Business Communications Manager

Responsibilities

• Proactive Strategic Consultation & Counsel (50%)
• - Serves as the communications partner and strategic advisor for the assigned business unit, with deep, continuous immersion in business priorities, commercial goals, stakeholder dynamics and emerging risks.
• - Partners with business leaders early in strategy, planning and decision-making to evaluate communication implications, sharpen priorities, pressure-test messaging, and provide strategic guidance that aligns internal teams and ensures the right audiences are considered before decisions are finalized. This includes sharpening external positioning in ways that strengthen the business’s reputation, building confidence with customers, member-owners and industry stakeholders, anticipating potential scrutiny, and connecting business-unit priorities to the broader enterprise narrative.
• - Builds focused communication strategies for the highest-priority business initiatives, helping leaders determine what requires communications support, what can be simplified and where integrated resources are needed to drive outcomes.
• - Brings an enterprise lens to business-unit discussions, ensuring divisional plans advance growth while supporting companywide reputation, message discipline and alignment across Communications verticals.
• Narrative Development & Execution Leadership (30%)
• - Translates business priorities, market dynamics and operational complexity into clear, differentiated narratives that inform, align and motivate employees, business teams, member-owners, customers and other external stakeholders.
• - Leads messaging architecture and executive communications for key business initiatives and partners with Enterprise & Executive Communications when senior leader visibility, enterprise positioning or reputational considerations require broader coordination.
• - Orchestrates the right communications partners — including Enterprise & Executive, Member & Employee, Digital, Central Marketing and agency teams — to deliver aligned storytelling, PR campaigns, digital/channel execution and stakeholder engagement without duplicating functional ownership.
• Operational Excellence & Impact (20%)

Requirements

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Public Relations, Journalism, English, or a related field.
• Experience: 8-10 years of progressive corporate communications, public relations, or strategic communications experience, with demonstrated success partnering directly with senior business leaders.
• Strategic Acumen: Proven track record of operating as an early-stage strategic advisor who shapes business decisions, challenges assumptions, and navigates complex matrixed environments.
• Enterprise Mindset: Demonstrated ability to align business unit priorities with overarching corporate goals and brand identity.
• Communication Mastery: Exceptional written, verbal, and presentation skills, with proven ability to translate complex technical or commercial concepts into clear, engaging narratives.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Demonstrated success collaborating with integrated teams spanning internal comms, external PR, brand marketing, and agency partners.

Preferred

• Master’s degree in communications, Business Administration (MBA), or a related discipline.
• Direct industry experience in agriculture, animal nutrition, dairy foods, or broad agribusiness/manufacturing sectors.
• Prior experience operating within a dedicated business-unit-aligned communications model.

Benefits

• We provide a broad portfolio of benefits to keep you and your family at your best.