Director, Data Intelligence (Crisis Communications Focused)

For more than 40 years, the world’s biggest brands have relied on ChangeMakers (formerly Argyle) for strategic communications strategy in high-stakes situations.

ChangeMakers’ renown for managing reputational risk comes from experience anticipating, navigating and creating change in countless situations. This includes corporate lawsuits, data and privacy matters, workplace and employment issues, class actions, intellectual property disputes, massive product recalls and government-enforced actions and investigations.

As fast-growing firm driven by our craft, we’re known for our immediate responsiveness, expert senior-level service, and flexible fee structures that fit today’s client needs. Our counsel is supported by proprietary technology, which allows us to root our recommendations in concrete Data Intelligence – and helps you measure and predict your company’s reputation in real-time.

ChangeMakers achieves success for a variety of clients, such as leading publicly traded companies, healthcare systems, law firms, higher education institutions, multinational corporations, high net-worth individuals, professional sports franchises and many more.

Role Summary:

This highly motivated leader will support a growing client portfolio, manage projects, and serve as a key client lead on some of the firm’s most important accounts across corporate communications and reputation risk. This person must have experience counselling clients directly, handling immediate client issues, and navigating complex files with many moving parts at once. They will help execute integrated strategic communications initiatives, including both long-term executive and corporate reputation-building, and immediate issues and crisis management. This role will be both an advisor to clients and will play an active day-to-day role in the management and oversight of all communications work related to this portfolio.

Responsibilities:

• Delivering on our growing corporate communication client portfolio across the US, including managing existing and emerging risks for clients across healthcare, higher education, finance, tech, nonprofit and food.
• Delivering high-quality client service, high responsiveness and excellent client outcomes, and by actively supporting new business.

• Leading development of tailored corporate communications strategies for clients – working with teams to leverage market research, legal considerations, media trends, stakeholder and client insights, and Changemakers’ proprietary Data Intelligence tools.

• Working closely with cross-functional team members (e.g. creative, media, digital, social, etc.) to deliver the highest quality work products and outcomes.

• Building and maintaining strong relationships with clients, proactively delivering solutions that advance their business objectives and resolve issues as needed.

• Managing and mentoring a high-performing junior consultant team to deliver quality client service and acting as a key day-to-day tactical lead with key clients.

• Working closely with the Executive Team and other senior team members to deliver our integrated offering, taking the time to fully understand ChangeMakers’ competencies and skillsets.

Experience:

Must Have:

• Strong track record of managing complex client relationships with a diverse understanding of executive needs (i.e., CCO, GC, CEO, etc.), often in the midst of crises.

• 8 years of agency or corporate communications experience.

• Expert understanding of media and broader reputational landscape and a demonstrated track record of engaging with media and/or fostering reporter relationships.

• Comfort and experience with issues and crisis management, or complex and/or sensitive mandates.

• Comfort working with and through legal counsel, and experience supporting their strategy.

• Excellent problem-solving, critical thinking, writing and presentation skills.
• Experience using data and analytics to make informed decisions and refine PR strategies.
• Expertise executing on all type of client deliverables, from messaging to reputation management strategies to and scenario plans in crisis.
• Ability to proactively support new business opportunities and engage existing clients to support organic growth.

Unique Requirements:

• Ability to navigate a “startup,” fast-paced environment with a less bureaucratic structure than many large global firms.

• A willingness to develop business acumen: drive and oversee account profitability and needs.

• Confident people leader, proven ability to grow and mentor individuals at junior levels, positive culture-contributor, highly service-oriented, builds client relationships easily.

We are ChangeMakers

ChangeMakers is a 400 person independent reputation management, social impact and marketing firm with offices throughout Canada and in the US. ChangeMakers combines deep business specialization with human-centered strategies, working alongside our clients to succeed in a disruptive world.

An equitable employer:

ChangeMakers is committed to advancing equity, diversity, and inclusion in all its forms, a commitment that enriches our company culture, the ideas that we generate, and the quality of service that we provide our clients. We encourage applications from Indigenous communities, racialized communities, women, persons with disabilities, LGBTQ2S people, and people from other historically marginalized communities.

ChangeMakers is committed to providing employment accommodation under the Human Rights Code and the Accessibility Disabilities Act provincially by providing employment accommodations. If you are a job applicant with a disability, ChangeMakers will make every effort to accommodate you throughout the recruitment process. Please inform us if you require any accommodation, and we will work with you to meet your needs.

At ChangeMakers we recognize that the best candidate may not meet all the criteria listed above. We encourage all those interested and with relevant experience to apply even if you don’t match the job posting perfectly. We welcome creative, out-of-the-box thinking, and lived-experience and we strive to provide an environment for best-in-class innovation that quickly and fulsomely meets our clients’ needs.