Ice Cream North America Associate Director Communications & Corporate Affairs and ESG

JOB PURPOSE:

The Ice Cream Communications and Corporate Affairs team works to create value for Ice Cream as well as build and protect Ice Cream’s reputation through earned media coverage by illustrating progress against the company’s strategy. We partner with our business units to grow preference, relevance and value for our leading brands and much-loved (and exciting new) products.

This is an exciting role for someone who is passionate about working for a large ‘start-up’ business that is set up for a strong financial performance, a leader in its product category, and eager to uncover and tell impactful stories. The ideal candidate will have a blend of creativity, agility, content development, strong stakeholder management skills, a growth-mindset and attention to detail. You will have exceptional written and verbal communication skills and a demonstrable track-record in media relations, including handling issues and crisis situations with sensitivity and judgement.

You will be a natural networker, able to build support with a variety of stakeholders at all levels across the business and be a confident trusted advisor and business partner to leaders.  With a passion for and understanding of the impact of great communications, you understand the corporate landscape as well as the marketing, consumer, customer, and digital landscapes.

The role reports to the Director External Communications and you will be working alongside the North America business team. Together, you will build a pipeline of standout stories with which to engage our many stakeholders, externally and internally. You will have existing relationships with journalists, as well as experience advising and working with senior executives. You should be able to exercise a sound judgement, thrive in a collaborative environment, be able to prioritize competing deadlines and have a genuine passion for the news - particularly across business, current and consumer affairs.   

This position offers access to senior leaders, rewards a global perspective, and provides the opportunity to work in the biggest ‘start-up’ of the moment, for some of the world’s best known ice cream and frozen snacking brands.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Work with internal teams and external agencies to deliver multiple overlapping activities in a fast-paced environment.
• Work with Director External Communications, the global press office and agencies to help consistently communicate and elevate the Ice Cream equity story, supporting key strategic corporate communications moments (financial results announcements, executive team media engagement, etc)
• Partner with brand teams to deliver outstanding storytelling for Ice Cream and our brands. You will help maintain a drumbeat of stories amplifying the brands’ vision and strategy, brand campaigns and innovations with external audiences (influencers, activist citizens, thought leaders) and internally with employees.
• Provide consistent reputation management support, through reactive and proactive issues handling.
• Play an active role on the issues and crisis response and communication team notifying key stakeholders, monitoring the situation, and drafting a corporate response if necessary.
• Identify media and speaking opportunities in North America for key leaders, develop briefing materials and messaging and coordinate logistics to prepare leaders for interviews and external speaking engagements.
• Develop messaging and response guides, including executive quotes or responses.
• Draft media materials, including press releases and media pitches.
• Collaborate with the global internal communications team, business management and HR to support the execution of the Ice Cream employee engagement agenda in North America.

WHAT YOU NEED TO SUCCEED

Experiences & Qualifications

• 8+ years well-rounded communications experience, with an emphasis on external communications. Agency experience is an advantage. 
• Delivery in a fast-paced environment  
• Excellent writing, editorial and storytelling skills including speech writing with strong attention to detail.
• Strong project management and agency management skills.
• Experience juggling multiple deliverables simultaneously
• Confidence and ability to create and manage relationships with internal and external stakeholders and influencers.
• Confidence, drive and initiative, keen to take and drive delivery
• Strong judgement on corporate reputational matters
• Excellent writing skills (concise and accurate)
• Discretion when dealing with confidential matters 
• Highly organised and able to handle multiple tasks at once, as well as flexibility to adapt to changing priorities

ARE YOU EXCITED TO CRAFT THE ICE CREAM FUTURE?

What We Can Offer You

Meet the Women of Customer Development| Culture for Growth| Top Notch Employee Health & Well Being Benefits| Every Voice Matters| Global Reach| Life at Unilever| Careers with Purpose | World Class Career Development Programs| Check Out Our Space| Focus On Sustainability

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Unilever is an organization committed to diversity and inclusion to drive our business results and create a better future every day for our diverse employees, global consumers, partners, and communities. We believe a diverse workforce allows us to match our growth ambitions and drive inclusion across the business. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by local, state, or federal law and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability. 

For more information about your Federal rights, please see Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination isIllegal and Pay Transparency Non discrimination Provision.

Employment is subject to verification of pre-screening tests, which may include drug screening, background check, credit check and DMV check.

If you are an individual with a disability in need of assistance at any time during our recruitment process, please contact us at NA.Accommodations@unilever.com. Please note: This email is reserved for individuals with disabilities in need of assistance and is not a means of inquiry about positions or application statuses. The Protected Veterans or Individuals with Disabilities AAP narratives are available for inspection by any employee or applicant for employment Monday through Friday during normal business hours at establishment.