Corporate Communications Manager

Korn Ferry; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Korn Ferry, a leading global talent and organizational advisory firm, seeks a Corporate Communications Manager to join its Houston-based team. Reporting to the Director of Communications, you will influence external communications, media relations, crisis readiness, digital strategy, thought leadership, and corporate reputation across executive leadership.

This hands-on role requires strong judgment, executive presence, and a proactive approach to shape strategic messaging from strategy through

Qualifications

• 7–12 years of progressive experience in corporate communications or related fields.
• Experience with media relations and external communications.
• Experience supporting crisis communications, issues management, or reputation-sensitive situations.
• Exceptional writing, editing, and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to translate complex business or technical information into clear messaging.
• Strong executive presence and ability to advise senior leadership.
• Experience managing digital channels including websites and social media.
• Proactive, self-directed working style with high attention to detail.

Responsibilities

• Lead crisis communications preparedness, including planning, training, message development, exercises, and program improvement.
• Support communications response during incidents, emerging issues, and reputation-sensitive situations.
• Partner with Legal, leadership, and other stakeholders to ensure timely, accurate, coordinated messaging.
• Maintain and improve crisis plans, resources, and response processes.
• Support and evolve the media training program for leaders and personnel.
• Help assess and enhance crisis-related digital communications capabilities and tools.
• Manage incoming media inquiries and serve as a resource for external communications.
• Develop messaging, talking points, statements, Q&As, and briefing materials.
• Build relationships with media and external stakeholders.
• Identify opportunities for proactive media engagement and storytelling.
• Prepare leaders for interviews, external engagements, and high-profile communications.
• Support communications surrounding significant business or regulatory initiatives.
• Partner with senior leaders to align messaging and communications strategy.

Skills

Media relations

Crisis communications

Executive counsel

Digital communications

Thought leadership

Corporate reputation

Strategic storytelling

Writing & editing

Executive presence

Tools

Canva

Adobe Creative Suite

Video production

Job description

Korn Ferry is partnering with a large, publicly traded organization in the energy and infrastructure sector to identify a Corporate Communications Manager to join its Houston-based communications team. Reporting directly to the Director of Communications, this is a highly visible individual-contributor role with significant exposure to executive leadership and broad ownership across external communications, media relations, crisis communications, digital strategy, thought leadership, and corporate reputation.

The organization is seeking a versatile communications professional who combines strong judgment and executive presence with a hands‑on, proactive approach. The successful candidate will be comfortable advising senior leaders during high‑profile or sensitive situations while also taking ownership of communications initiatives from strategy through execution.

Because the communications team is intentionally lean, this position offers meaningful autonomy and strategic influence. This person will have the opportunity to bring forward ideas, strengthen crisis preparedness and media strategy, and help shape how the organization evolves its external presence and tells its story to key audiences.

Key Responsibilities

Crisis Communications & Issues Management

• Lead and strengthen crisis communications preparedness, including planning, training, message development, exercises, and ongoing program improvement.
• Support communications response during incidents, emerging issues, and reputation-sensitive situations.
• Partner with operational teams, Legal, leadership, and other stakeholders to ensure communications are timely, accurate, coordinated, and appropriate.
• Maintain and continuously improve crisis communications plans, resources, and response processes.
• Support and evolve the organization’s media training program for leaders and operational personnel.
• Help assess and enhance crisis-related digital communications capabilities and tools.

Media Relations & External Communications

• Manage incoming media inquiries and serve as a key resource for external communications.
• Develop messaging, talking points, statements, Q&As, briefing materials, and other communications for complex or sensitive topics.
• Build and maintain productive relationships with relevant media and external stakeholders.
• Identify opportunities for proactive media engagement and corporate storytelling.
• Partner with senior leaders to prepare for interviews, external engagements, and high‑profile communications.
• Support communications surrounding significant business, infrastructure, regulatory, or stakeholder initiatives.

