COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST

THE ORGANIZATION

Our client, AutoCanada, is a leading North American multi-location automobile dealership group that operates 68 franchised dealerships within North America.  They are comprised of 27 brands with dealership locations in eight provinces in Canada as well as a group in Illinois, USA.  In Canada, AutoCanada currently sells Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, FIAT, Alfa Romeo, Chevrolet, GMC, Buick, Cadillac, Infiniti, Nissan, Hyundai, Subaru, Mitsubishi, Audi, Volkswagen, Kia, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Smart, BMW, MINI, Volvo, Lincoln, and branded vehicles. In 2017, their Canadian dealerships sold approximately 63,000 vehicles and processed approximately 870,000 service and collision repair orders in their 999 service bays.

AutoCanada’s success has been based on buying family-owned dealerships and letting them flourish as part of a larger network. The US acquisitions included eight metro dealerships in Chicagoland, selling and servicing five different brands. The acquisition agreement also included six luxury and premium brands in an automall under one roof in Bloomington/Normal, Illinois.  Grossinger is the oldest and longest continuously operated automotive retailer in Illinois, operating with 200 service bays across the platform and employing over 700 people. In 2017, the acquired dealerships sold 7,626 new vehicles and 7,304 used vehicles.

This Edmonton, Alberta success story has been accomplished through a dedicated team of over 4200 employees.  Having started the business as a family run, entrepreneurial business; they are pleased with the substantial growth over the years allowing them to reach new potential and to be traded publicly on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol ACQ.  This multi-brand and geographical diversified strategy enables them to serve a diversified geographic customer base and enjoy benefits that are not available to single location dealerships.

For further information on AutoCanada, please visit their website at www.autocan.ca.

THE OPPORTUNITY

AutoCanada is looking to hire a Communications Specialist for their Edmonton head office. This is a new role within the organization that has both a tactical, roll-up your sleeves requirement; along with bringing operational excellence, best practices and a communications operational plan into the organization aligning with the marketing, human resources, and overall business strategy.  This position will report into the Vice President, Marketing & Brand Strategy and the Vice President, Human Resources with a high level of engagement with the Chief Executive Officer. A variety of functional teams will support the successful candidate.

The Communications Specialist will be fully responsible for the external and internal communications for AutoCanada in a stand-alone role.  There is a potential opportunity for this role to evolve into a leadership level.  The internal communications will include and not be limited to, working with the senior leadership team, human resources, marketing, and dealerships to ensure all employees are communicated with and kept abreast of key initiatives in the organization.  External communications will involve all public relations, social media, annual report writing, acquisition communications and any other initiatives deemed necessary; with no task too menial to take on. This role will focus more on the “story-telling” concept than strictly report writing.  You will create communication calendars, social media strategy, internal communication policies and will keep daily awareness on the external brand reputation of AutoCanada in the market maintaining a proactive approach to public relations.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Responsibility Area #1: Brand Stewardship & Culture Champion 

• Assist with the roll-out of new brand imagery through management of deliverables for both employee and dealer interfaces
• Author and manage quarterly AutoCanada newsletter.  Curate and style on-brand, on-point communications to dealers and employees.  Highlight bragables and innovations with an eye to foster culture; inclusive of company performance, new acquisitions, and community involvement
• Align content and contribute to “Hello Package”; augment dealer onboarding with captivating and relevant brand highlights
• Play an integral role in onboarding new dealerships by acting as an ambassador for all AutoCanada’s network benefits.  Administer 30-60-90 day check-ins ensuring that new network dealer member is supported.  Triage relationship introductions: Marketing, Sales, Merchandising, Finance, and Human Resources
• Construct internal communications (announcements, newsletters etc.).  Ensure all are delivered in brand tone and reflective of company culture
• Chair Wellness & Culture Committee; consistently championing AutoCanada’s Brand Attributes

Responsibility Area #2: Social Media

Achieve superior customer engagement and intimacy, and a positive/progressive brand footprint; by strategically exploiting all aspects of the social media marketing roadmap.

