Communications Manager/Team Leader

Responsibilities

• Lead the day-to-day work of the internal, external, and public relations functions. Set priorities and workload, assign and review work, manage the intake and review workflow for communications requests, and hold the team to Gesa’s quality standards and deadlines
• Supervise, coach, and develop team members through regular feedback, editorial development, and individual development plans
• Advise department leaders on communications for announcements, initiatives, and issues that affect member or team member trust, and help shape the department’s counsel to executive leadership
• Put Gesa’s communications strategy and messaging frameworks into practice across the team’s work. Develop key messages, talking points, and narrative for organizational priorities and announcements, and keep the team’s work aligned to them
• Plan storytelling and content for internal and external audiences, including editorial calendars and the content multiplication model, so each story is planned once and used across audiences, channels, and formats
• Review and edit the team’s communications across internal, external, media, and executive audiences, adjusting approach, tone, and structure for each audience and holding all work to the Gesa Corporate Communications Playbook and Gesa’s brand standards. Check sensitive and high-visibility pieces for risk in message, timing, and audience, and escalate under Gesa’s governance for sensitive communication
• Serve as a recognized voice of Gesa to its team members. Host and appear in podcasts, videos, town halls, and leadership visibility programs, and prepare the leaders who take part
• Support executive communications. Draft messaging, remarks, and presentations for senior leaders, and help prepare executives and spokespeople for media engagement through briefing documents, interview preparation, and coaching
• Plan and produce culture and change communications that connect team members to Gesa’s mission, values, and Strategic Plan and support Gesa’s Employer of Choice priorities
• Manage the Frontline Newsroom (Gesa’s daily resource for frontline team members) contributor network and measurement, and plan its growth, with daily operations run by the internal communications team

Requirements

• Two-year college degree required; Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Journalism, Public Relations, or a related field preferred; Master’s degree a plus
• Minimum of three (3) years of progressive experience in corporate communications, public relations, journalism, or agency roles, including a minimum of two (2) years leading a team or a communications function, or an equivalent combination of education, experience, and demonstrated capability
• Demonstrated experience writing and editing for internal, external, media, and executive audiences, with work samples that show range across all four
• Experience in issues management and change management communications required; crisis communications and financial services or other regulated industry experience preferred
• Experience advising leaders on communications
• Experience hosting or appearing in podcasts, video, or live events required; experience preparing leaders for media engagement preferred
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, SharePoint or comparable intranet platforms, and communications analytics tools; familiarity with Adobe Creative Suite and AI tools preferred
• Willingness to travel for credit union training, strategic initiatives, and career development as approved

Benefits

• In exchange for bringing your talent to Gesa, here are a just a few of the benefits and perks we offer:
• Competitive Pay
• Medical, Dental, Vision, and Life Insurance
• 20 days/year of Paid Time Off – Plus 10 Paid Holidays!
• 401(k) Match
• Incentive Program
• Tuition Assistance and Student Loan Repayment
• Commuter Benefits
• Paid Time Off to Volunteer in the Community
• Product discounts