Vice President, Communications & Government Relations

Vancity; Vancouver; On-site; CAD 204,000 - 264,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Living Wage Employer

Customizable Benefits

Generous Vacation

Extra Stat Holidays

Immediate Health Coverage

Defined Benefit Pension

Job summary

Vancity in Canada seeks a Vice President, Communications and Government Relations to lead integrated internal and external communications and public policy strategies. You will guide reputation, counsel the CEO and Board, and steward enterprise media relations across federal, provincial, and municipal levels.

Based at the head office with on-site expectation, this senior role demands strategic thinking, crisis management, and a commitment to cooperative values.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in communications, public relations, political science, journalism, public policy, or related field.
• 12–15 years of progressive senior leadership in enterprise communications, public affairs, and/or government relations.
• Experience advising CEOs, Boards, and Executive Leadership on reputation and risk.

Responsibilities

• Lead development and execution of integrated communications strategies aligned to enterprise priorities.
• Provide strategic communications counsel to the CEO, Board and Executive Leadership on reputational risk and issues.
• Oversee enterprise media relations and crisis/issue management.
• Build and steward government relations and public policy across federal, provincial, and municipal levels.
• Engage Ministers, political staff, regulators and sector partners to advance advocacy priorities.
• Integrate policy intelligence and environmental scanning into enterprise strategy.
• Manage escalated member concerns with oversight bodies.
• Lead a diverse communications team and measure impact beyond activity.

Skills

Enterprise communications

Media relations

Public affairs

Government relations

Executive counseling

Crisis communications

Stakeholder engagement

Strategic thinking

Education

Bachelor's degree in communications/public policy/journalism

Master’s degree (asset)

Job description

We’re Vancity, a member-owned credit union built on the principles of inclusion and social justice. Since 1946, our relentless commitment to these values has helped us challenge the status quo and break down barriers. We’ve made bold commitments to become net-zero by 2040 across all mortgages and loans, and we’re actively pursuing strategies in Indigenous banking and financial resilience for our members.

Your Role in Supporting Our Members:

As a Vice President, Communications and Government Relations, you will lead and integrate Vancity’s internal and external communications and government relations strategies to protect and enhance our reputation, strengthen stakeholder relationships, and position Vancity as a trusted thought leader aligned with our values and strategic priorities. This is a senior executive role suited to a strategic, values-driven leader with deep expertise in enterprise communications, media relations, public affairs, and government relations, who can provide trusted counsel to the CEO, Board, and Executive Leadership.

This is a Full-time, Permanent role based at our Vancity head office and will report directly to the Chief Member Experience Officer. This role is primarily on-site, with some flexibility. While limited hybrid flexibility may be available, you will be expected to be on-site regularly and present for key meetings, events, and business needs.

How You'll Make an Impact:

• Leading the development and execution of integrated internal and external communications strategies aligned to enterprise priorities
• Providing strategic communications counsel to the CEO, Board, and Executive Leadership on reputational risk, emerging issues, and executive profiling
• Overseeing enterprise media relations, acting as a senior spokesperson, and guiding crisis and issues management
• Building and stewarding Vancity’s government relations and public policy agenda across federal, provincial, and municipal levels
• Engaging Ministers, political staff, senior public servants, regulators, and sector partners to advance advocacy priorities
• Integrating public policy intelligence and environmental scanning into enterprise strategy to identify risks and opportunities
• Managing escalated member concerns in partnership with internal and external oversight bodies
• Building, mentoring, and leading a high-performing and diverse communications team
• Overseeing measurement and reporting to demonstrate communications and government relations impact beyond activity tracking

What You’ll Bring to the Team:

• A bachelor’s degree in communications, public relations, political science, journalism, public policy, or a related field; a master’s degree is an asset
• A minimum of 12-15 years of progressive senior leadership experience in enterprise communications, public affairs, and/or government relations
• Significant experience advising CEOs, Boards, and Executive Leadership teams on reputation, risk, and complex issues
• Demonstrated expertise in media relations, crisis communications, and executive-level stakeholder engagement
• Proven experience leading government relations, advocacy, and public policy initiatives in complex, regulated environments
• Strong people leadership experience, including building and leading high-performing, diverse teams
• Exceptional strategic thinking, judgment, and influence skills aligned with cooperative values

Extra Skills That Set You Apart:

• Experience within financial services, cooperatives, or highly regulated sectors
• Existing relationships with federal, provincial, or municipal government stakeholders
• Experience integrating communications, marketing, and brand strategies at an enterprise level

You’ll Thrive Here If You Are:

• Strategic - Able to connect communications and public policy to long-term enterprise strategy and impact.
• Credible - Trusted advisor to senior leaders, governments, and external stakeholders.
• Calm under pressure - Confident leading through crisis, ambiguity, and high-profile issues.
• Values-driven - Deeply aligned with cooperative principles and community impact.
• People-focused - Committed to building inclusive, high-performing teams.

What You’ll Earn:

This role offers a salary range of $204,000 to $264,000 per annum. The base pay offered may vary depending on factors such as relevant qualifications, skills, previous experience, and internal equity. As part of our total rewards package, employees may also be eligible for our annual incentive program, subject to program eligibility requirements.

Why You’ll Love Working Here:

A career at Vancity is more than just a job, you’re joining a tradition of change-makers who are creating lasting change for our communities. Beyond base pay, we offer a comprehensive total rewards package to ensure our employees are empowered to thrive:

• Living Wage Employer: We’re the largest private-sector Living Wage Employer in Canada and consistently ranked among Canada’s Top Employers.
• Customizable Benefits: Permanent employees receive flexible benefit packages that can be tailored annually to meet evolving needs.
• Generous Vacation: New employees start with 3-4 weeks of vacation per year, with additional days earned over time.
• Extra Stat Holidays: In addition to BC’s 11 statutory holidays, we offer 2 extra days, plus care days for personal or family illness.
• Immediate Health Coverage: Health and dental benefits begin on your hire date, with three levels of coverage to choose from.
• Defined Benefit Pension: Our retirement plan provides a guaranteed income for life, recognizing that retirement looks different for everyone.

Vancity Talent Programs:

Vancity supports an inclusive hiring process for candidates who self-identify as Indigenous, Black, or Trans. With special permission from the BC Human Rights Commissioner, this initiative provides access to career development opportunities, prioritized job screening, and feedback. Any information you choose to share will be stored securely and used only for recruitment and career development connected to this initiative, in line with the BC Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA). For details, please see our dedicated Talent Programs job posting.

At Vancity we’re committed to creating a welcoming and inclusive workplace to help our people and communities thrive and prosper. Diversity in our workforce is integral so that we can truly represent, understand and respond to our community needs and deliver on our member experience.

We are also committed to an inclusive, barrier-free and accessible recruitment experience for all candidates. If you require any accommodations or support at any stage of the recruitment process (including the application stage), we encourage you to let us know by contacting our Talent Acquisition team at [e-mail]. We’re here to work with you to ensure your needs are met promptly and effectively. All requests will be handled with the utmost respect and confidentiality, so you can participate fully in the process.