Executive Counsel & Strategic Communications

• Serve as a trusted communications partner to senior executives and business leaders.
• Translate complex business and operational topics into clear, concise, and compelling communications.
• Provide communications counsel on sensitive, high‑profile, and reputation‑related matters.
• Partner across Legal, Investor Relations, Government Relations, Stakeholder Relations, and other functions to align messaging and communications strategy.
• Anticipate communications needs and proactively recommend strategies rather than waiting for direction.

Thought Leadership & Corporate Reputation

• Identify opportunities to strengthen the organization’s external profile and corporate reputation.
• Help develop thought leadership strategies and content that increase visibility with important external audiences.
• Explore new ways to communicate the organization’s story while appropriately balancing visibility and reputational risk.
• Evaluate how changing digital behaviors, emerging technologies, and AI are influencing corporate communications and stakeholder awareness.
• Bring new ideas and perspectives to the communications team and help shape the future direction of the function.

Digital, Social & Brand Communications

• Help shape the organization’s digital and social communications strategy.
• Manage and develop content for corporate social channels, with a particular focus on LinkedIn and external stakeholder engagement.
• Maintain accurate, engaging, and strategically aligned corporate website content.
• Monitor digital performance and identify opportunities to improve engagement.
• Maintain consistency across corporate messaging, brand standards, and communications materials.
• Partner with internal and external creative resources on visual, video, multimedia, and digital content.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and AI tools that can improve communications efficiency, effectiveness, and reach.

Internal & Enterprise Communications

• Partner with the internal communications lead on enterprise-wide initiatives as business needs require.
• Support executive messages, town halls, employee communications, newsletters, and other leadership communications.
• Develop tools and materials that help leaders effectively communicate information throughout the organization.
• Contribute to communications best practices, templates, brand resources, and shared communications assets.

What We're Looking For

The strongest candidates will be communications generalists with a strong external orientation. Rather than specializing exclusively in one area, they will be comfortable moving between media relations, crisis communications, executive counsel, digital communications, reputation management, and thought leadership.

• Approximately 7-12 years of progressive experience in corporate communications, public affairs, public relations, journalism, agency communications, or a related discipline.
• Meaningful experience with media relations and external communications.
• Experience supporting crisis communications, issues management, incident response, or reputation-sensitive situations.
• Exceptional writing, editing, and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to translate complicated business, operational, or technical information into clear and concise messaging.
• Strong business judgment and the ability to remain composed in sensitive, high‑pressure, and time‑critical situations.
• Experience working directly with or advising executive and senior leadership.
• Strong executive presence and the ability to communicate confidently and concisely with senior stakeholders.
• Experience managing digital communications channels, including websites and social media.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities while maintaining high quality and attention to detail.
• A proactive, self‑directed working style and demonstrated ability to identify opportunities and solve problems with minimal oversight.

Preferred Background

Experience within energy, oil & gas, utilities, transportation, infrastructure, industrial, manufacturing, chemicals, or another highly regulated or reputation‑sensitive industry is particularly relevant.

• Communications experience within a publicly traded organization.
• Exposure to investor‑facing, regulatory, or corporate reputation initiatives.
• Familiarity with incident command systems, emergency response communications, or formal crisis preparedness programs.
• Thought leadership and proactive media strategy experience.
• Brand management or corporate identity experience.
• Familiarity with Canva, Adobe Creative Suite, video production, or other creative platforms.
• Experience using digital analytics and emerging AI tools within communications.

Who Will Thrive in This Role

This opportunity is particularly well suited for someone who is naturally proactive and wants to have a voice in how a communications function evolves. The Director of Communications is looking for a partner who brings ideas forward, identifies opportunities before being asked, learns quickly, and is comfortable figuring out solutions independently.

Success will require someone who can move seamlessly between strategy and execution - advising an executive on a sensitive communications issue one day, helping prepare for a potential crisis the next, and then identifying a new opportunity to strengthen the organization’s external visibility or thought leadership.

The successful candidate will be polished, concise, intellectually curious, resourceful, collaborative, and comfortable operating with significant autonomy. For someone seeking greater exposure to executive leadership and the opportunity to meaningfully influence media strategy, crisis preparedness, corporate reputation, and the future direction of an organization’s external communications, this role offers significant opportunity for impact and continued growth.