There ain’t hardly a man, woman or child in the whole USA who doesn’t know this company by name, and the role we’re trying to fill here is the right hand of the CEO. That should give you a good idea of the magnitude of this particular opportunity. If you’re a consummate communications pro — especially one who’s a gifted writer and editor — and you’re ready to make your mark at a very senior level in a very important company, you’d be doing yourself a big stinking disservice not to keep reading.
Nitty Gritty
As the Editor-in-Chief to the CEO, you’ll own the strategy and execution of the conversation with the entire workforce. Whether it’s change management, business as usual, employee growth, or crisis control, you’ll be at the helm, iterating content ideas and advising the executive team on how best to craft and distribute the narrative across the organization — and then you’ll execute on the plan. Through your constant efforts to enlighten and empower, you’ll manage to make every member of the team — from the chair on down to the part-time custodian — feel like part of one big family.
So, of course you’ll spend a lot of your time drafting organizational announcements and memos and newsletters and emails and presentations, and you’ll use your impressive writing chops to ensure that you’re talking appropriately to whichever audience you’re reaching out to (even understanding the millennial mindset), and that your audience fully understands what it is you’re trying to convey. Because you’re operating at such a high level of the organization, you should presume that much of the content you produce will find an audience outside the company. There’s a decidedly managerial slant in play, as well: managing story schedules and approvals, overseeing use of the company’s internal communication studio and so on.
Much of your work will consist of relationship-building, pressing the flesh, delivering presentations, attending influencer events and the like. You’ll be something of a celebrity within the company: those few who haven’t met you or heard you speak will certainly know your name and know you as the internal face of the organization.
Hired Gun Profile
There’s a pretty good chance you began your career as a journalist, where you honed your writing skills and nose for a story. Since those days, you’ve risen up through the ranks in organizational communication (both internal and external), and have made a name for yourself providing workers with such a steady supply of high-quality information that they’ve consistently felt over-informed. Without doubt, you’re a remarkable communicator, not just as an institutional writer (and editor) but as someone with the interpersonal skills to sit down with C-Suiters to hammer out a strategy, or star in an intranet video, or deliver an address at a company-wide meeting.
Over the past few years, your career has undergone a shift from an emphasis on the tactical — get this memo out just right — to the strategic (“How should our messaging right now be worded so it’ll align with organizational changes we see coming next quarter?”). That plays right into your strength as the kind of person who tends to think a few steps ahead. Finally, your natural people skills extend to leadership and the ability to inspire and motivate a team. A good way to describe you might be: “A leader, with vision and voice.”
Inside Skinny
At a company of this size and stature, the pace is bound to be frenetic, requiring a centered, unflappable mind — so polish up your grace-under-pressure stories. Remember, a top-notch pedigree is table stakes here, but what really impresses is the creativity to color outside of the lines.
Net Net
This is an incredibly rare opportunity to strut your stuff at the kind of company you’ve likely always dreamed of working for. Get your name in — the big leagues are calling!
All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, creed, age, sexual orientation, veteran status, marital status, disability, or any other status protected by applicable law.