Corporate Communications Manager

Job Description

Job Description

JOB SUMMARY: The Corporate Communications Manager reports to the Associate Director, Corporate Administration. As the organization’s first dedicated corporate communications professional, the role builds and operates the communications capabilities needed for consistent, timely, and effective communication across Sakata America, Inc. (SAI), Sakata Seed de México (SMX), and Sakata Seed Guatemala (SGU), executing a cohesive Sakata Americas Holdings (SAH) communications strategy while accommodating local business, cultural, and employee needs.

This hands-on individual contributor role combines strategy with execution, building the function’s operating model, channels, and measurement while personally producing employee and executive communications. Success requires strong judgment, exceptional writing, practical technical capability, and the ability to influence stakeholders across functions, subsidiaries, cultures, and time zones.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Corporate Communications Strategy and Function Development:

• Communications Assessment and Roadmap:  Assess current communications practices, channels, audiences, tools, and gaps, and translate findings into a phased communications roadmap.
• SAH Communications Strategy:  Develop and execute a cohesive communications strategy across SAI, SMX, and SGU, aligning priorities, messaging, channels, and calendars while partnering with subsidiary leaders on local needs.
• Operating Model and Governance:  Establish the annual plan, editorial calendar, intake process, approval workflows, channel standards, decision rights, and content governance model.
• Standards and Toolkits:  Create templates, playbooks, and service standards that improve communication quality, consistency, and speed.
• Enterprise Coordination:  Establish a communications operating rhythm with leaders, Human Resources, Information Technology, Marketing, Legal, Safety, Sustainability and Facilities (SSF), and subsidiary contacts.
• Continuous Function Development:  Recommend improvements aligned with the company’s evolving needs, maturity, and resources.

Employee, Change, and Executive Communications:

• Employee Communications:  Develop and execute clear, timely, and actionable communication plans for enterprise priorities, organizational updates, and major initiatives.
• PASSION2035 Communications:  Bring PASSION2035, the Sakata Group’s ten-year long-term business plan, to employees across SAI, SMX, and SGU. Translate the Group key statement and strategy into audience-centered messaging, sequence communications across town halls, the intranet, leader toolkits, and campaigns, equip leaders to discuss the plan, and sustain the narrative over the life of the plan.
• All-Employee Town Halls:  Own end-to-end planning and execution of all-employee town halls, including cadence, agenda, speaker preparation, content, production, employee Q&A, post-event communications, and effectiveness measurement, partnering with Executive Administration, Information Technology, Human Resources, SSF, and subsidiary teams.
• Content Development:  Write, edit, and publish leadership messages, announcements, newsletters, intranet stories, FAQs, presentations, talking points, video scripts, and town hall materials.
• Change Communications:  Partner with initiative owners to identify stakeholder impacts, sequence communications, anticipate questions, and equip leaders and managers to communicate effectively.
• Crisis and Issues Communications:  Develop and maintain the crisis communications plan, including protocols, approval pathways, holding statements, and notification channels. During incidents, lead internal and external crisis messaging, including employee communications, stakeholder updates, and media statements prepared for delivery by designated executives, in partnership with SSF, Human Resources, Legal, and executive leadership; SSF retains ownership of emergency response and business continuity operations.
• Executive Communications:  Serve as a trusted writing partner to senior leaders, translating complex topics into concise, credible messages and preparing leaders for key communication moments.
• Employee Engagement:  Strengthen two-way communication through feedback mechanisms, listening practices, and follow-through.

Corporate Brand Implementation and Governance:

• Brand Implementation:  Lead the development, implementation, and ongoing evolution of the corporate brand across SAI, SMX, and SGU, partnering with external creative agencies and internal stakeholders to translate brand strategy into practical visual and verbal standards, templates, communications materials, and employee-facing resources.
• Brand Governance:  Establish brand ownership, decision rights, approval pathways, usage standards, exception processes, and compliance reviews.
• Brand Resources:  Maintain brand guidelines, visual identity resources, and enablement materials for employees and approved partners.
• Brand Advisory:  Advise teams on brand application, review high-visibility materials, and coordinate with creative partners as needed.

