Director, Media Relations & Member Engagement

About Équité Association

As a not-for-profit organization, Équité Association supports Canadian insurers to fight fraud by using advanced analytics, intelligence best practices, and coordinated investigations. Combining expert investigative services and advanced analytics, Équité serves as a unified organization, delivering improved service and fraud analytics for vehicle and cargo recovery. Leveraging relationships with law enforcement, partners and industry organizations, Équité is a centre-point for insurance crime across all insurers, and is protecting Canadians by working to eradicate insurance fraud and crime. Équité, is invested in diminishing crime in Canada, and protecting all Canadians against exploitation.

About the Role

The Director, Media Relations & Member Engagement, reports to Vice President, Member & Employee Engagement and Chief Marketing Officer. The Director is responsible for supporting the media and member experience strategy. Working with the VP, they will ensure best practices in formulating and executing strategies for effective media and member engagement with Insurers. This role will identify issues and priorities, develop media strategies, implement innovative and resonant solutions, which support the goals of Équité’s member engagement objectives. At the same time, they will work with other Member Directors and CMOs from across the insurance industry to ensure relationships and materials reflect the needs of members and identify shortfalls in member engagement. The Director will develop research, lead the creation, management and implementation of all media campaigns, and be responsible for planning and delivering external communications content and plans.

The incumbent will have a solid understanding of traditional media, as well as new trends in media and media relations, and a proven record of accomplishment of creating and maintaining relationships with mainstream and trade reporters, locally and across Canada. We are looking for a self-starter, comfortable working independently and as a contributing partner to a larger team. Flexibility and having superb project management and organizational skills, and ability to adapt readily to changing business needs and priorities, are key for this role. This role will work closely with the other members of the communications team and support teams from across various organizations, vendors, and industry.

To ensure success, the Director should demonstrate a wide degree of creativity and latitude with a keen interest in shaping an organization’s image and values through appropriate communication to the industry. The position offers a motivated, astute person the opportunity to have an indelible impact on the organization’s evolution – an organization focused on creating a vibrant, accessible culture that welcomes open discourse, supports the members, and balances technology, process and people.

Specific accountabilities include:

• Develop content for dissemination via press releases, social media, websites, and other distribution channels.
• Monitor and manage issues relevant to the industry and ensure the organization is prepared to respond to media and stakeholders, both proactively and reactively.
• Serve as the organization’s media liaison, identify appropriate spokespeople for media interviews, craft messaging and responses, and ensure spokespeople across the country are properly prepared for interviews.
• Develop pitches to media to grow Équité’s brand and advance thought leadership
• Monitor member engagement, feedback, surveys, launch packages, new membership strategies and materials.
• Works in liaison with Chief Marketing Officers/Directors of member insurers, building partnership and combined communication initiatives with partners.
• Work with the Équité communications team to optimize reach and effectiveness of external communications efforts.
• Lead the creation, management and implementation of all media campaigns
• Responsible for planning and delivering external communications content and plans
• Closely monitor media stories and trends, identify risks and opportunities that affect the industry, and help formulate strategies on how to respond.
• Provide front line media relations support, managing incoming media inquiries by phone and email.
• Monitor online and offline campaigns, and report on results.
• Help develop and manage communications processes and key message databases in order to respond quickly and effectively.
• Build and manage the organization's social media profile and presence.
• Build long-term relationships with media influencers, media organizations and journalists.

Qualifications

• 8 years of work experience in the field of media relations, corporate communications, news media or public relations.
• Bachelor’s degree in communications, journalism, public relations or related discipline.
• Demonstrable experience with building effective media campaigns.
• Ability to create appropriate content for dissemination via press releases, social media, websites, and other distribution channels.
• Proven success in coordinating and delivering media conference and campaigns.
• Proven attention to detail with superior fact checking skills.
• Ability to nurture long-term relationships with key media influencers and members
• Experience building and maintaining key message and reporter databases.
• Knowledge of social media and traditional media tactics to leverage integrated campaign tactics.
• Ability to work under pressure and ability to manage multiple deadlines.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Energized by a fast-paced environment.
• Comfortable and excels within remote work environments.
• Established relationships with news outlets is an asset.
• Knowledge of the P&C insurance industry and/or financial services sector experience is an asset.
• Ability to speak French is an asset.

We encourage applications from all backgrounds and communities. We highly value our diversity and inclusion culture and welcome all candidates, including women, BIPOC, LGBTQ2S+ and allies.