Director, Strategic and External Communications

Job Description :

Which company will you join?

From Arthur Guinness to Johnnie Walker, our business was founded on people of outstanding character, and in 250 years, nothing has changed. We’re the world’s leading premium alcohol company! Our brands are industry icons including Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, Bulleit and Buchanan's whiskies, Smirnoff, Cîroc and Ketel One vodkas, Captain Morgan, Baileys, Don Julio, Tanqueray and Guinness. Our success is thanks to the strength of our people, in every role. It’s why we trust them with our legacy and why we reward them with the career-defining opportunities that they deserve. Our ambition is to build the best performing, most trusted and respected Consumer Products Company in the world. To achieve these, we need the very best people!

At Diageo, our purpose is to celebrate life everywhere, every day. To do that, you will join an organization that is passionate about customers and consumers, and proud of what they do. Diageo teams constantly set high goals and then try hard to exceed them. We are also an incredibly diverse organization, and we value each and every one’s talent and personality.

Context/Scope:

The role of the Corporate Relations (CR) team is to promote and protect Diageo’s reputation and license to operate, in service of Diageo becoming the most trusted and respected consumer goods company. CR works as business owners and strategic partners to transform the competitive environment within which we operate, unlocking value by:

Driving a consistent, dynamic, global narrative and helping to prioritize what we want to be known for over a 10-year timeframe;
Serving as a trusted advisor to the business;
Engaging and encouraging our people;
Anticipating and mitigating risks;
Leading our government relations and public policy agenda to sell and help sell; and
Proving ourselves a trusted partner across customer audiences to highlight the importance of moderation and responsible drinking

The Corporate Communications team sits within the broader CR team (in concert with our Government Relations and Society teams). The Corporate Communications team is responsible for the development and delivery of a coordinated reputation, communications, and engagement strategy and is accountable for: external PR, media relations and press office communications, internal communications and employee engagement; the management of issues and crisis communications, executive communications, and supporting Diageo North America supply communications. The team focuses on connecting and communicating to partners about Diageo, through impactful and engaging campaigns and stories, so that those audiences are effective ambassadors who are aware and energized about who we are, what we do, and how we do it.

Market/Role Complexity:

The Corporate Relations strategy requires the corporate communications team to effectively improve our brand and protect our reputation in this connected, digital world.
The external environment and operating context have changed significantly – faster trends, greater social awareness and scrutiny, increased expectations of transparency and the role of business in society, are now core to the execution of our corporate brand and reputation strategy.
As the customer environment becomes more fast paced and connected, our ability to earn trust and respect starts with our key partners (employees, media, NGOs and the local community) and is wholly reliant on our ability to deliver a coordinated strategy for authentic engagement and communications, both inside and outside the company.
The Diageo North America business itself has experienced substantial growth and considerable change in recent years - from responding to an evolving post-Covid consumer environment, to structure and leadership evolution, to ways of working and performance shifts.
With a clear strategy for sustained growth, premier effective communications and impactful storytelling play a critical role in enabling Diageo North America to evolve at pace and foster an agile, high-performance culture.
The role collaborates effectively cross-functionally and across geographies, with a need to establish high performing relationships throughout the business.

Role Responsibilities:

Leading on external corporate communications for Diageo North America (does not include brand communications or product marketing)
Building and maintaining relationships with key editorial contacts, and communications platforms
In partnership with corporate communications manager, overseeing NA press office; handling media inquiries, prepping/staffing interviews with spokespeople as appropriate
Developing messaging, statements, briefing materials and amplification plans
Developing and implementing select executive visibility plans
Proactive story mining and storytelling in service of business imperatives and the corporate brand
Supporting the business on certain comprehensive strategic communications initiatives, which can span both external and internal partner groups and functions (e.g. M&A, commercial evolution, innovation, marketing)
Leading issues/crisis communications preparedness and response, and general reputation management
Reviewing materials and counseling brands/teams on external-facing communications to ensure consistency of message and reputational risk mitigation
Overseeing content development for external Diageo NA channels
Approving and maintaining line of sight to all external speaking and media engagement for NA in order to ensure consistency and air traffic control
Proactively partnering with all members of the CR team (NA and Global), and nearly all functions across the business, including the ‘Brands in Culture’ team, marketing and commercial, legal, investor relations, and senior internal partners.
Handling agency and consultant relationships
Establishing clear M&E around external communications (media relations, social media, etc.)