Digital Communications Infrastructure and Intranet:

• Intranet Strategy and Ownership:  Own the strategy, information architecture, content model, governance, and publishing standards of the company intranet across SAI, SMX, and SGU, in partnership with Information Technology and content owners.
• Platform Assessment and Implementation:  Evaluate the current intranet and available solutions, and recommend and support implementation of the platform that best meets SAH’s usability, governance, accessibility, integration, and multilingual needs.
• Digital Communications Infrastructure:  Maintain an intuitive digital environment where employees can easily access company news, leadership communications, brand resources, templates, and policies.
• Communication Channel Ownership:  Own and administer the company’s enterprise communication channels, including Microsoft Teams channels and communities, shared corporate mailboxes and distribution lists, the intranet, and other designated channels, separate from the role’s individual Teams and email accounts. Monitor activity, respond to or route inquiries, keep content current, and manage access and permissions.
• Digital Asset Library:  Administer a centralized brand and communications library with clear navigation, permissions, naming conventions, version control, and archiving standards.
• Content Owner Enablement:  Train contributors and content owners, establish accountability for distributed content, and monitor compliance and adoption.

Measurement, Reporting, and Improvement:

• Performance Measurement:  Define practical measures of reach, engagement, understanding, channel effectiveness, brand adoption, and platform usage, including employee understanding of PASSION2035.
• Analytics and Reporting:  Build lightweight dashboards and reporting using Microsoft 365, intranet, and platform data, supplemented by employee feedback.
• Insight-Driven Improvement:  Use analytics and feedback to improve content and channels, guide priorities, and demonstrate the value of corporate communications.

Stakeholder Partnership and General Responsibilities:

• Cross-Functional Partnership:  Build trusted relationships across subsidiaries and functions, coordinate inputs and approvals, and promote consistency while respecting local differences.
• Vendor Management:  Manage the scope, quality, timelines, and budgets of external creative, technology, or production partners.
• Confidentiality and Judgment:  Handle executive, organizational, and employee-related information with discretion.
• Professional Development:  Remain current on internal, change, and digital workplace communications practices.
• Additional Duties:  Perform other duties and special projects as assigned.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS/ABILITIES:

• Exceptional Communication:  Outstanding writing, editing, storytelling, and presentation skills, with a strong command of business English.
• Strategic and Hands-On Capability:  Connects communications to business priorities and moves fluidly from planning and advising to writing, publishing, and measuring.
• Builder’s Mindset:  Creates structure, tools, and momentum where communications infrastructure is limited.
• Brand Governance:  Understands visual and verbal identity standards, asset control, and approval practices.
• Digital Workplace Proficiency:  Understands intranet and content-management platforms, information architecture, permissions, analytics, and adoption; Microsoft 365 proficiency strongly preferred.
• Change Communications:  Develops audience-centered change plans that address stakeholder impacts, leader readiness, and adoption.
• Measurement and Analytics:  Establishes meaningful metrics, interprets quantitative and qualitative data, and uses insights to improve outcomes.
• Project Management:  Manages multiple priorities, complex stakeholders, vendors, and firm deadlines with strong organization and follow-through.
• Influence and Collaboration:  Builds trust and alignment without direct authority across subsidiaries, functions, cultures, and time zones.
• Judgment and Confidentiality:  Exercises discretion and sound judgment, with the confidence and diplomacy to advise and appropriately challenge senior stakeholders.
• Adaptability and Resilience:  Learns the business quickly, remains composed under pressure, and adapts as priorities evolve.

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE/BACKGROUND:

• Education:  Bachelor’s degree in communications, public relations, journalism, marketing, or a related discipline strongly preferred; equivalent directly related experience may be considered.
• Communications Experience:  Minimum 5 years of progressive experience in corporate, internal, executive, or change communications, i ncluding at least 3 years leading communications programs or building communications processes, channels, or functions. Equivalent demonstrated capability may be considered. Demonstrated success in corporate, internal, executive, or change communications required; experience communicating a long-term business plan to a distributed workforce strongly preferred.
• Function-Building Experience:  Experience building or significantly improving a communications function, processes, or channels strongly preferred.
• Intranet and Digital Content Experience:  Practical experience evaluating, implementing, or managing intranet or employee-communication platforms strongly preferred.
• Organizational Experience:  Experience in a parent, holding, or multi-subsidiary company and across countries or cultures preferred.
• Industry Experience:  Experience in agriculture, seed, manufacturing, life sciences, or another B2B environment desirable but not required.
• Language Proficiency:  Professional English proficiency required; additional languages welcome.

WORKING CONDITIONS/PHYSICAL DEMANDS

• Must be able to sit and work at a computer for extended periods.
• Must be able to travel periodically throughout the year.
• Must be able to work long and/or irregular hours as business needs require.

BENEFITS: