Vice President, Strategic Communications

The Allegheny County Airport Authority [ACAA] invites you aboard our mission to create meaningful travel experiences in the aviation industry. As Pittsburgh’s gateway to the world, both Pittsburgh International Airport and Allegheny County Airport serve as beacons of change and connectivity for our region. As a member of our crew, you will directly serve, inspire, and advance our community in significant ways that impact the daily lives of others and the future of our organization. Whether you have a passion for travel, an appreciation for aeronautics and aviation, or an unparalleled love for the city of Pittsburgh, ACAA provides the opportunity for the next chapter of your career to take flight.

Our culture is one that emphasizes high performance, innovation, and learning. We know that those things only happen when everyone who works in an organization is properly empowered, equipped, and enabled in their roles to make an impact. At ACAA success is a shared responsibility, and we look forward to supporting and developing the unique strengths you could bring to our team.

Job Summary

Under the broad supervision of the SVP, Communications & Brand, the Vice President of Strategic Communications is a strategist and storyteller responsible for developing and executing strategic communications that cover internal and external communications. This role will lead the development and execution of comprehensive communications strategies to elevate the brand with key audiences and partner with business unit leaders and the communications and marketing / brand teams to execute agreed-upon communication strategies, plans, and tactics.

Here is how the Vice President, Strategic Communications will help:

• Direct the strategic development, implementation, and management of integrated communications strategies across all internal and external stakeholders, including passengers, employees, media, board of directors, NGOs, customers, investors, community partners, and influencers, among others.
• Prepare appropriate thought leadership platforms for members of the Executive Leadership Team and develop and/or oversee the creation of all internal and external communications products and materials online, print, and broadcast products and tactics.
• Oversee the internal communication strategy and ensure that company annual priorities, initiatives, milestones, and projects are shared with employees effectively and timely to foster increased employee engagement.
• collaborate, coordinate, and innovate in delivering strategic, results-focused communication solutions.
• Lead the ACAA's Speakers Bureau, delivering thorough opportunity assessment, placement, and preparation of speakers at events that will drive ACAA's image, reputation, and business agenda.
• Oversee Blue Sky News, a best-in-class storytelling platform for news service of the Pittsburgh International and Allegheny County airports, by managing the development of content for internal and external audiences and working with the Executive Editor to develop the audience for BSN, which illustrates the Pittsburgh region’s relevance and contributions to the aviation industry.
• Ensure communications planning and delivery are aligned to optimize impact and drive identified priorities.
• Implement scalable processes for extending the brand identity across all customer touchpoints.
• Develop and implement continuous feedback loops. Construct and deploy measurement, analytics, and reporting on the effectiveness of employee communication efforts, including both content engagement and internal channel performance.

The successful candidate for the role of Vice President, Strategic Communications will demonstrate the following key competencies needed in our culture:

• Communication - Articulates long-term vision in a compelling way that inspires the team; Actively engages in discussions with peers; Able to confront peers to challenge thinking respectfully
• Strategic Thinking - Analyzes financial, brand and employee impact of major project decisions prior to implementation; Able to identify industry trends and understands competitive landscape
• Team Leadership - Able to assess and deploy talent against project objectives; Focused on developing team talent; Leads through delegation and providing opportunity for team to excel; Takes decisive action with urgency
• Customer Centricity - Understands cross-functional roles to produce a positive customer experience; Makes decisions based on the best interest of all or most stakeholders

Qualifications

Requirements to apply for the role of Vice President, Strategic Communications are:

• Bachelor’s degree in Journalism, Marketing, English or Communications, or a related field from an accredited four-year college or university. Master’s Degree Preferred.
• Ten (10) years of related experience in communications, including strategic communications leadership. 5 years at the managerial level.
• Exposure to, or certification in, recognized change management communication methodologies.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office applications and software.
• Possess or obtain prior to employment a valid Pennsylvania Class C driver’s license. Note: license must be maintained throughout employment.

We also expect that candidates will demonstrate the following knowledge, skills, and abilities in most cases:

• Thorough knowledge of the principles, practices, and techniques in building effective programs and processes for internal and external communication strategies.
• Extensive written and verbal communication skills with a proven ability to convey information and ideas to a wide variety of individuals or groups.
• Considerable ability to position stories to drive strategic priorities for the business.
• Proficient in PowerPoint, Adobe Spark, iMovie, InVideo, Canva and/or related digital applications to create, edit and produce engaging digital content.
• Proficiency in assessing needs, developing short-term plans and strategies, and excellent project management skills.
• Proven ability to write short to long-form content and video scripts under tight deadlines.
• Experience developing visual and social-driven content.
• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation communication skills.

Don’t meet every requirement?

Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs if they don’t meet every single qualification. As a Smarter Airport, we recognize that talent is not always related job history and skills come from valuable experiences that aren’t always shown on a resume. If you are excited to make a positive change for our region, but your experience doesn’t align perfectly, we encourage you to apply. You may be the right candidate for our organization, whether it be this role or another.

Caring For Our Crew

At ACAA, we’ve got you covered. That applies to how we equip, empower, and enable our people to do their jobs. It also applies to our benefits, which are broader and more valuable than what many other employers offer:

• We offer two plan options for healthcare coverage from high-quality insurance carriers, as well as an ACAA-funded Health Reimbursement Account (HRA) that will help offset the cost of many medical expenses.
  • ACAA employees pay almost $1,200 less per year in healthcare payroll contributions than the average employee in other companies, according to market surveys.
  • When HRA funding is included, the health-plan deductibles paid by ACAA employees are about $1,200 lower on average than the costs paid by employees of other companies.
  • ACAA does not require that employees meet a separate deductible for pharmacy expenses before prescription-drug coverage kicks in.
• ACAA’s dental plans (included with healthcare coverage) offer an option covering children’s orthodontia.
• Employees also can take advantage of a Flexible Spending Account (FSA) to help pay for health care and dependent care expenses on a pre-tax basis.
• All eligible full-time ACAA employees participate in the Allegheny County Employees Pension Plan, a defined-benefit plan that vests after 10 years of service.
• Employees also may participate in a Deferred Compensation Plan, which allows them to contribute part of their pay on a pre-tax basis into long-term retirement investments.
• A robust Employee Assistance Program (including access to free counseling sessions, financial guidance, and care coordination), life insurance options, a wellness program, and eligibility for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program round out ACAA’s exemplary benefits.
• Employees may enroll their children from 6 weeks to 5 years of age in our on-site preschool and childcare center, La Petite Academy, at Pittsburgh International Airport.

About Allegheny County Airport Authority

Allegheny County Airport Authority, which manages Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) and Allegheny County Airport (AGC), is committed to transforming Pittsburgh’s airports to reflect and serve the community, inspire the industry, and advance the region’s role as a world leader.

Pittsburgh International Airport serves nearly 10 million passengers annually on 17 carriers and was named by Fast Company magazine as One of the Most Innovative Companies in the World as well as a finalist in its World Changing Ideas awards, both in 2020. PIT’s first-of-its-kind microgrid – which completely powers the airport campus through natural gas and solar energy – has won numerous awards for resiliency and sustainability.

PIT is in the midst of an ambitious terminal modernization that will make the passenger experience more efficient and deliver real opportunity for the region. The $1.4 billion new terminal program will construct a smarter, greener airport, inspired by the best of our region. The updated terminal lands in 2025 and will be the first airport terminal in the U.S. to be built from the ground-up post-pandemic, designed and constructed with the highest public health standards in mind.

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