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Opportunities

Director of Communications

NorQuest College

Status: Open Location: Edmonton, AB

The Organization

NorQuest College is the largest Community College in Alberta. Located on traditional lands referred to as Treaty 6 territory, it serves 12,573 full-time and part-time credit students, and 7,894 non-credit or continuing education students, including assessment examinations.

NorQuest has always been shaped by the people and communities it serves. Its alignment between people and place defines its capacity for social, economic, and cultural impact beyond our campus. NorQuest is devoted to changing lives, fulfilling dreams, and creating belonging for everyone and will accomplish this goal, in part, by continuing to deliver workforce-relevant education.

At NorQuest, creating an engaging, supportive, and vibrant culture is a top priority. The College believes that it can best elevate its learners and the community when its people are doing their best, most gratifying work. Today, Norquest’s culture is shaped by its purpose, its values (known as “the nine Qs”), and its commitments to anti-racism, equity, diversity, and inclusion. It is further shaped by the practical changes to the processes and systems it has made and intends to make. This commitment to culture has resulted in Norquest being named one of Alberta’s Top 75 Employers in 2022 and being recognized as a Most Admired Corporate Culture by Waterstone Human Capital in 2023.

NorQuest is a place of connection, a hub for business leaders and innovation, a catalyst for research focused on society’s biggest challenges, and a vital partner to government, industry, and the community. NorQuesters can engage in work they are passionate about, constantly learn, try new ideas, and know that being bold is a sought-after behavior.

For more information on NorQuest, please visit their website.

The Opportunity

Reports to:Vice President, Enrolment & Communications
Direct Reports:Manager, Communications
Manager, Creative Services
Location:Edmonton, Alberta

Mandate

Reporting to the Vice President, Enrolment and Communications, the Director, Communications develops and leads strategic initiatives for NorQuest College’s communications and creative services functions, ensuring our audiences know our college as we do — a place that transforms lives for the better.

The Director provides leadership to dynamic teams that work to bring the NorQuest brand to life and capture the essence of what sets the college apart. Through engaging storytelling, digital and print design, multimedia, and proactive public relations, the Director will guide teams to highlight the many ways in which the college impacts our learners, communities, and province.   

As a contributing member of NorQuest’s senior leadership team, the Director participates in key college initiatives, identifies emerging issues and impacts, and recommends strategies in alignment with college priorities and objectives. The Director must apply a holistic, organization-wide perspective, and work collaboratively across all college portfolios, to effect change and support the college’s progression toward NorQuest 2030.

How You’ll Make a Difference

  • Provides leadership and strategic direction to the team and empowers them to self-direct their work;
  • Promotes and fosters a creative and inclusive work environment that empowers employees to work to their highest potential and encourages peer-to-peer accountability;
  • Models NorQuest’s values (the Qs) and lives NorQuest’s purpose (being a difference maker);
  • Focuses on people development by ensuring all employees have clear role expectations, a development plan, and set annual performance goals with meaningful career development conversations;
  • Promotes and leads a client-centric internal engagement model, positioning the team as trusted advisors to other areas of the college;
  • Fosters effective collaboration between Marketing and Communications in support of divisional and college business plans;
  • Establishes and leads an omni-channel strategy for internal communications that enables better access to information and enhances employee experience;
  • Implements a comprehensive external communications strategy that builds and enhances NorQuest’s reputation through proactive storytelling highlighting the ways in which the college impacts our learners, community, and province;
  • Leads institutional responses to emerging issues and crises, providing guidance and communications support that reduces impacts for students, faculty, and staff and mitigates risk for the college;
  • Works collaboratively with student-facing areas of the college to create alignment and consistency in communications across the student lifecycle;
  • Maintains an awareness of key internal and external risks and advises the President’s Office, executive, senior leaders, and strategic committees on proactive responses;
  • Ensures that policies and procedures are developed (as required), implemented and monitored, and that decisions and processes are coordinated and communicated within the Communications division, to the VP Enrolment and Communications, and to other divisions of the College;
  • Oversees the development and implementation of the annual business plan, budget planning and forecasting, and quarterly reporting for the Communications division; and
  • Works closely with senior leaders and strategic committees to identify internal and external communications needs in support of college strategic and operational plans.

