Corporate Communications Specialist

Description

About this opportunity

At Meridian we are here to help grow the lives of our Members (Our Story) and we will do so by delivering on our Blueprint for Growth (Meridian’s strategy).

In this role, you support the Head of External Communications, developing and executing proactive and reactive external communications activities that support Meridian’s strategy, businesses, and brand.  These activities include media relations, though leadership, issues management, media monitoring and measurement, social media, influencer relations, and stakeholder relations. This role also provides day-to-day internal communications advice, counsel and execution support to Meridian’s external facing business partners, specifically Brand/Marketing/Digital, Government Relations, Governance, and ESG and Social Impact, to communicate their stories and engage internally with employees.

The successful candidate creates and implements communication plans and tactics that positively influence and impact key Meridian stakeholders, help advance business objectives that align to our Blueprint for Growth, ultimately helping grow the lives of our Members.

Key Responsibilities

Media Relations, Monitoring, and Measurement

• Proactively assess day-to-day media and social environment, identify trends, issues and current events, to seize opportunities for increased and on-strategy media and social coverage for Meridian, its products and solutions, its strategy, and through spokespeople like its executive thought leaders or employees.
• Act as point of contact for media. Support interactions with media to manage reactive requests, drafting media responses, coordinating approvals.
• Research and update external communications calendar on ongoing basis to track and develop programming.
• Enable and support media briefing notes, key message development, and media training execution to build and manage executive spokespeople across the company.
• Media list development as required and ongoing maintenance.
• Refresh and maintain self-serve tools and resources for employees including our PR Media toolkit.
• Manage daily media monitoring and innovate the approach to increase visibility of key trends and also positive media results.
• Ensure all media costs are managed and tracked, including wire distribution, monitoring, and any other media tools as required.
• Track all media and social coverage ongoing across variety of metrics and develop and analyze reporting for each quarter. Work across team for inputs. Capturing ongoing media coverage and creation of Meridian’s quarterly reports, fast facts, and annual coverage reports.

Communications Content Development

• Develop and continually refresh an annual external corporate communication activities for key business initiatives through numerous channels, including media, digital, email, interactive, video, influencers and others that may not yet be used.
• Draft briefings, press releases, key messaging, infographics, social posts, video scripts, presentations, speeches, and other media materials or content assets.
• Coordinate distribution of media releases, including website posting, wire, etc.
• Draft internal communications content assets like intranet posts, infographics, articles, video scripts, or event outlines and engagement materials as required.
• Conduct ongoing desktop research, interview internal and external stakeholders as required, to develop insightful communications materials and recommendations.

Consulting/Relationship Building/Communications

• Work alongside Head, External Communications, to provide ongoing advice and support to business partners and executives, particularly in Brand/Marketing/Digital, Government Relations, Governance and ESG/Social Impact.
• Provide ongoing internal communications counsel and execution support to business partners in key partner areas.
• Support All Employee related communications with these business partners for major strategic initiatives.
• Meet with business partners ongoing to proactively identify, track and develop internal communications strategies and tactics.

Stakeholder relations

• Develop messaging, content assets, and outreach to stakeholder partners ongoing to promote and build Meridian profile.
• Collate data and information that can be packaged to stakeholder partners and shared ongoing.
• Execute tactics that will reach audiences of influence for Meridian messaging.

Reputation profile and management

• Identify potential issues to mitigate risk and opportunities to enhance Meridian reputation.
• Contributing to developing external-facing awards that build Meridian’s reputation.
• Draft media messaging and prepare for issues scenarios to protect Meridian reputation.

Project Management

• Provides support and coordination for production and distribution of corporate communications channels.
• Co-ordinates for Desk Of emails, intranet, corporate events, social media, media, etc, as required.
• Be the lead on the Communications team to coordinate vendor requirements.
• Contribute weekly to calendar, budget and invoice management, and any other administrative tasks within Communications department.
• Event management for strategic events for employees or leadership, as required.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• University degree paired with a communications post-graduate certificate, or a diploma in communications/public relations.
• Minimum 2 – 3 years of experience in the corporate communications/public relations field.

• Superior written, editing, and communication skills.
• Highly organized with demonstrated ability to plan and execute multiple priorities with tight deadlines and meticulous attention to detail.
• Self-starter with ability to work remotely within a team environment and be receptive to direction.
• Customer service oriented with strong interpersonal skills, a team-first attitude and strong work-ethic.
• Current knowledge of content management best practices.
• Understanding of both traditional and social media including metrics and reporting.
• Knowledge and proficiency in using media monitoring platforms including Cision, Meltwater and Media Rating Points (MRP).
• Proficient and proven ability to use Microsoft suite of products (Word, PowerPoint, Excel) effectively.
• Basic technical knowledge of HTML and web publishing.
• Understanding of the Financial Services and Credit Union industries is an asset.
• Knowledge of SEO and web traffic metrics.

Office Location: 3330 Bloor Street West, Toronto OR, 75 Corporate Park Drive, St. Catharines.

Meridian has a remote work policy that allows flexibility for employees to work remotely but also requires regular time in the office for purposeful meetings to collaborate, innovate and build effective relationships with your team, your colleagues and your leader which is very important to us.
 

What's in it for you?

• We have an inclusive and collaborative working environment that encourages creativity, curiosity, and celebrates success
• We provide you with the tools and technology needed to delight your candidates and clients
• You'll get to work with and learn from diverse industry leaders, who have hailed from top organizations around the world
• Hybrid work arrangements with in-person office time to collaborate, innovate and build relationships with your colleagues
• This isn't your typical "corporate" job. We work hard and we have fun

Who we are:

Meridian is Ontario’s largest credit union, and second largest in Canada, helping to grow the lives of our more than 360,000 Members. Meridian has more than 75 years of banking history and is 100% owned by its members. With 89 retail branches and 15 Business Banking Centers across Ontario and $ 30B in assets under management, Meridian offers a full range of financial products and services to its retail, business banking and wealth members. With over 2000 employees and corporate offices located in Toronto and St. Catharines, Meridian has a track record of creating and delivering innovative new offerings and is committed to investing in the communities that we serve.  Our plan is to build on our momentum as we deliver on our purpose - helping our members achieve their best life. 

Find our story here: