Internal Communications Manager

Internal Communications Manager

The Internal Communications Manager will drive strong communication across teams in this thriving nonprofit community, connecting employees to one another and the mission, acting as both an advocate for employees and a steward of SHH business, brand, and culture. Playing a critical role for both the communications and human resources teams, the manager builds structures, plans and communications that connect teams and contribute to the employee experience.

The role will manage the strategy, content, and execution of internal communications that promote employee engagement, build and support our culture, and align with and support the organization's broader strategic priorities. The person in this role will lend writing support and content strategy for external audiences.

Duties and Responsibilities

Internal Communications

• Establish yourself as a trusted advisor with SHH Leadership and Management teams, sharing communications expertise to support their priorities.
• Build the strategy for, execute and monitor progress of the internal communications plan and coordinated activities on an annual and ongoing basis with ability to achieve both strategic and tactical aspects of communication needs
• Build strong internal communications capabilities by exploring, testing and recommending new approaches, strategies, tools and channels.
• Support Senior Leadership Team (SLT) with respective thought leadership platforms, identifying opportunities both internally and externally
• Support the regular cadence of internal communications that has been established, ensuring all SHH employees are well informed through a variety of communication channels, with emphasis on measurement and gauging effectiveness, accessibility, and an eye toward continuous improvement opportunities.
• Serve as primary point of contact for HR business partners seeking to communicate messages across the organization and to external audiences, including hiring-related communications; provide strategic guidance to ensure messages are accurate, clear, and communicated effectively.
• Oversee high-quality internal editorial content plan, including planning, writing and editing copy; managing reviews, edits and approvals for internal communications channels and deliverables, including but not limited to:
• Second Home (2Home) Intranet (posting and approvals)
• Weekly News Digest (Weekly Harvest)
• All-Team Meetings
• Staff Emails and Meeting Recaps
• Events & Campaigns, like heritage months
• Print Materials
• Digital Carousels/Internal Monitors
• Talking Points and Key Messages
• Measure, report and adjust communications activities based on outcomes.
• Support the integration of external and internal communications plans and efforts.
• Follow brand guidelines, editorial and storytelling style guide and guiding principles established for Internal Communications.
• Support executive and People Office change management efforts, ensuring a transparent and team-focused approach to discussing, designing and introducing change.
• Respond to crises with timely, effective team communications.

Employee Engagement

• Keep teams informed of key, org-level initiatives by recommending internal communication plans and channels, and by developing the content and copy to carry the plans out.
• Support with designing and facilitating company-wide events and meetings
• Help teams stay connected and informed through internal communications activities, and by offering best practice support and equipping them with the right tools and resources.
• Demonstrate the relevance and value of internal communications and broaden its scope at the organization. Support effective access and engagement across all levels of employees.
• Oversee Second Home, our intranet site devoted to team news and resources, and work to continue developing the platform into a vibrant and central hub for teams by partnering with leaders and employees across the organization.

Writing and Content Support

• Write and edit copy for weekly staff emails and ongoing news updates and stories, including playing an important role in emergent and crisis communications planning and execution.
• Draft messaging around new strategies, company announcements and from senior leadership; draft talking points and Q & A documents.
• Provide high-level writing for communicating new strategic initiatives to external audiences.
• Process interview transcripts to write blog posts and feature pieces for the web, digital and print materials.
• Occasionally contribute to content strategy ideation, working collaboratively with Creative Services Team to bring content ideas to life across all communications and marketing channels.

Values

• We Deliver: We use our head and heart to make decisions, we make the best use of donor dollars, and we achieve results safely and reliably.
• We Lead with Our Hearts: We keep our neighbors, partners, and teams at the center of our work. We seek to understand and anticipate their needs.
• We are all in this Together: We collaborate, internally and externally. We communicate openly, seeking feedback and sharing knowledge.
• We Innovate: We seek out bold new ideas, we embrace change, and we commit to continuous improvement for ourselves and our work.
• We Believe our Differences Make us Stronger: We value inclusion and embrace the variety of backgrounds that make up our team and our community. Our different experiences and perspectives empower us to fulfill our mission.

Essential Qualifications

• All relevant experience including work, education, transferable skills, and military experience will be considered.
• 6-8 years of experience.
• Superb written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Experience producing high-quality, effective communications materials.
• Experience managing multiple projects that involve multiple stakeholders.
• Ability to work with flexibility, efficiency, and enthusiasm, both individually and as part of a team in a fast-paced, high-demand environment.
• Demonstrated exceptional customer service skills to create a welcoming environment where employees and partners are supported and valued.
• Ability to manage timelines and deadlines.
• Experience with Microsoft SharePoint.
• Ability to build strong, constructive relationships with a broad range of individual and organizational partners.
• Demonstrated experience with content planning and content development.
• Ability to facilitate conversations and gather meaningful input from others.
• Demonstrated experience managing emergent and crisis communications around sensitive or difficult topics.

Second Harvest Heartland is an equal employment opportunity employer.