First-Year Deliverables / Measures of Success

Success in the first year will be determined by the candidate’s ability to:

  • Engage college stakeholders to develop a comprehensive communications strategy that is aligned to NorQuest 2030: We are who we include;
  • Develop an in-depth understanding of college business priorities and demonstrate to their peers that they are a strategic and collaborative communications partner;
  • Build on prior successes and continue to enhance the delivery of communications and creative services for internal clients;
  • Demonstrate inspiring and empowering leadership that results in clarity for the team in how their work supports NorQuest’s strategy; and
  • Make significant strides toward elevating NorQuest’s brand and amplifying the college’s breadth of impact for students and the community.

Candidate Profile

The successful candidate will have the following:

Education:

  • A related degree in a related field is required.  A Master’s degree is preferred.

Experience:

  • 7+ years in progressively senior communications leadership roles;
  • Experience managing communications and creative services teams within complex organizations. Post-secondary experience considered an asset;
  • Experience, in senior leadership roles, implementing strategic and business plans including budgeting, setting performance management goals, and business objectives;
  • Experience developing integrated communications strategies, aligned to organizational business goals and with a focus on impact and outcomes;
  • Excellent understanding of various communications channels, platforms, and technologies; and
  • Excellent understanding of copywriting, graphic design, layout, and publishing.

Competencies and Attributes:

  • Demonstrated success as a dynamic leader and mentor at the senior leadership level;
  • A collaborative management style and experience building and sustaining teams and developing strong relationships with internal and external partners;
  • Demonstrated strength in thinking globally, delivering results, handling complexities, and dealing with ambiguities;
  • Creative and innovative problem-solver with a commitment to quality, customer service and accountability;
  • Proven leadership experience and skills; demonstrated experience working with different levels of leadership to engage and influence positive outcomes;
  • Excellent oral and written communications skills; and
  • Cultural sensitivity and excellent interpersonal and diplomacy skills.

Commitment to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

NorQuest College is on a journey to become an inclusive, anti-racist, and decolonized organization. NorQuesters are trailblazers – we are curious, creative, and innovative – our lived experiences are honoured, creating accessibility and a sense of belonging for everyone.  

NorQuest 2030 We Are Who We Include illustrates that NorQuest’s strength and our difference comes from who is included, and along with our students, we are learning and growing to listen deeply and say what we feel.  

NorQuest College is committed to being an employer of choice for First Nations, Métis, and Inuit people by recognizing, respecting, and supporting Indigenous people’s self-determination through the institution’s work in decolonization, reconciliation, and Indigenizatsion.  

NorQuesters are Difference Makers.

So, how do we make a difference?

We empower NorQuesters. When it comes to working, we offer flexibility in terms of where and how you work (on campus or at home). NorQuesters are expected to embody our Qs—lead from where you are, be dependable, find ways forward, to name a few — but how you do that is your choice!

We unlock potential. Whether it’s newcomers to Canada who want to improve their English, students who want to complete their academic upgrading, learners pursuing post-secondary education, or anyone who wishes to strengthen their skills through professional development, our passion to educate touches people of all levels and all backgrounds.

We strengthen Alberta. From our graduates who hit the ground running, to our partnerships with government, industry, and business, to our commitment to communities, including a dedicated focus on Indigenous communities, we contribute to the province and make it stronger. We strive to be an employer of choice for First Nations, Metis and Inuit people in Canada by leading, supporting, and being an ally through our work toward decolonization, reconciliation, and Indigenization.

Application Instructions

If this opportunity excites you, please send a resume and cover letter to connect@mullenleadership.com with the job title and organization name in the subject line of your email.

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