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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Corporate Communications Specialist

💰 $ - $

CommunicationsPublic RelationsCorporate

🎯 Role Definition

A Corporate Communications Specialist develops and executes integrated communication strategies that protect and enhance the organization's reputation, support business objectives, and engage employees, customers, investors and other stakeholders. This role owns external media relations and thought leadership programs, crafts executive and internal messaging, manages content across owned channels (web, intranet, newsletters, social), supports crisis communications, measures program impact and collaborates cross-functionally with marketing, legal, HR and executive teams. Familiarity with media monitoring tools, CMS platforms, SEO best practices and AI/LLM-assisted content tools is highly valued.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Communications Coordinator / Communications Assistant
  • PR Assistant / Junior Public Relations Specialist
  • Marketing Coordinator / Content Coordinator

Advancement To:

  • Communications Manager / Senior Corporate Communications Specialist
  • Public Relations Manager / Head of Media Relations
  • Director of Corporate Communications / VP, Communications

Lateral Moves:

  • Content Strategy Manager
  • Employee Engagement or Internal Communications Manager
  • Brand Manager / Thought Leadership Manager

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Develop, write and edit high-quality external communications including press releases, media advisories, byline articles, executive op-eds and thought leadership pieces that align with corporate strategy and drive positive media coverage.
  • Build and maintain strong media relationships and an up-to-date media contact list; proactively pitch reporters, secure coverage and coordinate interviews for executives and subject-matter experts.
  • Create and manage executive communications: draft speeches, talking points, Q&A documents, briefing materials and CEO/leadership announcements to ensure clear, consistent messaging across audiences.
  • Design, implement and maintain internal communications programs including all-employee emails, executive town hall scripting, intranet content, team newsletters and leadership cascades that increase engagement and alignment.
  • Lead crisis and issues communications: prepare and maintain crisis playbooks, swiftly draft holding statements and coordinate cross-functional response teams with Legal, HR and Ops during incidents.
  • Develop and manage a content calendar for PR, owned media and social channels; prioritize stories, track deadlines and ensure timely approvals and publication.
  • Create digital content optimized for SEO and discoverability: web copy, landing pages, blog posts and social content using keywords, meta descriptions and AI/LLM-assisted drafting tools to increase organic reach.
  • Manage media monitoring and measurement programs using tools like Meltwater, Cision, Google Analytics, Sprout Social or similar to report on share of voice, sentiment, coverage impact and KPIs.
  • Coordinate and support executive media training and mock interviews, including prepping executives on messaging, interview techniques and media dynamics.
  • Partner with Legal, Compliance and Investor Relations to ensure all public communications meet regulatory requirements and corporate governance policies.
  • Drive employee communications campaigns that support change management, mergers and acquisitions, policy rollouts and culture initiatives with targeted messaging and measurement.
  • Produce and distribute external newsletters and customer-facing communications, manage subscriber lists, and analyze engagement metrics to iterate content strategy.
  • Craft and localize communications for global audiences in collaboration with regional communications partners and external translation/localization vendors.
  • Manage relationships with external agencies, PR firms, freelance writers and designers; brief partners, oversee deliverables and monitor budgets to ensure ROI and brand consistency.
  • Support event communications and media strategy for product launches, conferences, investor days and executive appearances, including press kits, briefings and on-site media coordination.
  • Maintain company style guides and messaging frameworks, ensuring consistent use of brand voice, boilerplate language, key messages and AP/house style across all communications.
  • Prepare reports and executive summaries on communications performance, trends and insights, recommending data-driven improvements to strategy and tactics.
  • Lead content production workflows including briefing creative teams, approving visual assets, coordinating video shoots and ensuring accessibility best practices for digital content.
  • Conduct stakeholder mapping and targeted outreach plans for customers, partners, regulators and communities to build trust and foster long-term relationships.
  • Manage social media response protocols and community engagement for corporate accounts; escalate issues appropriately and collaborate with social/digital teams on paid amplification.
  • Draft and manage investor and analyst communications in collaboration with IR, including non-material investor updates, event itineraries and press interaction guidance.
  • Implement reputation management initiatives, including proactive storytelling, awards submissions, executive bios/LinkedIn optimization and industry recognitions.
  • Facilitate cross-functional communication workshops and training to elevate message discipline, media readiness and storytelling skills across business units.
  • Oversee budget tracking for communications programs, negotiate vendor contracts and ensure on-time, on-budget delivery of campaigns and media projects.