Qualifications and Experience:

The successful candidate will possess:

Bachelor’s degree or higher in communications, journalism or related field.
10+ years of experience in communications roles of increasing responsibility, in corporate and/or agency setting; CPG and/or highly-regulated industry experience preferred
Consistent track record in media relations with a strong network of media relationships, including premier business media; demonstrated ability to handle media with regard to complex and/or sensitive topics
Skilled at corporate storytelling, executive visibility
Expert in issues, crisis, reputation management experience
Ability to think strategically, develop and implement well-rounded communications plans taking into consideration complex customer mapping, and create business-focused communications materials
Excellent writing, editing and presentation skills that reflect an ability to clarify and simplify complicated issues and diverse subject matter, as well as versatility in tone and technique, depending on author and audience
High political competence, keen understanding of external political, social and cultural environment
Aware of, understands and can speak to main public policy issues affecting the company/industry
Collaborative working style, adept at internal partner management and willingness to flex roles and responsibilities when needed to support larger team goals and outcomes
Experience working directly with, and providing counsel to, top executives, overseeing junior staff, budget and outside consultants and agencies

Behaviors/Ways of Working:

The successful candidate will demonstrate the following attributes:

Great teammate, leader who is passionate and not reluctant to roll up their sleeves and ‘do the work.
Shown ability to work in a highly matrixed, relationship-driven environment, get consensus, drive an agenda and get results
Collaborative, agile, and externally curious
Maturity: comfortable with high stakes media exposure, uncertainty and ability to remain cool under pressure
Ability to manage a dynamic set of multiple tasks simultaneously and prioritize appropriately
High political competence; keen understanding of external political, social and cultural environment
High energy, pro-active self-starter who is intellectually engaged, seeks continual improvement and is not afraid to bring new insights to the table
Highly developed sense of self-awareness and impact on others, with a strength in building relationships
Impeccable judgment; practices the highest ethical standards of conduct

Barriers to Success in the Role:

Inability to build requisite relationships with key internal partners, work collaboratively and cross-functionally
Poor political judgment and insufficient awareness or understanding of external risks
Inability to think/act strategically, creatively and proactively
Lack of resourcefulness
Lack of initiative, lack of sense of urgency or inability to keep to deadlines
Inability to think a project through to completion, anticipating barriers and pitfalls, and formulating solutions to overcome these for success
Lack of interest and understanding of current affairs, news and media
Lack of understanding (and/or engagement with) of media, social media and digital landscape
Inability to see the bigger picture and understand business goals, or desire to achieve a deep understanding of the business and industry
Inability to act decisively
Lack of resilience or self-awareness
Inflexible to out of hours working as required
Discomfort working in ambiguity

Diversity statement:

Celebrating our inclusive and diverse culture is core to Diageo’s purpose of “celebrating life every day everywhere”. This purpose is, in itself, inclusive in nature, as it values everybody irrespective of background, disability, religion, gender identity, sexuality or ethnicity.

We know that for Diageo to succeed and realize its ambition, we depend on having diverse talent with a range of backgrounds, skills and capabilities in each of the 180 countries in which we operate and to reflect our broad consumer base. We view diversity as one of the key enablers that helps our business to grow and our values, purpose and standards set the conditions for us to respect the outstanding contribution each person brings.

Worker Type :

Regular

Primary Location:

3WTC

Additional Locations :

Job Posting Start Date :

2024-11-18

Salary Range:

Minimum Salary:

$140588

Maximum Salary:

$234313

At Diageo certain roles are eligible for additional rewards, including annual incentive payment and stock awards. US-based employees are eligible for healthcare benefits, retirement benefits , short-term and long-term disability coverage, basic life insurance, wellness benefits and industry leading parental leave, among others. (Benefits/perks listed may vary depending on the nature of your employment with Diageo and the country where you work.) The salary range displayed is the salary range for the role’s primary location.