of Toronto, there will be required monthly travel to the city. There may also be occasional national travel to meet organizational needs.

Commitment to Diversity and Accessibility

Our vision is a Canada with abundant wildlife where nature and people thrive and we value and rely on diversity of thought, knowledge, expertise, and lived experience to help bring our vision to life.

We recognize that experience comes in many forms and skills are transferable. If you feel that your unique experiences can enhance our vision, we encourage you – even if you don’t meet 100% of the requirements.

We encourage applications from candidates who have been historically disadvantaged and marginalized, including applicants who identify as First Nations, Métis or Inuk (Inuit), Black, racialized, a person with a disability, women and/or 2SLGBTQ+.

We are committed to a barrier-free and equitable recruitment & selection process. If you are contacted in relation an opportunity to join our team and require an accommodation at any point in the process, please advise the recruiter of your specific needs. We commit to managing these requests in a confidential manner.