Vice President, Public Affairs & Government Relations

FleishmanHillard Canada; Ottawa; Hybrid; CAD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading communications agency is seeking a Vice President for Public Affairs in Ottawa, responsible for developing and executing federal public affairs strategies. The successful candidate will have extensive experience and connections within the Canadian government, along with strong management skills. This executive role offers a competitive salary and a comprehensive benefits package.

Benefits

Generous PTO

Employer Paid Health Benefits

RRSP with Company Matching

Professional Development Funding

Optional Corporate Mobile Phone Plan

Data Reimbursement

Recruitment Referral Award

Qualifications

• 12 years of experience in public affairs/government relations.
• Demonstrated experience managing a team.
• Bilingual in English and French at a conversational level.

Responsibilities

• Provide senior level counsel on public affairs needs.
• Develop and implement comprehensive public affairs programs.
• Manage client expectations and billing.

Skills

Public policy understanding

Crisis management

Media relations

Executive communications

Issues management

Stakeholder engagement

Government relations

Job description

Vice President, Public Affairs & Government Relations

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FleishmanHillard HighRoad (FHR) is a leading, full-service communications agency. We are a dedicated and entrepreneurial team, with a passion for building powerful connections between ideas, people and actions. Specializing in Public Affairs, Government Relations, Corporate Reputation, Brand Marketing, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Communications, and Social and Digital Innovation, we are widely known for creating compelling and award-wining campaigns for our clients, time and time again.

About the Role

FHR’s Ottawa location has an opening for a Vice President to join our Public Affairs team. This is an exciting career opportunity for a seasoned Public and Government Affairs professional who holds an expert understanding of public policy and the federal government. As a trusted advisor, you will develop and execute a federal public affairs strategy, collaborate with teams in Ottawa and across the country, providing senior counsel on public affairs, crisis situations, corporate positioning, high-level media relations, executive communications, and issues management.

Having an in-depth understanding of government and politics, together with an established network of senior political and government relationships would be viewed as evidence of the ability to lead our federal public affairs practice and serve the needs of our public affairs client mandates. Candidates must be based in Ottawa and must bilingual in English and French at a conversational level.

Candidates must be legally authorized to work in Canada indefinitely. While this role is predominately remote, the successful candidate will be expected to attend in-person meetings with clients and political contacts / associates on a weekly basis. Anticipated start date is June 2025.

• A seasoned professional with 12 years of experience in a public affairs / government relations role, with a deep background developing and executing public affairs and corporate reputation programs, including advocacy, corporate positioning, media relations and executive communications
• Experience working directly for the Canadian federal government and / or a public affairs agency, in which you provided senior counsel on federal government relations files
• Bilingual in English and French at a conversational level
• Agency experience and a strong understanding of agency financials including overseeing client budget development, finalizing contracts, invoicing, billing, and forecasting
• Demonstrated experience managing a team, offering mentorship, coaching, and effectively delegating work while providing frequent and constructive feedback
• Experience building relationships and working effectively with diverse stakeholders
• Superior writing skills, with the ability to develop and edit high-quality materials such as briefing notes, position papers, fact sheets, overviews of government initiatives and presentations to government
• Demonstrated ability to analyze complex political and policy issues across a broad range of public policy areas, such as agriculture and food, environment & sustainability, finance, technology, and health
• Extensive knowledge of political, legislative and regulatory processes, as well as government policies, procedures, and in using targeted media for advocacy and outreach purposes
• Entrepreneurial attitude with a knack for building trusted relationships with clients and prospects that lead to additional, incremental new business opportunities
• Ability to engage with and counsel senior level decision-makers across the client’s business, and deliver connective insights to assist clients in driving alignment and execution of cross-company initiatives
• High degree of judgment, discretion, tact, and insight

Responsibilities :

• Provide senior level counsel to clients, including top level executives, on a wide range of public affairs needs, including direct advocacy, stakeholder engagement, strategy development, issues and reputation management, traditional media and social media
• Develop and implement comprehensive public affairs programs and tactics that integrate earned media, grassroots advocacy, third party stakeholders, advertising and digital recommendations
• Lead the development and implementation of integrated public affairs programs for clients while building strong relationships serving as the day-to-day client contact and account team manager on multiple client accounts
• Develop, analyze, interpret and provide strategic advice on significant developments and / or trends in public policy and legislation that affect clients
• Develop and prepare client messaging, executive positioning, presentations to government and other communications materials that resonate with government audiences
• Develop and drive thought leadership platforms on relevant policy issues
• Staff projects effectively and manage client expectations
• Identify, respond to and lead new business initiatives
• Manage billing, contract, invoices, worksheets, and client reporting
• Coach and mentor team members by effectively delegating work and providing frequent and constructive feedback

What We Offer :

FHR is proud to offer our employees a competitive Total Rewards package including :

• Generous PTO
• Employer Paid Health Benefits + 1k Health / Personal Spending Account
• RRSP with Company Matching Component (Applies to Full Time Permanent Employees)
• Professional Development Funding
• Optional Corporate Mobile Phone Plan (Applies to Full Time Permanent Employees)
• Data Reimbursement
• Recruitment Referral Award
• And more!

To apply for this opportunity, please go to : VP PA Role - FHR

FHR is an equal opportunity employer and is working to become the most inclusive global agency. We are passionate about building and sustaining a working environment that is focused on diversity and wellbeing. We encourage applications from equity-deserving groups. Self-identifying as Indigenous or having first-hand knowledge or experience working with an Indigenous community will be considered an asset. We support persons with disabilities with accommodation during our recruitment and selection process. Individual accommodation will be provided to candidates who are selected for assessment.

We thank all applicants for their interest however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

Seniority level

Seniority level

Executive

Employment type

Employment type

Full-time

Job function

Job function

Consulting and Business Development

Government Relations Services and Public Relations and Communications Services

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