Strategic Communications Section Manager

HDR's Strategic Communications program is growing. This position is for the role of our FL-PR AL-MS Area Section Manager. The role will lead a team of 20+ practitioners across various offices. This position will provide three key functions: 1) Lead our strategic communications team in Florida, Mississippi, Alabama 2) support the communication and community engagement needs of projects; 3) drive business growth. In this role you'll be of part of an industry-leading team of nearly 250 communication consulting practitioners across North America.

We are seeking an experienced professional who is passionate about communication and community engagement, but who can also focus on staff development and business growth. Candidates should have experience building and leading teams that serve as liaisons with the public, stakeholders, elected officials, media, and other key audiences. In addition to leading the team, our preferred candidate will partner with HDR clients to develop and implement creative, engaging, and inclusive communication and community engagement strategies.

The successful candidate should be comfortable working as part of a multi-disciplinary team, collaborating with colleagues, and working to make highly technical content easily understood.

• Manage the day-to-day operations of the strategic communications team, monitor workload, provide ongoing coaching/training, and support marketing efforts.
• Coordinate with the local area, regional leadership, and HDR's Strategic Communications program to drive business growth and support key initiatives.
• Develop and implement a broad range of communication and engagement strategies to inform, educate, consult, involve, and/or collaborate with stakeholders and members of the public impacted by infrastructure improvement projects. Typical tasks include developing content for communication plans, message strategy, logistics coordination, outreach, public meetings/hearings, and open houses.
• Direct stakeholder coordination strategies, provide conflict resolution measures, and facilitate both in-person and online interactions.
• Manage media relations in accordance with HDR policy. Partner with, and sometimes manage subconsultants who are providing marketing and public relations services related to HDR projects.
• Drive, manage, and monitor digital engagement in partnership with HDR's digital engagement team.
• Build and maintain positive working relationships within the local team, technical partners, clients, and stakeholders.
• Serve as a seller-doer with the responsibility to pursue and win work but also maintain a profitable utilization goal for your team and yourself.
• Ensure compliance with HDR policies, procedures, quality assurance, and risk management.
• Prepare and manage scopes of work, budgets, and schedules required for communication efforts, including managing subcontractors.
• Seek out and participate in industry and community activities as a representative of HDR.
• Perform other duties as needed.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in communications, public relations, journalism, marketing, or relevant field.
• Experience planning and providing communications and community engagement services in support of infrastructure improvements. Relevant experience could include transportation (transit, roads, freight rail); resources (power, waste, industrial, oil & gas, mining); water services (drinking water, water resources, wastewater); and/or architecture projects.
• Familiarity with common communications and community engagement concepts, practices, and procedures.
• Willingness to travel (approximately 30%).
• Excellent knowledge and experience developing and implementing communications and engagement plans and campaigns.
• Proven experience hiring, leading, and developing staff that includes coordinators, content developers, creatives, and digital engagement professionals.
• Experience implementing equitable outreach and engagement strategies with underserved, indigenous, and disadvantaged populations.
• Consulting experience that includes working in partnership with marketing and business development initiatives to support growth.

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