SENIOR ADVISOR MEDIA & STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS

Job ID: 50796
Job Category: Policy, Planning & Research
Division & Section: Auditor General's Office, Auditor General Audit 2
Work Location: Metro Hall, 55 John St, 9th FL
Job Type & Duration: Full-time, Permanent Vacancy
Salary: $102,155.00 - $135,815.00
Shift Information: Monday to Friday, 35 hours per week
Affiliation: Non-Union
Number of Positions Open: 1
Posting Period: 30-SEP-2024 to 11-OCT-2024

Join the Auditor General’s Office as a Senior Advisor Media & Strategic Communications.

The Auditor General’s Office for Toronto is an award-winning leader in Performance Auditing in North America. The Office offers a challenging, rewarding, and collegial work environment that provides the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of Torontonians.

The Auditor General's Office supports City Council in holding itself and City administrators accountable for the stewardship of public funds and the achievement of value for money in their operations. It accomplishes this through value for money/performance audits, information technology and cybersecurity audits, forensic investigations, and other types of audits and reviews. The Auditor General’s reports are made public and presented to the City’s Audit Committee, City Council, and where applicable to an Agency or Corporation’s Audit Committee and Board. The Office also manages the Fraud & Waste Hotline which receives allegations of wrongdoing from City employees, City Councillors, and the public.

We are looking for a communications professional to provide strategic leadership on the planning, development, and execution of a variety of communications, media, and branding strategies/activities/initiatives to support the achievement of the strategic plan and objectives of the Auditor General’s Office.

Major Responsibilities:

Leads the development and management of the communication strategy and action plan for the Auditor General’s Office.
Implements and oversees detailed communication plans and recommends policies/procedures regarding program specific requirements of the Auditor General’s Office.
Acts as the main point of contact for all communications and public relations matters and issues management on behalf of the Auditor General’s Office.
Acts as the strategic advisor for all communications related activities for the Auditor General.
Functions as an expert advisor to the Executive team with recommendations and initiates changes for the future direction of the Office’s communications strategy based on emerging communications trends and best practices, program expectations, current staff resources and Office priorities.
Identifies relevant stakeholders and target audience and provides strategic advice on communication methods and messaging to maximize impact with the target audience(s).
Develops and implements effective issues management strategies and processes, overseeing communications, public and media relations, including effective strategies to respond to, manage and track a broad range of issues and critical occurrences for the Auditor General’s Office.
Supports the Auditor General and Office to address ongoing and emerging issues and priorities in a timely way to ensure proactive issues management and mandate delivery.
Provides strategic advice about new initiatives that could involve increased citizen engagement and outreach, including those related to the plans to continue to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Responsible for the creation and delivery of the annual communications work plan for the Office, working with the Auditor General and Executive team. Reviews the work plan, tracks progress, and provides updates to the Auditor General and the Executive team on progress throughout the year.
Plays a key role in effectively communicating the Auditor General's directives and services and works with senior staff and project teams to develop draft reports and outlines, videos, and other deliverables, and messaging and strategies to maximize the impact of the Auditor General's work.
Prepares and proofreads a variety of communication materials including Annual Reports, audit, investigation, or other reports (public and confidential), cover reports, Audit at a Glance, video scripts, confidential attachments, briefing notes, web content, tweets/posts and other digital messages, information packages, presentations, letters/emails, and other written or verbal communication materials – many of which require a strategic view
Edits communication materials to ensure clear and concise messaging, anticipating how targeted audience(s) may respond to content and tone.
Facilitates interactive, hands-on storyboarding sessions for audit/forensic teams to outline public reports/video/presentations and develops the overall messages for the intended audience(s).
Prepares and designs infographics and other easy-to-understand graphic visualizations of data and information for reports and presentations, videos and reports for both audits and investigations. Drafts/edits speaker notes for presentations.
Reviews and edits written communication products to ensure compliance with accessibility standards.
Advises the Auditor General on improving Office visibility and branding, including providing digital content for distribution by Councillors (through their newsletters/website/social media/community outreach), Auditor General videos (potentially not just on reports), leveraging City’s Strategic Communications, social media posts, outreach to communities, etc.
Oversees the design, development, update and maintenance of the Auditor General's Office website and social media platforms (e.g. X – posts, LinkedIn), including updating the Office’s website in a timely manner for reports and other content published, and regular ongoing social media posts.
Provides exceptional customer service to all Auditor General's Office staff and administrative support for communication matters as required. Ensures effective teamwork and communication, high standards of work quality and organizational performance and continuous learning.
Oversees media requests and supports the Auditor General and Executive team with preparing strategic responses to media questions and interviews.
Develops and maintains contacts in the media and regularly communicates with media contacts regarding upcoming reports and Committee/Council/Board meetings.
Monitors relevant media coverage and circulates news items with the Auditor General, Executive team, and appropriate staff.
Prepares strategic responses to possible questions arising in the media and at Boards and Council, in a timely manner.
Responds in a timely manner to media and other requests for information to the Office and provides communications support after regular work hours when an urgent media response is required, or if there are other urgent matters related to communication and the Office.
Advises Auditor General and Executive team members on strategies to best deal with complex and sensitive issues, related to communication.
Prepares and provides strategic advice on campaigns to increase the awareness of the Fraud & Waste Hotline, presentations for New Employee/Executive Onboarding, Delegations, and presentations to industry bodies to increase Office visibility.
Measures effectiveness and lessons learned post-campaign to determine whether communications meet the objectives and intended outcomes and to identify gaps and opportunities for future communication.
Identifies and anticipates reputational risks, monitors, and advises on emerging issues that can affect the Auditor General’s Office brand and the achievement of its goals. Develops and operationalizes communication strategies that protect and/or enhance the Office’s reputation and ensures the Auditor General is prepared in advance to respond to challenges.
Conducts research on projects or assigned areas and provides research support for a broad spectrum of areas, emerging issues, best practices and developments within the field, other levels of government, benchmarking, government/corporate policies and practices, legislation, and initiatives relevant to the work of the Auditor General's Office.
Ensures that assignments are completed in a timely manner and in accordance with Office policies and procedures.
Attends Committee, Board, and City Council meetings to support the Auditor General and Executive team for the purpose of presenting reports and responding to queries.
Keeps current on audit, investigation, and other reports issued by the Auditor General.
Provides input into and administers assigned budget, ensuring that expenditures are controlled and maintained within approved budget limitations.
Supports all internal Office communications such as the Strategic Plan document.
Mentors staff within the Office to promote best practices in communication and provides communication, video production, and report writing training to staff.
Oversees adherence to corporate communications policies and standards to ensure consistency of information across all platforms, ensuring all communications materials meet corporate standards, e.g. inclusive images/language, CP style, and clear language for multiple channels (web, social media, video, audio, print, signage).
Maintains an ongoing professional relationship with City Divisions, including Strategic Public & Employee Communications division; liaises and keeps current on the operations and organization of City Divisions and its agencies and corporations, with reference to business risks (including new/changing risks) and operations and media coverage.
Monitors Council and Committee agendas and directives, stakeholder groups, other municipalities, federal and provincial government announcements and legislation and media coverage to determine impact on the City, the Auditor General’s Office, and provides counsel to the Auditor General and Executive team.
Maintains professional links with other groups and professional associations and their communications working groups (e.g. Association of Local Government Auditors (ALGA), Canadian Council of Legislative Auditors (CCOLA), and Canadian Audit & Accountability Foundation (CAAF)) in order to keep current with developments in various fields, including communications and good practices in other jurisdictions, as well as sharing the Office’s good practices with others.

