Communications Manager - National Arts Centre

The National Arts Centre (NAC) is Canada’s bilingual, multi-disciplinary home for the performing arts. The NAC presents, creates, produces, and co-produces performing arts programming in various streams—the NAC Orchestra, Dance, English Theatre, French Theatre, Indigenous Theatre, and Popular Music and Variety—and nurtures the next generation of audiences and artists from across Canada. The NAC is located on the traditional, unceded, unsurrendered territory of the Anishinabe Algonquin Nation.

At the National Arts Centre, we believe the performing arts are vital to the human experience. A house of dreams for the Canadian performing arts, we work with artists and arts organizations from across this land to revitalize our sector.

Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Anti-Racism and Accessibility

We are on a journey, committed to ensuring that equity, diversity, inclusion, accessibility, anti-racism and reconciliation with Indigenous peoples will guide our actions.

The NAC welcomes applications from candidates who can help us meet our vision, and contribute to the diversity of lived experiences, perspectives, and approaches. When you join the NAC, you will be part of an inclusive community working hard to dismantle barriers to employees’ well-being, access, potential, and success. The NAC actively seeks candidates who identify as women, Indigenous, Black, Persons of Colour (IBPoC), members of 2SLGBTQIA+ communities, and people with disabilities. We encourage you to self-identify in the recruitment process.

Key Activities:

Reporting to the Senior Manager, Communications, the Manager, Communications is responsible for the development and implementation of communications strategies, coordination and alignment of messaging and narratives, demonstrating strong background in storytelling and communications management to oversee the effective operations of the communications team.

The Manager, Communications, leads two full-time employees supporting the NAC’s social media activities and communications for the NAC’s programs and public spaces, as well as a term contract employee supporting special initiatives such as Summer Programming and the Big Bang Festival in the winter, and leads on special projects such as the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards. The Manager, Communications, provides leadership and is responsible for the successful implementation of the NAC’s communications strategies through an integrated, agile and collaborative approach, working with the Marketing and Digital Experiences & Design teams.

The Manager, Communications ensures bilingual communications activities are consistent across the organization, and with key stakeholders, advises on the most appropriate communications strategies and provides recommendations to various internal stakeholders.

View full job description here.

Duties include, but are not limited to:

• Work closely with team members within Communications, Marketing and Digital Experiences & Design, as well as internal stakeholders in programming, plan and facilitate the coordination and integration of communications approaches in support of the NAC’s strategic plan and vision;
• Oversee daily operations and the editorial/content calendar, to ensure communication needs for internal and external are properly resourced and deliverables met for the NAC’s activities outside of artistic programming (notably publics spaces and special projects);
• Supervise and provide strong people leadership, coaching and oversight to a team of three (3) communications strategists, including establishing annual work objectives based on corporate priorities, evaluating and monitoring performance;
• Collaborate, plan and deliver reactive and proactive media strategies, including the development of communications products, for special events such as the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards and initiatives from the NAC Foundation.
• Lead the continuous improvement of the NAC’s communications processes and channels;
• Establish targets and key performance indicators, and reports on effectiveness and impact of communications strategies and activities;
• Ensure the NAC’s brand is well represented, and its positive reputation sustained across all media, and proactively pitch stories to mainstream and national media;
• Provide strategic advice and guidance on all aspects of communications involving sensitive subject matters;
• Involves on-call and responsiveness to media requests and issues management;

Required qualifications:

• A post-secondary degree in a field related to the position such as media studies, public relations, communications, journalism, marketing or other discipline relevant to the position, or a combination of education, training and experience related to the position.
• A minimum of five (5) years of relevant experience in strategic management and implementation of communications and social media strategies, plans and products;
• A minimum of three (3) years of relevant experience supervising staff, providing support, feedback, coaching and professional development;
• Fluently bilingual in both official languages, English and French, written and spoken.
• Significant experience and strong skills in writing and editing communications products, and skilled as a proof-reader;
• Experience in managing multiple, complex and/or sensitive files and providing strategic communications advice and recommendations;
• Strong knowledge of media relations practices and media landscape;
• Strong knowledge of content creation processes, online and audio-visual publishing;
• Skilled in building collaborative and working relationships with a wide variety of internal and external stakeholders;
• Superior problem solving and operational skills;
• Skilled in using Office 365 programs, MS Teams, cloud-based sharing programs and comfortable with digital technologies, social media channels and apps;
• Excellent interpersonal skills;
• Demonstrate understanding of social issues and analytical skills, judgement, tact and discretion;
• Superior attention to details;
• Ability to think and act strategically at all times;
• Ability to plan and coordinate multiple projects;
• Ability to thrive in a fast paced, high-volume environment with shifting priorities and multiple stakeholders;
• Experience in the arts and cultural sector, in particular the performing arts, is an asset.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

Please submit your cover letter and résumé online through the “Career Opportunities” section of our website at https://nac-cna.ca/en/careers.

Who can apply:

Persons residing in Canada and Canadian citizens residing abroad. Preference will be given to Canadian citizens.

As part of NAC’s interview process, in-person interviews may be required. Please ensure to have the most up-to-date information on your résumé including your current email address.

The National Arts Centre (NAC) is committed to inclusive employee recruitment and selection. The NAC welcomes and encourages applications from people with disabilities. If you require accommodation during the selection process, please inform us as soon as possible and we will make every effort to fulfill your accommodation request.

The successful candidate will be required to provide the original or a certified true copy of their education credentials as appropriate, along with proof of a valid Background Check as a condition of employment.

While we appreciate all applications, only those selected for an interview will be contacted by us.