Director, Communications

​COMPETITION NUMBER: 1001
CLOSING DATE: JANUARY 6, 2025 @ 11:59PM MST

OFFICE OF THE VP, ENROLMENT & COMMUNICATIONS

We’re excited to see you explore the opportunity to join our team as Director, Enrolment and Communications. 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.
• Works closely with senior leaders and strategic committees to identify internal and external communications needs in support of college strategic and operational plans. 

WHAT YOU BRING:

• A related degree in a related field is required.  A Master’s degree is preferred.
• 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.
• Excellent understanding of copywriting, graphic design, layout, and publishing.

 
WHAT MAKES YOU A DIFFERENCE MAKER
As a difference maker you bring:

• 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.
• Cultural sensitivity and excellent interpersonal and diplomacy skills.
   

SALARY: $134,940 – $185,241 annual, reflective upon your education and experience. This is a full-time permanent position with immediate access to our great pension and benefit programs. 

We offer flexible work options. We strive for balance between a flexible work environment, connectedness to the campus community, and ensuring NorQuesters are set up to succeed in their roles and responsibilities.

Additional Information: To support the College in this critical search, we have partnered with Mullen Leadership Recruitment.  If this opportunity excites you, we invite you to submit your resume and cover letter in confidence to connect@mullenleadership.com.

Pre-Employment Checks will be completed to assess the candidate’s suitability for a role. These checks may include (but are not limited to): references, criminal record check, academic verification, etc.

For applicants who have completed post-secondary studies from outside of Canada, it is recommended they obtain an assessment of their credentials from a recognized Canadian Credential Evaluator, such as:

• International Qualifications Assessment Service https://www.alberta.ca/international-qualifications-assessment
• World Education Services https://www.wes.org/ca/

We encourage applicants to include the assessment certificate as part of their application.

This competition may be used to fill future vacancies, across NorQuest College, at the same or lower classification level.

Our Commitment to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion: We're 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 shares our strength and 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 Indigenization.

Accessibility: At NorQuest, we are who we include. We strive to provide access and accommodation throughout the recruitment, application, and selection process. We want to create opportunities for you to confidently be your authentic self. If you would like an accommodation at any stage of the process, please reach out to Careers@norquest.ca.

Apply to Become a NorQuester: If this opportunity delights you and your expertise will shine in this role, we invite you to apply for this position online by uploading your resume and cover letter combined as one document.

PSST: Only candidates shortlisted for an interview will be contacted and we’ll make sure to do this within 28 days of the closing date.