Corporate Communications Director

At Arcadis we focus on attracting, retaining and developing people who share our passion and commitment to improve quality of life. In return we offer you the opportunity to transform your world and the world around you, that could be through client work, upskilling yourself, championing equality and inclusion or getting involved in charity work, to name just a few. Our people value different perspectives, they care about the sustainability of our planet and dare to shape the future.

One of our core values is ‘people first’, and supported by our Lovinklaan foundation, we invest in you for the long term, to ensure you reach your full potential. You’ll have the opportunity to own your career and work on industry-defining projects, finding solutions to real challenges that make a difference to people’s lives. You’re encouraged to have a growth mindset and are given the space to develop personally and professionally, building a flexible career that works for you.

Role description:

Arcadis is seeking a Corporate Communications Director. This role can be bases out of any of our US offices and can work remotely. This position will regularly interact with global colleagues and a preference is for working Eastern time zone business hours.

The Corporate Communications Director is responsible for developing and delivering an integrated “mixternal” communications program for Arcadis in the U.S. and Canada in a manner consistent with the company’s global approach. This leader will play an instrumental role in building and protecting the company’s brand and reputation in North America; driving understanding and adoption of Arcadis’ global strategy and initiatives; and building and strengthening employee engagement and company culture. Approximately 75% of this role is externally focused, with the remaining 25% focused internally.

Role accountabilities:

• Oversee internal and external communications in the U.S. and Canada.
• Develop and execute a communications strategy aligned with local and global MarComms strategies and priorities, including supporting initiatives to improve cascading of global communications into North America.
• Routinely audit communications channels and tactics and recommend a strategy that addresses and anticipates local needs while aligning with Arcadis’ global strategy.
• Improve the visibility of the Arcadis brand in North America in line with clear metrics.
• Provide editorial direction for all regional content, ensuring consistent use of Arcadis’ tone of voice and brand messaging.
• Serve as strategic communications counsel for North American executives, writing or approving messages, talking points, scripts, presentations, etc.
• Partner with internal stakeholders to develop and implement communications plans for internal programs and initiatives that drive employee engagement.
• Maintain media relations and crisis communications plans that align with Arcadis’ North American and global crisis and emergency management strategies.
• Oversee media relations program, which includes issuing releases, pitching stories, responding to inquiries, placing spokespeople, writing bylined articles, etc.
• Oversee day-to-day relationships with journalists at top-tier trade and mainstream media outlets, helping ensure Arcadis is the go-to resource for key themes and topics.
• Advise and coach designated spokespeople to ensure they’re prepared to deal with the media and effectively present Arcadis’ views.
• Conduct media and presentation training and/or individual coaching for designated spokespeople. Provide strategic communications counsel to senior leadership in the event of crises, including writing or approving releases, statements, talking points, etc., and preparing and/or overseeing the implementation of specific reputation management plans.
• Support the development and execution of global communications strategies and initiatives, ensuring the North American strategy is in alignment.
• Actively participate in global internal and external communications communities of practice.
• Support global Corporate Communications and Investor Relations with stories for quarterly and annual reports, shareholder, and analyst meetings, etc.
• Comply with established approval policies and procedures for the release of news.
• Oversee communications channels, monitoring the quantity of information flowing through each channel and prioritizing content according to the relevancy, urgency, and impact of the message.
• Support the development of thought leadership and brand-building campaigns, developing plans to promote campaigns with key audiences.
• Write a full range of content (news and feature stories, case studies, video storyboards, blogs, social media posts, etc.) for internal and external channels.
• Review, edit, proofread and/or approve content written by others.
• Evaluate and recommend improvements to systems, processes, and tools to enhance the performance of both the MarComms team and Arcadis.
• Forge strong working relationships with other MarComms community members, internal stakeholders, vendors, and consultants.
• Oversee content pipeline and allocation of workload across team.
• Serve as an ambassador for the Arcadis brand in North America.
• Find new, creative ways to position Arcadis in the market.

Qualifications & Experience:

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in communications, journalism, public relations, marketing, or related field.
• 10 years of experience
• Experience in a management or team leadership role