Principal, Communication Consulting Practice

Principal, Us Communication Consulting Practice

At Gallagher Benefit Services, you're a trusted partner to organizations navigating some of their most important people decisions. We help clients build better workplaces, where people feel supported, empowered, and inspired to thrive. Whether it's shaping benefit strategies, designing wellbeing programs, or advising on workforce challenges, the work you do here creates meaningful change for businesses and the people who power them. We're a community of bold explorers, trusted experts, and compassionate partners; working side by side to solve problems, and shape the future of work. Here, curiosity is encouraged, collaboration is second nature, and your ideas have room to grow. If you're looking for a place where your contribution matters and where you can help build a better world of work; think of Gallagher.

As a member of our US Communication Consulting Practice, you'll be part of client teams dedicated to helping improve engagement, attraction and retention through creative benefits and well-being communication. The Principal is a lead strategist, day-to-day client contact and senior project manager responsible for driving behavior change for global brands through world-class strategic planning and executional excellence, overseeing complex projects from concept to delivery.

You understand the client's strategic goals and the problem you are trying to solve for their employees and their business. You strive to create beautiful, relevant experiences that deliver results. You know the 'why' behind every decision and present the work with confidence, and clients love you because you 'get' them. You personally ensure all deliverables meet your high standards and the client's expectations, and that they are completed on time and on budget. Principals contribute value to our organization over and above their direct billings by bringing in sufficient work to keep other consultants busy. By managing a profitable and growing portfolio of clients/projects, Principals contribute substantially to the success and vitality of our organization as a whole.

While there is no one 'right' employee for this position, individuals who are most likely to succeed in the Principal role must have a proven record in supporting new business development and delivering successful communication campaigns, preferably with knowledge of human resources (especially benefits and compensation) and expertise spanning internal employee communication.

You will demonstrate proficiency in communication consulting, client delivery, business development, financial management and talent development (as detailed below).

Consulting, Client Delivery and Business Development

Lead the development of creative, strategic, proactive and technically correct consulting recommendations to clients.

Facilitate meetings, new business presentations and communication strategy sessions with clients and prospects to gather information, establish needs and success factors, scope work, clarify expectations, develop strategies, draft proposals, price projects, obtain feedback and negotiate contracts.

Develop, manage and implement strategic communication campaigns for all types of benefit communications including defined benefit, defined contribution, health and wellbeing, compensation, human resources, leadership, employee listening and change management communications.

Expertise in all types of media including print, digital, video, face-to-face and social media.

Ability to conduct/lead audience research and communication audits.

Review the design and content of communication materials; this includes ensuring consistency, accuracy and appropriate tone, as well as reviewing the work of less experienced colleagues.

Demonstrate project/team leadership that leads to high-quality service delivery and client retention/satisfaction.

Work with client executives and the Market Development Team to identity and pursue cross-sell opportunities with existing clients.

Use network of contacts to identify and target prospective clients.

Contribute to and help maintain sales pipeline and financial forecasts.

Network and maintain positive working relationship across our organization, beyond the local and national teams, to earn the respect and confidence of colleagues at every level.

Contribute to the advancement of the practice and firm by contributing to and sharing best practices on internal calls both within and beyond the Communication practice.

Promote the visibility of our organization and develop contacts through speaking engagements, publications and thought leadership.

Demonstrate knowledge of the market and competitors.

Contribute to the growth of the practice through innovation of our service offers.

Financial Management and Operations

Prepare campaign/project budgets and schedules resulting in on-time and profitable projects.

Participate in billing decisions and bill preparation assuring high collection rates and retention of clients; submit bills timely.

Sales and new business development responsibilities that include an sales and revenue under management annual target.

Operational proficiency in the lifecycle of client engagements – including timely SOW development and execution, diligent management of salesforce.com opportunities, ensuring accurate billing rules and project code set-up, adherence to time entry deadlines, timely pro-forma and third-party invoice processing, and accounts receivable management to minimize past due payments from clients.

People Development

Delegate work to the most qualified and cost-effective team members, so that junior-level team and direct reports meet billable goals

Manage and/or mentor less experienced staff, including providing recommendations for training and development opportunities.

Conduct meaningful reviews of performance of project team members.

Use network of contacts to identify, recruit, interview and recommend new talent.

Technical Requirements & Expertise

Proficiency in Microsoft PowerPoint, Word, Excel and Adobe Acrobat.

Knowledge of communication business (e.g., content, design, production, technology) and Human Resources, with deep expertise in one or more areas (e.g., defined benefit plans, defined contribution plans, health and welfare benefits, compensation, talent, employee listening, change management).

Person Specification

Experience: 12+ years of work experience in communications and/or Human Resources. Likely to come from corporate communications, public relations, journalism, advertising, marketing, corporate benefits, or benefits industry. Consulting background preferred.

Education: Bachelor's degree, preferably in English, business, communications, or a related field.

Certifications (e.g., CEBS and/or investment/finance related) and industry affiliations (e.g., IABC, IFEBP) are a plus but not required.

Soft Skills: A 'can-do' attitude, excellent communication skills (written and oral), and the ability to work efficiently in a remote, multi-time-zone setting. Must be able to juggle multiple projects and deliverables simultaneously.

Core Values: Must demonstrate client excellence, innovation, and an ability and desire to respond quickly and think nimbly.

Behavioral Competencies

Compete Innovation & Resourcefulness: Drives results through fresh perspectives and new ideas.

Client Excellence: Deeply understands the client's strategic goals and manages conflict effectively.

Teamwork: Actively supports the creative team and maintains a collaborative, optimistic environment.

Leadership: Ability to remain calm in crisis, create excitement and motivate others.

Compensation and Benefits

We offer a competitive and comprehensive compensation package. The base salary range represents the anticipated low end and high end of the range for this position. The actual compensation will be influenced by a wide range of factors including, but not limited to previous experience, education, pay market/geography, complexity or scope, specialized skill set, lines of business/practice area, supply/demand, and scheduled hours. On top of a competitive salary, great teams and exciting career opportunities, we also offer a wide range of benefits. Below are the minimum core benefits you'll get, depending on your job level these benefits may improve: Medical/dental/vision plans, which start from day one! Life and accident insurance 401(K) and Roth options Tax-advantaged accounts (HSA, FSA) Educational expense reimbursement Paid parental leave Other benefits include: Digital mental health services (Talkspace) Flexible work hours (availability varies by office and job function) Training programs Gallagher Thrive program – elevating your health through challenges, workshops and digital fitness programs for your overall wellbeing Charitable matching gift program And more...

The benefits summary above applies to fulltime positions. If you are not applying for a fulltime position, details about benefits will be provided during the selection process.

We value inclusion and diversity. Click Here to review our U.S. Eligibility Requirements Inclusion and diversity (I&D) is a core part of our business, and it's embedded into the fabric of our organization. For more than 95 years, Gallagher has led with a commitment to sustainability and to support the communities where we live and work. Gallagher embraces our employees' diverse identities, experiences and talents, allowing us to better serve our clients and communities. We see inclusion as a conscious commitment and diversity as a vital strength. By embracing diversity in all its forms, we live out The Gallagher Way to its fullest. Gallagher believes that all persons are entitled to equal employment opportunity and prohibits any form of discrimination by