The candidate has a journalism/communications background, is very experienced in communicating (including report writing) in the most impactful and effective way, is a strategic thinker and can provide helpful strategic level advice for messaging and in managing the media, stakeholders, and challenging situations, and has good working knowledge in using social media/websites and other communication methods most effectively with target audiences.

Key Qualifications:

Post-secondary degree or diploma in communications, public relations, journalism, media relations, political science, or a related field. If post-secondary degree is not in a communications-related field - a supplementary certificate or diploma in a communications-related field.
Minimum four years of demonstrated and progressive experience in communications, public relations, journalism, media relations, or a related field, preferably with experience in the public sector.
Experience producing documents/reports in a technical and/or public facing organization.
Demonstrated experience providing a variety of communication services such as developing and delivering writing/communication workshops, working with graphic designers, printers, content management systems, web design, and social media communication
Demonstrated communication and English skills, including written communications.
Knowledge of communication best practices and the media landscape.
Experience developing and implementing communications strategies and plans.
Able to turn a complex topic into a succinct and easily understood and targeted piece of writing, using impeccable writing and editing skills.
Working knowledge of technology and understanding of web design principles and best practices, with ability to update website and prepare social media communications for the most effective impact with target audiences.
Demonstrated ability to manage, organize and prioritize competing priorities, and the ability to multi-task.
Demonstrated experience managing multiple, high priority projects.
Well-developed interpersonal, analytical, and strategic thinking skills.
Good knowledge of municipal structure, policies, procedures, and operations.
Superior-level applied knowledge of Microsoft Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Adobe Acrobat. Knowledge of Adobe Premiere Pro for preparing audit videos would be an asset.
Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
Media training and crisis or emergency communications skills would be an asset.

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

The City is an equal opportunity employer, dedicated to creating a workplace culture of inclusiveness that reflects the diverse residents that we serve. Learn more about the City’s commitment to employment equity.

Accommodation

The City of Toronto is committed to creating an accessible and inclusive organization. We are committed to providing barrier-free and accessible employment practices in compliance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). Should you require Code-protected accommodation through any stage of the recruitment process, please make them known when contacted and we will work with you to meet your needs. Disability-related accommodation during the application process is available upon request. Learn more about the City’s Hiring Policies and Accommodation Process.

Apply now »