Senior Internal Communications Manager

At the Monterey Bay Aquarium, we are passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that celebrates and values diversity. We firmly believe that having a team of diverse backgrounds and voices, working together, increases our capacity to serve our visitors and fulfill our mission.  We welcome people from all walks of life into our team and strongly encourage people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, veterans, and people with disabilities to apply.

Job Summary:

• Set and guide the strategy for organization-wide communications to Aquarium employees and volunteers. Develop and execute an internal communications program that ensures employees understand, are engaged with, and are inspired by our mission and strategic priorities as well as our operations.
• Work closely with the HR to ensure that all employee communications are timely and clear, as well as serve to foster a positive, empathetic, and inclusive organizational culture.
• Connect internal and external communications by assessing risks and leveraging all the communications tools and skillsets of the Marketing team to measure impact, select appropriate channels for communication, and intake and analyze feedback and analytics for continuous improvement.
• Play a key role in reinforcing our values, mission, and culture with employees and driving the Aquarium’s reputation as a great place to work. Perform other duties as required.

Core Activities:

• Lead internal communications strategy and planning. Own the annual, quarterly, and monthly internal communications content calendar to ensure communications are strategic, consistent, appropriately timed, and reflect the diverse needs of various Divisions.
• Provide input to HR Employee Engagement Manager on messaging and topics for All-Staff and Leadership meetings.
• Create and deliver content on staff channels.
• Write, edit, and publish content related to work across the Aquarium on a variety of internal communications channels including the intranet, Zoom channels, All-staff and targeted emails.
• Synthesize and simplify complex and sensitive issues for a wide staff and volunteer audience.
• Use a variety of mediums to accommodate diverse learning modalities (e.g., visual, kinesthetic, auditory, tactile).
• Provide talking points or scripts to senior executives for presentations to staff and support the role of the Earned Media and Communications team in building the reputation of the organization through thought leadership communications; write in the voice of the CEO and other executive leaders.
• Provide advice and counsel to leadership on communications.
• Serve in a strategic leadership role by advising department heads, division heads, and the executive committee on development of internal communications plans.
• Advise leadership on communications about strategic planning, organizational milestones, leadership decisions and change management, and the Aquarium’s reputation.
• Reflect DEI priorities in internal communications. Lead the DEI internal communications focus team and liaises with, or serve on, the DEI committee.
• Work in close collaboration with colleagues in HR (including DEI director and DEI manager) to plan and implement an internal communications strategy inclusive of DEI content across all channels and platforms for employees, volunteers, and the Board.
• Develop internal brand voice and provide tools for implementation.
• Write and maintain internal brand guidelines (in alignment with the Aquarium’s brand identity and inclusive language and visual guides) to create consistent communication across the organization.
• Develop templates and tools (e.g., for emails, presentations) for departments to facilitate communication with their teams. Review and provide feedback on internal communication materials created by others as needed.
• Lead crisis communications efforts for internal audiences. Working within the Earned Media and Communication team, and in collaboration with the Content Strategy team, handle the internal response to crisis situations which affect organizational perception and reputation.
• Use independent judgement to ensure that internal communications are timed strategically and in alignment with external communications plans. Sit on Emergency Response Team.
• Translate content into Spanish. Translate, or use vendor to translate, content into Spanish as appropriate.
• Produce Board Reports. Create and manage project plan and schedule. Responsible for delivery of report from start to finish.
• Assess and improve internal communications. Continually audit internal communications processes and tools to identify gaps and opportunities.
• Respond to feedback from staff and adjust communications content accordingly.
• Collaborate with Performance Marketing team to establish metrics and track progress on effectiveness of internal communications.
• Collaborate with IT to evaluate and strengthen solutions for staff to stay connected and share information.

Preferred Knowledge, Skills & Abilities (KSAs):

• BA in journalism, communications, public relations or marketing or equivalent combination of education, training and experience
• Bilingual English/Spanish in verbal and written communications strongly preferred
• Demonstrated excellence with writing to communicate clearly and consistently what is important do different audiences and why it matters
• Demonstrated editing and proofreading skills
• Ability to drive consensus with senior management on key messaging about complex issues
• Consistent track record of demonstrating integrity and fostering trust while working for the success of the entire organization
• Google Workspace proficiency, including Docs and Slides
• Microsoft Office proficiency, including Outlook, Word and PowerPoint
• Zoom chat proficiency
• Ability to work within, and maintain Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Core Values
• This job requires being on-site with frequency (i.e., can be hybrid but not fully remote)

Physical Requirements to Perform Essential Job Functions:

• Typical office equipment
• Constant sitting, walking, standing, bending
• Occasional unassisted lifting up to 50 lbs
• Typical office environment, main aquarium and exhibits, occasional offsite events

Annual Compensation Range:

• $91,200-$116,000 USD annually. Starting rate will vary based on previous experience and relevant skills/knowledge set.

Salary

• $91,200-$116,000