Corporate Communications Manager

JOB SUMMARY:

The Corporate Communications Manager reports to the Associate Director, Corporate Administration. As the organization’s first dedicated corporate communications professional, the role builds and operates the communications capabilities needed for consistent, timely, and effective communication across Sakata America, Inc. (SAI), Sakata Seed de México (SMX), and Sakata Seed Guatemala (SGU), executing a cohesive Sakata Americas Holdings (SAH) communications strategy while accommodating local business, cultural, and employee needs. This hands‑on individual contributor role combines strategy with execution, building the function’s operating model, channels, and measurement while personally producing employee and executive communications. Success requires strong judgment, exceptional writing, practical technical capability, and the ability to influence stakeholders across functions, subsidiaries, cultures, and time zones.

Essential Duties And Responsibilities

Corporate Communications Strategy and Function Development:

• Communications Assessment and Roadmap: Assess current communications practices, channels, audiences, tools, and gaps, and translate findings into a phased communications roadmap.
• SAH Communications Strategy: Develop and execute a cohesive communications strategy across SAI, SMX, and SGU, aligning priorities, messaging, channels, and calendars while partnering with subsidiary leaders on local needs.
• Operating Model and Governance: Establish the annual plan, editorial calendar, intake process, approval workflows, channel standards, decision rights, and content governance model.
• Standards and Toolkits: Create templates, playbooks, and service standards that improve communication quality, consistency, and speed.
• Enterprise Coordination: Establish a communications operating rhythm with leaders, Human Resources, Information Technology, Marketing, Legal, Safety, Sustainability and Facilities (SSF), and subsidiary contacts.
• Continuous Function Development: Recommend improvements aligned with the company’s evolving needs, maturity, and resources.

Employee, Change, And Executive Communications

• Employee Communications: Develop and execute clear, timely, and actionable communication plans for enterprise priorities, organizational updates, and major initiatives.
• PASSION2035 Communications: Bring PASSION2035, the Sakata Group’s ten‑year long‑term business plan, to employees across SAI, SMX, and SGU. Translate the Group key statement and strategy into audience‑centered messaging, sequence communications across town halls, the intranet, leader toolkits, and campaigns, equip leaders to discuss the plan, and sustain the narrative over the life of the plan.
• All‑Employee Town Halls: Own end‑to‑end planning and execution of all‑employee town halls, including cadence, agenda, speaker preparation, content, production, employee Q&A, post‑event communications, and effectiveness measurement, partnering with Executive Administration, Information Technology, Human Resources, SSF, and subsidiary teams.
• Content Development: Write, edit, and publish leadership messages, announcements, newsletters, intranet stories, FAQs, presentations, talking points, video scripts, and town hall materials.
• Change Communications: Partner with initiative owners to identify stakeholder impacts, sequence communications, anticipate questions, and equip leaders and managers to communicate effectively.
• Crisis and Issues Communications: Develop and maintain the crisis communications plan, including protocols, approval pathways, holding statements, and notification channels. During incidents, lead internal and external crisis messaging, including employee communications, stakeholder updates, and media statements prepared for delivery by designated executives, in partnership with SSF, Human Resources, Legal, and executive leadership; SSF retains ownership of emergency response and business continuity operations.
• Executive Communications: Serve as a trusted writing partner to senior leaders, translating complex topics into concise, credible messages and preparing leaders for key communication moments.
• Employee Engagement: Strengthen two‑way communication through feedback mechanisms, listening practices, and follow‑through.

Corporate Brand Implementation And Governance

• Brand Implementation: Lead the development, implementation, and ongoing evolution of the corporate brand across SAI, SMX, and SGU, partnering with external creative agenc