MANAGER COMMUNICATIONS, Issues Management

City of Toronto • $126K — $176K *

Toronto, ON M3C 0E3In-Person

Education, Government & Non-Profit

5 - 7 years of experience

Today

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Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

Post-secondary education in Communications, Public Relations, Political Science, or related field, or equivalent experience.
Extensive experience in leading issues management processes and developing strategic action plans.
Strong background in providing strategic communications advice to senior leaders in high-profile organizations.
Proven ability to monitor and assess sensitive issues for effective communication strategies.
Considerable experience in budget planning and resource allocation.

Responsibilities

Manage cross-divisional reputational risks to enhance the City's public image.
Prepare senior leadership for Council meetings with detailed briefings on emerging issues.
Provide insight on politically sensitive items to inform communications strategies.
Ensure timely decision-making through accurate tracking and reporting on issues.
Develop proactive strategies for social listening and crisis response planning.
Support the Division's Agenda Forecasting System for Council and Committee planning.
Lead a new team focused on proactive issues management and public trust.

Benefits

Commitment to building a high-performing public service with effective leaders.
Competitive compensation and benefits, with opportunities for professional development.
Culture that values collaboration and employee well-being.
Active role in the City's Communities of Inclusion for networking and support.
Hybrid work arrangement in line with the City of Toronto's policy.

Full Job Description

Job ID: 67265
Job Category: Communications & Marketing
Division & Section: Communications; Media Relations & Issues Management
Work Location: City Hall, 100 Queen St. W. Toronto, ON M5H 2N2 - Hybrid work in accordance with the City of Toronto's Hybrid Work Policy
Job Type & Duration: 1 Full-Time, Permanent Vacancy
Salary Range: $126,000.00- $176,140.00 - Hiring Range: $126,000.00 to $141,926.00
Shift Information: Monday to Friday, 35 hours per week
Affiliation: Non-Union
Number of Positions Open: 1
Posting Period: 2-Oct-2026 to 25-Oct-2026

About the Role

Reporting to the Director, Media Relations and Issues Management, the Manager Communications, Issues Management role plays a critical part in shaping how the City anticipates, responds to, and communicates about sensitive, high-profile, cross-divisional and intergovernmental matters. You'll provide senior-level strategic advice and operational support to the City Manager, Deputy City Managers, division heads, and senior leadership teams, working closely with the Chief Communications Officer, the Communications Management Team, and the Mayor's Office.

This is a unique opportunity to build and lead a team focused on proactive issues management, developing strategies and action plans that reflect the City's values and priorities while helping protect its reputation and foster public trust. You'll be responsible for setting the direction for this new unit in the Media Relations & Issues Management Centre of Excellence, guiding coordinated responses to complex and politically sensitive issues, and ensuring communications are timely, accurate, and aligned with broader organizational goals.

Your team will be responsible for:

Managing cross-divisional and large-scale reputational risks to enhance and protect the City's public image
Preparing Communications senior leadership for Council and Committee meetings through detailed briefings on emerging issues and ongoing campaigns
Providing insight and analysis on politically sensitive items to inform issues management and communications strategies and leadership briefings
Ensuring timely and strategic decision-making through accurate tracking, documentation, and reporting on issues, reports, and policy matters
Championing continuous improvement of the forecasting process by leveraging data, trends, and feedback
Developing a proactive strategy that includes social listening, crisis response planning, and collaboration with the Manager, Social Media, to engage with the public and address concerns in real time
Supporting the Division's Agenda Forecasting System to anticipate and plan for Council and Committee items with corresponding issues management and communications strategies.

What you bring to the role:

Post-secondary education in Communications, Public Relations, Political Science, Public Administration, or a related discipline, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Extensive experience leading the full issues management process, including developing and implementing issues management strategies and action plans that align with organizational priorities and values, with coordinated responses to cross-divisional and intergovernmental matters.
Extensive experience providing strategic communications advice and operational support to senior leaders in a complex, high-profile organization, with a strong background in issues management, media relations, and strategic communications.
Extensive experience monitoring, identifying, and assessing sensitive, emerging, and high-profile issues to develop timely and effective communications strategies that protect organizational reputation and support balanced media coverage.
Considerable experience in budget planning and administration, including resource allocation to support strategic priorities.
Experience serving as a media spokesperson and/or building relationships with journalists is considered an asset.
Strong understanding of municipal governance, Council procedures, and decision-making processes, with awareness of the political, social, and economic factors influencing all levels of government.
Proven ability to leverage data, trends, and feedback to improve forecasting processes and strengthen organizational preparedness, including the development of crisis communication plans and integration of social listening tools.
Strong collaboration skills, with the ability to work across divisions and in partnership with teams such as Social Media and Media Relations to ensure consistent and responsive issues management and public engagement.
Exceptional communication skills, with the ability to translate complex concepts into clear, compelling narratives for diverse audiences.
Demonstrated leadership in managing high-performing teams, championing strategic best practices, and fostering innovation within a collaborative, inclusive, and results-driven work environment.
Knowledge of outreach strategies for diverse and multilingual audiences, applying an inclusive and culturally responsive communications lens.
Knowledge of relevant legislation and policies, including MFIPPA, the Occupational Health and Safety Act, the Ontario Human Rights Code, and AODA.

Additional Assets

Agency experience.
Experience working with global companies.
Experience managing communications related to civil unrest, cybersecurity, employee relations and litigation scenarios.
Involvement in large-scale crisis communications and issues management situations.
Involvement in leading or participating in tabletop facilitation exercises.
Previous collaboration with internal and external general counsel.

Why You Will Love Working at The City:

We are committed to building a high-performing public service with strong and effective leaders to enable service excellence through high engagement and a healthy and safe workplace.
We offer competitive compensation and benefits, opportunities for learning and professional development, and a culture that values collaboration and employee well-being.
Opportunities to join and take an active role with the City's Communities of Inclusion, comprised of employees who share a common identity, lived experience and/or set of interests and meet regularly to network, dialogue, share best practices, build capacity, learn and develop. These groups act as a resource for members and allies, support an equitable and diverse workplace, foster awareness, respect, and inclusion, and encourage intersectional approaches and leverage diverse interests.
Hybrid work in accordance with the City of Toronto's Hybrid Work Policy.

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