Responsibilities

• Own the development Function narratives, ensuring business priorities, member value, culture, mission, and leadership vision are translated into compelling stories externally and internally.
• Ensure communications efforts move beyond information-sharing to create understanding, engagement, trust, and advocacy within the employee base.
• Anticipate emerging issues, industry trends, and reputational risks, developing communications strategies that position the Association ahead of the conversation.
• Develop executive communications strategies that strengthen leadership credibility and build trust among key audiences.
• Partner closely with executive leadership to translate complex business priorities into compelling employee and member narratives that resonate externally and internally.
• Create a team culture of strategic thinking, proactive storytelling, business partnership, and communications excellence, with strong process and rigor.
• Lead through influence across a matrixed organization, building strong partnerships across corporate functions.
• Build and oversee a team of employees for the assigned functional area through ongoing recruiting, development, retention, coaching and support, performance management, and managerial activities.
• Ensure risks associated with business activities are effectively identified, measured, monitored, and controlled in accordance with risk and compliance policies and procedures.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree; OR 4 additional years of relevant education and/or experience.
• 10 years of progressive corporate communications experience providing external and internal communications advice to senior management and leading major communications programs.
• 6 years of people leadership experience building, managing, and/or developing high-performing teams.
• Experience collaborating with key resources and stakeholders, influencing decisions, and managing work to achieve strategic goals.
• Executive-level business acumen in business operations, industry practices, and emerging trends.
• Strong writing and verbal communication skills, with the ability to influence and connect the dots.
• Substance, confidence, and executive presence to work effectively with senior leaders throughout the organization.
• Innovative, creative, and strategic thinking.
• Demonstrated ability to be a collaborative team builder, leader, and motivator.

Preferred

• 15 or more years of progressive experience across corporate communications, executive communications, reputation management, strategic storytelling, employee communications, and related areas described above, including experience advising senior executives on high-profile and complex business matters.
• Deep experience serving as a strategic communications advisor to enterprise functions such as Human Resources, Technology, Risk, and Legal, with the ability to translate complex functional priorities into clear, compelling enterprise narratives.
• A track record of leading communications through significant transformation, change, or reputationally sensitive moments while building confidence and alignment among employees and external stakeholders.
• Exceptional executive presence and judgment, with demonstrated success counseling C-suite and senior functional leaders, constructively challenging thinking, anticipating issues, and influencing decisions.
• A reputation for proactive, modern storytelling that connects business strategy, leadership priorities, culture, and mission across earned, owned, social, executive, and employee channels.
• Proven success building and developing high-performing communications teams and creating strong partnerships across a highly matrixed, complex organization.
• US military experience through military service or a military spouse/domestic partner.

Benefits

• Benefits: At USAA our employees enjoy best-in-class benefits to support their physical, financial, and emotional wellness. These benefits include comprehensive medical, dental and vision plans, 401(k), pension, life insurance, parental benefits, adoption assistance, paid time off program with paid holidays plus 16 paid volunteer hours, and various wellness programs. Additionally, our career path planning and continuing education assists employees with their professional goals.