The Opportunity
The Manager, Communications & Insights leads Ballad's public relations, thought leadership, strategic communications, and organizational insights function to strengthen Ballad's reputation, visibility, and influence across Alberta and nationally.
A core mandate of this role is to own and drive Ballad's public relations strategy, proactively building relationships with media and sector influencers, creating earned media opportunities, and positioning Ballad and its leaders as trusted voices on workforce development, employment, skills, economic participation, and the future of work.
The role connects insight with influence, monitoring emerging trends and public conversations, identifying where Ballad has a relevant perspective, and translating Ballad's knowledge, expertise, evidence, and impact into compelling stories and thought leadership.
Working closely with executive leadership, marketing, consulting, employment services, and external partners, the Manager ensures Ballad is visible in the conversations that matter, while strengthening the organization's reputation as an innovative and credible leader in employment services.
Public Relations
- Own and drive Ballad's public relations strategy across Alberta and nationally, establishing annual priorities, key narratives, target audiences, campaigns, and measurable objectives.
- Build strong relationships with journalists, editors, producers, industry publications, and sector influencers and proactively pitch stories, expert commentary, organizational announcements, and emerging perspectives.
- Lead media relations, including media inquiries, interview coordination, spokesperson preparation, key messages, news releases, media advisories, backgrounders, Q&As, and briefing materials.
- Monitor news cycles and emerging issues to identify opportunities for Ballad to contribute expertise while providing strategic communications and reputation counsel to leadership on sensitive or high-profile issues.
- Measure and evaluate PR performance, including earned media, reach, executive visibility, message penetration, reputation, and Ballad's growing provincial and national profile.
Thought Leadership
- Develop and lead Ballad's thought leadership agenda, identifying the issues and conversations where Ballad has the expertise, evidence, and perspective to contribute and lead.
- Position Ballad executives and subject-matter experts as trusted voices through media interviews, opinion pieces, contributed articles, speaking engagements, panels, conferences, podcasts, and other high-value opportunities.
- Develop compelling thought leadership and executive communications, including articles, white papers, speeches, presentations, briefing materials, commentary, case studies, and industry insights.
- Translate complex research, organizational evidence, labour market developments, and sector trends into clear and compelling perspectives for government, employers, funders, partners, media, and the broader public.
- Develop and maintain strong organizational narratives that communicate Ballad's expertise, impact, innovation, partnerships, and point of view consistently across external communications.
Strategic Insights
- Provide leadership with strategic briefings, emerging-issues analysis, and communications recommendations that support organizational decision-making and external positioning.
- Identify compelling stories, insights, innovations, and evidence from across Ballad and translate them into strategic communications that demonstrate organizational impact and expertise.
- Collaborate with Marketing to amplify PR, thought leadership, executive visibility, and strategic content through Ballad's digital, social, newsletter, webinar, podcast, video, and other channels.
Sector Engagement
- Maintain strategic relationships with government, academic institutions, community organizations, media, and sector partners, in collaboration with executive leadership and employment specialists.
- Represent Ballad at conferences, working groups, advisory committees, roundtables, and sector events and identify opportunities to increase Ballad's visibility and influence.
- Identify awards, speaking opportunities, publications, conferences, panels, partnerships, and other platforms that can elevate Ballad and its leaders provincially and nationally.
- Monitor leading practices and innovations across Canada and internationally and identify ideas and opportunities that can strengthen Ballad's work, positioning, and contribution to the sector.
Strategic Initiatives
- Lead public relations, communications, media engagement, and thought leadership activities supporting the WorkFirst Alberta Summit and other major organizational initiatives.
- Develop integrated communications and PR strategies that extend the reach and influence of Ballad's research, programs, partnerships, events, launches, and strategic initiatives.
- Translate organizational knowledge, evidence, expertise, and outcomes into accessible publications, tools, presentations, case studies, and other resources for internal and external audiences.
- Support organizational strategy, proposals, partnerships, and new initiatives through environmental insights, strategic narratives, stakeholder intelligence, and compelling communications.
- Lead or coordinate major organizational publications and special projects that strengthen Ballad's reputation, demonstrate impact, and advance its position as a leader in employment services and social innovation.
Qualifications
- Bachelor's or Master's degree in Communications, Public Relations, Journalism, Public Policy, Business, Marketing, Social Sciences, or a related field.
- Minimum of seven years of progressive experience in public relations, strategic communications, public affairs, thought leadership, journalism, knowledge mobilization, or a related field.
- Demonstrated success developing and executing proactive public relations and communications strategies, including generating earned media and building relationships with journalists and external stakeholders.
- Strong experience developing executive communications, thought leadership, strategic content, media materials, and communications related to emerging or sensitive issues.
- Experience in workforce development, government, economic development, education, non-profit, professional services, or another complex stakeholder environment is considered an asset.
Skills & Competencies
- Public relations, earned media, reputation management, and strategic communications
- Exceptional writing, storytelling, executive communications, and ability to translate complex information into compelling narratives
- Strategic thinking, environmental scanning, trend analysis, political acuity, and strong editorial judgment
- Strong relationship-building, media relations, stakeholder engagement, public speaking, and ability to influence without direct authority
- Curiosity, creativity, initiative, sound judgment, and the ability to recognize and act on emerging opportunities
