Director, Corporate Communications

ITW

About Us:

Founded in 1912, ITW is a global industrial company centered on a differentiated and proprietary business model. The company's seven industry leading segments leverage the ITW Business Model to generate solid growth with best-in-class margins and returns in markets where highly innovative, customer focused solutions are required. ITW's 50,000+ dedicated colleagues around the world thrive in our decentralized, entrepreneurial culture. In 2016, the company achieved revenues of $13.6 billion.

http://www.itw.com


Position Details

Director, Corporate Communications
Job
Full-time
4/27/2017
Northern Illinois
Glenview, IL

The Director, Corporate Communications is a critical leadership role at ITW which will work closely with the Executive Leadership Team and other corporate team members to translate ITW’s Enterprise Strategy into communications strategies and plans that also serve to reinforce ITW’s culture and values. The Director will establish herself/himself as a thought leader on communicating ITW’s key messages with internal and external audiences.

Key Accountabilities:

  • Lead the development of ITW’s strategic communications plan and manage corporate communications, including internal, external and executive communications and public/media relations, to support ITW’s Enterprise Strategy objectives. 
  • Work in close collaboration with a broad range of internal partners including Human Resources, Investor Relations, Community Relations, Legal, Information Technology and the Executive Leadership Team. 
  • Manage enterprise-wide internal communications through all channels, including quarterly updates to employees, the internal website (itwconnect.com), and the annual leadership meeting. 
  • Partner with Investor Relations to support investor/financial media relations (i.e., press releases, scripts, slides) and investor meetings/events, as well as assisting in the preparation of the annual report (look/feel/messaging) and other associated investor communications. Convert to internal messages as needed. 
  • Develop a proactive, thoughtful approach to media and public relations consistent with ITW’s positioning as a “Best in Class” company and aligned with its ITW’s culture and values so that ITW is favorably positioned within the business and financial media. 
  • Manage the external company website (itw.com), including its design. Lead the development and execution of a social media strategy (for all audiences). 
  • Work in collaboration with Human Resources to manage ITW’s employment brand, with specific focus on communicating to prospective employees. 
  • Serve as trusted communications advisor to the CEO and other ITW executives. Prepare speeches and talking points as needed for external communication. 
  • Manage external communication resources and external public relations firms. 
  • Work in collaboration with the Legal Department and others to prepare the annual Corporate Social Responsibility report. 
  • Lead development and implementation of crisis response communication, if/as needed, from messaging through communication response and media coverage/management.

Requirements:

  • Bachelor’s degree required, Master’s degree preferred. 
  • 8+ years of corporate communications experience within multi-national public companies. 
  • Demonstrated skills in translating business strategies to comprehensive external and internal communication strategies. 
  • Demonstrated ability to understand multiple, diverse stakeholders, anticipate impact of company actions on corporate reputation, and translate complex issues into clear, simple and consistent messages and themes. Act as advisor on company reputation, values and culture. 
  • Direct experience addressing and persuading multiple stakeholders through various media, positioning messages according to the distinct needs of each constituency and ensure messages are accurate, polished and of a quality and tone consistent with the company’s leadership and culture. Effectively leverage social media. 
  • Experience building and leading internal communications and working collaboratively with a broad range of internal partners in a large, geographically dispersed organization. 
  • Proven ability to significantly influence internal and external stakeholders using a thoughtful communication plan to align people or groups. 
  • Functional communication skills in key areas such as public relations, speech writing, and community engagement. 
  • Brand management, channel management and crisis communication management experience.

Corporate Culture:

ITW’s corporate culture is highly collaborative. The Director must be intellectually agile – adept in dealing with complex concepts and a well-defined business model, while at the same time being able to distill the ITW story into a simple narrative. The Director must also have a “roll up your sleeves” attitude and be comfortable working at both strategic and tactical levels. The Director will be expected to develop a deep understanding of ITW’s diverse businesses and a strong appreciation for the ITW Business Model.



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