Secondary Functions

  • Maintain and update media lists, asset libraries, boilerplate copy and pre-approved messaging templates for rapid deployment.
  • Support ad-hoc content requests, rapid response drafting and executive briefing materials for special projects and leadership requests.
  • Contribute to the communications strategy and quarterly roadmap; identify opportunities to leverage earned, owned and paid channels.
  • Coordinate with HR and People teams to design internal engagement surveys, analyze results and recommend tailored communication interventions.
  • Assist with basic multimedia editing (video captioning, image cropping, transcript creation) and prepare assets for distribution across channels.
  • Participate in agile workflows or cross-functional planning meetings to prioritize communications deliverables and integrate with marketing campaigns.
  • Track and reconcile communications budgets, vendor invoices, and campaign spend; prepare simple ROI analyses for leadership review.
  • Manage contracts and scopes of work with creative vendors and PR agencies; ensure compliance with procurement and brand guidelines.
  • Support localization and translation workflows for global rollouts, including quality checks on translated assets and coordination with regional reps.
  • Help maintain compliance documentation and records for regulatory or audit purposes related to public statements and announcements.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Excellent writing and editing skills for press releases, executive speeches, bylines and internal comms; strong command of AP style and corporate voice.
  • Media relations and pitching experience with proven success securing national, trade and local coverage.
  • Crisis communications planning and rapid-response drafting under time pressure.
  • Executive communications and speechwriting for C-suite and senior leaders.
  • Content strategy and editorial calendar management across web, intranet, email and social channels.
  • SEO fundamentals for content writing (keyword research, on-page optimization, meta tags) and familiarity with CMS platforms (WordPress, Drupal, Sitecore).
  • Proficiency with media monitoring and PR measurement tools (Cision, Meltwater, Muck Rack), and analytics platforms (Google Analytics, Sprout Social).
  • Experience with social media management tools (Hootsuite, Sprout Social, Buffer) and corporate social media governance.
  • Familiarity with basic design and multimedia tools (Adobe Creative Suite, Canva, basic video editing) and accessibility best practices.
  • Experience using AI/LLM tools (ChatGPT, Bard, Jasper) for draft ideation, summarization, and content optimization while ensuring human review and compliance.
  • Project management skills and ability to manage multiple stakeholders and approval workflows (Asana, Trello, Monday.com).
  • Vendor and agency management including RFPs, SOWs, and budget oversight.
  • Experience with localization and translation coordination for global communications.

Soft Skills

  • Strategic thinking and ability to translate business objectives into communications plans.
  • Strong interpersonal skills and stakeholder management; ability to influence without authority.
  • High level of discretion, integrity and experience handling confidential or sensitive information.
  • Exceptional attention to detail and editorial judgement in high-stakes environments.
  • Calm under pressure and adept at triaging issues during crises or fast-moving news cycles.
  • Collaborative mindset and ability to work cross-functionally with marketing, HR, legal and product teams.
  • Strong presentation and facilitation skills for trainings, briefings and executive decks.
  • Curiosity and continuous learning mindset, including staying current on media trends, SEO and digital communications innovations.
  • Results-oriented with a data-driven approach to measure impact and iterate programs.
  • Time management and prioritization skills to deliver high-quality outputs on tight deadlines.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor's degree in Communications, Public Relations, Journalism, Marketing, English or related field.

Preferred Education:

  • Master's degree in Strategic Communications, Public Relations, Journalism, Business Communications or MBA with a communications focus; professional certifications (e.g., CIPR, APR) considered a plus.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Communications
  • Journalism
  • Public Relations
  • Marketing
  • English, Media Studies

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

  • 3–7 years of progressive communications or public relations experience in corporate, agency or non-profit settings.

Preferred:

  • 5+ years of relevant experience with demonstrated success in media relations, executive communications and crisis response.
  • Experience working with global/regional stakeholders, managing cross-border communications and localization.
  • Background in regulated industries (finance, healthcare, energy) is a plus.
  • Agency experience or prior exposure to integrated marketing and digital content production preferred.
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