• Have a solid understanding of how each social media channel works and how to optimize content so that it is engaging on those channels and customized to their respective communities
• Create editorial calendars and syndication schedules.  Build and execute social media strategy through competitive research, platform determination, benchmarking, messaging, and audience identification
• Set up and optimize company pages within each platform to increase the visibility of AutoCanada’s social content.  Join relevant conversations on behalf of AutoCanada and publicize the merits of the brand by providing support to current and prospective customers
• Capture and analyze the appropriate social data/metrics, insights, and best practices and then act on the information with an eye to continuous improvement
• Collaborate with other departments (Executive, Marketing, Sales, Human Resources etc.) to manage reputation, identify key players and coordinate actions

Responsibility Area #3: External Public Relations

Promote a positive public image of AutoCanada.

•  Support the development of strategic and effective Corporate Communication strategies.  Soliciting opportunistic media coverage and interviews or post-forums that position AutoCanada advantageously
• Foster relationships with advocates, key persons, and external parties alike; ensuring first-right of refusal on invitations, innovations, and opportunities
• Assist in communication of strategic messaging for senior leadership

Responsibility Area #4: Leadership Support 

Promote a positive public image and control the dissemination of public facing information on AutoCanada’s behalf

• Support Human Resources in updating the Learning Management System by curating content and ensuring topical information is continually added to the archive
• Organize initiatives and plan events: press conferences, dealer initiatives and employee town-halls
• Assist Investor Relations with event planning and collateral curation
• Assist the CEO in communication documents related to acquisitions, public relations, internal communications, and other related material he may require

FIRST YEAR – MEASURES OF SUCCESS

• Build a strong internal communications plan with 3 -4 key initiatives that can be executed in the first year with additional initiatives being brought forward for implementation in year two.
• Develop a communications calendar and a proactive approach to public relations, risk mitigation plan and a strategy to monitor the external market proactively for external communication; along with facilitating these initiatives.
• Create a social media presence that includes defining the content, developing an internal communication policy for social media communication, creating a social media calendar, driving the social following (both employee and customer) and identifying the internal individual’s accountable to the various social media platforms.
• Support the CEO in all aspects of communication which may include internal communications, acquisition communications, watching the market and anticipating needs, creating presentations and all other requirements as needed.

THE INDIVIDUAL

Given the pivotal role this individual will be expected to play in achieving the operational and strategic objectives of AutoCanada and in supporting the success of the organization, it is essential that the successful candidate possess the following core competencies, experience, and attributes:

Education

• A degree and/or diploma in journalism, public relations, communications or a related field along with relevant experience is required

Experience

• 3-5 years of experience in a public relations or communications role where experience has been gained in managing all facets of communication both internally and externally
• Corporate environment experience is a requirement of this position
• Excellent communication (oral and written) and presentation skills; experience in copywriting and editing would be an asset
• Strong interpersonal skills and a proven ability to engage with internal and external stakeholders
• Proven project management principles; outstanding organizational and planning abilities
• Highly experienced in social media and digital communication is required
• Knowledge of online marketing and social analytics tools
• Working knowledge of MS Office; as well as other programs as required

Personal Profile

• A high attention to communication detail
• An entrepreneurial spirit with a desire to develop the business; approaching new tasks with a creative can-do mindset
• Forward thinker with an innovative mindset
• Ability to work independently and self-manage; but also work well with other team members in a consultative and collaborative manner
• A malleable personality where you demonstrate grace and poise with individuals at all levels within an organization and with external stakeholders
• A positive personality that focuses on the “glass half full” and operates with a “can-do” attitude
• The ability to “read” and be perceptive of a situation; adjusting sense of urgency as required
• An assertive personality where you are able to “speak up” or “push back” when necessary

Compensation

An excellent compensation package awaits the successful candidate.

Location

Edmonton, Alberta

How to Apply

For the opportunity to join AutoCanada in the role of the Communication Specialist please email your resume to Terri Davis at tdavis@profoundtalent.com referencing Position ID # AXGC-875486.

Should you have an inquiry regarding this position, please contact Terri Davis at 587-200-0114 ext. 101.   For further information on ProFound Talent Inc. please visit the following:

Website: www.profoundtalent.com

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Podcasts on iTunes: ProFound Talks with Terri