Sr. Manager, People Experience: Executive Messaging, Engagement & Events - Chicago, IL

Wells Enterprises, Inc.; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 116,000 - 162,000; Full time

Job summary

Wells Enterprises, a Ferrero company, in Chicago, seeks a Senior Manager, People Experience: Executive Messaging, Engagement & Events to lead leadership communications and enterprise engagement initiatives. You will craft executive messages, plan large-scale events, and drive digital content across intranet, Viva Engage, Teams, and email channels to strengthen culture and alignment.

You will partner with internal teams to tailor programs for salaried and frontline employees, build KPIs, and

Qualifications

• 7-9 years in internal or executive communications, employee engagement or related field.
• Experience developing leadership messages and managing high-visibility events with senior leaders.
• Strong writing, editing, presentation and verbal communication skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, intranet and collaboration platforms; data-driven in approach.

Responsibilities

• Lead editorial planning for corporate and salaried employees, ensuring timely, relevant information.
• Develop executive messaging and communication plans for senior leaders.
• Plan and execute enterprise events and employee experiences, including large meetings.
• Own the enterprise employee engagement strategy and annual plan.
• Adapt initiatives for production facilities and frontline employees.
• Own content strategy for intranet, Viva Engage, Teams, and corporate channels.
• Create compelling digital content and coordinate with partners/vendors as needed.
• Translate business priorities into integrated communication plans and measures.
• Establish KPIs and evaluate effectiveness using analytics and surveys.

Skills

Executive messaging

Event planning

Digital storytelling

Video content

Project management

Stakeholder management

Verbal communication

Editing/writing

Education

Bachelor's degree in communications

Tools

Microsoft Teams

Viva Engage

Intranet platforms

Content creation tools

Job description

Job Description

Company: Wells Enterprises (a Ferrero Company)

Functional Area: P&O

The Role

As a member of the People Experience team within People & Organization, the Senior Manager, People Experience: Executive Messaging, Engagement & Events leads executive messaging, corporate and salaried employee communications, enterprise events and employee engagement initiatives. The role develops clear and compelling leadership communications, digital content and experiences that strengthen alignment, connection and culture across the enterprise. The Senior Manager owns enterprise engagement planning and partners closely with the Senior Manager, People Experience: Internal Communications & Communities to ensure programs and messages are adapted and activated effectively for manufacturing and frontline employees.

What You’ll Do

• Lead communications strategy and ongoing editorial and content planning for corporate and salaried employees, ensuring employees receive timely, relevant and consistent information aligned with business priorities, organizational change initiatives, culture and the employee experience strategy.
• Develop executive messaging and communication plans for senior leaders, including presentations, talking points, organizational announcements, leader updates, scripts and other materials that strengthen leadership visibility, understanding and alignment.
• Lead planning and execution of enterprise events and employee experiences, including town halls, leadership forums, recognition moments, large-scale employee meetings and other high-visibility organizational events.
• Own the enterprise employee engagement strategy and annual engagement plan, including employee listening, enterprise surveys, action-planning support, recognition strategy and integrated initiatives that strengthen connection, culture and employee participation across salaried and frontline populations.
• Partner with the Senior Manager, People Experience: Internal Communications & Communities to adapt enterprise engagement initiatives, events, surveys, campaigns, recognition efforts and messages for production facilities and frontline employees, providing core strategy and materials while supporting effective local activation.
• Own content strategy and execution for corporate and salaried employee channels, including the intranet, Viva Engage, Microsoft Teams, corporate email communications and executive and People & Organization communication channels. Partner with the Senior Manager on shared intranet governance and integrated editorial planning.
• Create and produce compelling digital content, including videos, interviews, leader messages, presentations, graphics and multimedia stories, coordinating with internal partners and external vendors as needed to support executive communications, engagement campaigns, events and People & Organization priorities.
• Serve as a strategic communications and engagement advisor to senior leaders, People & Organization colleagues and cross-functional partners. Translate business priorities, change initiatives and employee insights into integrated plans with clear objectives, audiences, messages, channels, experiences and measures.
• Establish key performance indicators and success measures for corporate communications, executive messaging, events and enterprise engagement. Use channel analytics, event data, surveys, employee feedback and stakeholder insights to evaluate effectiveness and recommend improvements.
• Monitor industry trends, best practices and emerging communication and engagement technologies and apply relevant insights to improve employee experiences and organizational outcomes.

#IND123

Qualifications

What You’ll Bring

• Bachelor’s degree in communications, public relations, journalism, event management, human resources, business or a related field. Equivalent combinations of education and relevant experience may be considered.
• 7-9 years of experience in internal or executive communications, employee engagement, corporate events, employee experience or a related field. Demonstrated experience developing leadership messages, managing high-visibility events or employee programs and collaborating with senior leaders and cross-functional stakeholders is preferred.
• Knowledge - Executive and internal communications; corporate and digital communication channels; intranet, Viva Engage and Microsoft Teams content strategy; employee engagement and listening practices; event strategy and production; multimedia and video content development; organizational culture; change communications; recognition practices; and communication and engagement measurement.
• Skills - Excellent writing, editing, presentation, executive-messaging and verbal communication skills. Strong event planning, digital storytelling, video and multimedia content development, project management, internal consulting, stakeholder management and organizational skills. Ability to translate complex business information into clear and compelling communications and experiences, design integrated engagement campaigns, manage multiple deadlines and vendors and use feedback and data to improve outcomes. Proficiency with Microsoft Office, intranet and collaboration platforms, survey tools, event technologies and digital content production tools.
• Abilities - Ability to build credibility with senior leaders, exercise sound judgment and discretion, influence across functions, anticipate communication and engagement needs and manage high-visibility work with strong attention to detail. Ability to combine strategic thinking with hands‑on content development and event execution and collaborate effectively with the Senior Manager to extend enterprise initiatives across corporate and frontline audiences.

Reports to: Director of People Experience

Direct reports: None

Indirect reports: None

The base pay range for this position is $115,766 to $162,073 annually. Actual compensation will be determined based on location, experience, qualifications, and other job-related factors permitted by law. This pay range represents the anticipated salary for this position at this time.

Wells Enterprises is an EEO/AA employer M/F/Vet/Dis

About Us

Wells Enterprises, a Ferrero company, is one of the largest ice cream manufacturers in the United States and the maker of well‑loved brands including Blue Bunny, Halo Top, Bomb Pop, and Blue Ribbon Classics and today Trolli, Butterfinger 100grand, Baby Ruth, Nutella and Kinder Bueno.

Wells Enterprises is a $2 billion company employing 4,000 employees, across four production plants and two main hub locations, Chicago and Le Mars.

Guided by innovation, quality, and a people‑first mindset, Wells is committed to delighting consumers and developing exceptional teams.

As part of the Ferrero Group, Wells combines its strong U.S. heritage with Ferrero’s global standards of excellence, offering a unique opportunity to grow within a dynamic, values‑driven, and international environment.

At Wells, our people—and their experience—sit at the heart of our ambition. Learn more at www.wellsenterprisesinc.com.

What We Offer

At Wells, we’re proud to support our employees with comprehensive benefits that enhance health, financial wellness, and include paid time off (PTO). Eligible employees may also receive an annual incentive bonus based on Company performance. Learn more about our benefits here.