A Strategic Communications Consultant is a creative thinker and problem solver representing HDR at the highest levels of our clients’ organizations. This includes the ability to communicate, coordinate, and schedule meetings with the Executive Director, Executive Leadership Team, Division or Department Manager or similar positions where client strategy, funding, and operational decisions are made. This candidate is innovative and has demonstrated the ability to bring new ideas, perspectives and tell a story to develop solutions for clients and build community connections. This position joins an industry leading practice of nearly 250 communication and management consulting practitioners across North America.
With an evolving transportation industry, this position would focus on transit assignments at the onset and would leverage experience to integrate related service lines. Familiarity with transit agency operations, capital projects, funding, and other related topics is required. Ability to work within a matrix environment collaborating with subject matter experts and develop and activate teams to respond to industry needs.
Core characteristics of a Strategic Communications Consultant for this position include:
- Deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities that infrastructure, specifically the transit industry, is facing today and will continue to face in the future.
- Strong writing expertise with specific experience in the transit industry (i.e. press releases, editorials, and communications campaign material, storytelling).
- Passion for translating technical details and jargon into simpler, more understandable copy and messaging; in fact, it is second nature.
- Exceptionally organized, with an almost obsessive attention to details, and highly driven with the ability to manage several tasks and deadlines.
- Has a track record of producing compelling stories that change attitudes and behaviors of distinct target markets.
- Is a self-starter who thrives and adapts in exceptionally fast-paced environments.
- Experience designing and executing strategic plans, stakeholder engagement campaigns and communication strategies in collaboration with internal resources.
- Trained or experienced facilitator comfortable working with large and small groups.
- Has the depth of experience to listen and help identify the problems to address.
- Maintains relationships at the highest levels of our clients’ organization.
- May have prior working relationships with agency directors and/or leadership teams.
- May have held a leadership position in the public and/or private sector.
- Ability to quickly learn and/or understand the breadth of capabilities within HDR to leverage the appropriate resources.
- Experience managing projects including scope, schedule, budget and effectively collaborating and communication with various project disciples (internal and external).
- Ability to travel up to 20% to participate in industry conferences, client and project meetings, engagement meetings and workshops and HDR coordination meetings and events.
This position requires an experienced professional who is passionate about strategic planning, creative writing, communications and stakeholder engagement with strong expertise in the transit market. Duties will include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Providing advisory and consulting services to executive level leadership across various industries including transit, water, transportation, and architecture.
- Driving market development in the Transit Market Sector in partnership with the Transportation Strategic Communication Director across North America.
- Advising communication and engagement strategy on planning, design, and construction projects.
- Managing strategic communication client programs and projects.
- Writing proposals and scopes and developing associated budgets.
- Leading strategic messaging direction for campaign activities.
- Directing customer-facing communication in a variety of mediums including social, print, video and web.
- Leading concept development, writing and editing of collateral materials such as surveys, newsletters, websites, handouts, videos, advertisements, press releases and public notices.
- Coordinating with creative disciplines including graphic design, web development and social media to maintain consistency of brand, saturation of messaging and user experience.
- Coordinating with technical disciplines to accurately translate technical content into easily digestible public facing content.
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Keywords: Transit Strategic Communications Consultant, proposals, strategic communications
