Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Internal Communications Specialist

🎯 Role Definition

The Internal Communications Specialist is responsible for designing, executing, and measuring internal communications programs that inform, align and engage employees. This role partners with leaders across HR, IT, Legal and business units to deliver clear executive messaging, change communications, employee newsletters, intranet content, and engagement campaigns that drive culture and business objectives. The Specialist combines strategic thinking, high-quality writing, channel expertise (email, intranet, town halls, video), measurement and stakeholder management to ensure consistent, timely and relevant communications to all employees.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Communications Coordinator or Communications Assistant
HR Generalist with employee engagement responsibilities
Marketing or PR Coordinator with internal content experience

Advancement To:

Senior Internal Communications Specialist / Manager
Employee Communications Manager
Head of Internal Communications / Director of Employee Engagement

Lateral Moves:

Corporate Communications Specialist
Employee Experience Manager
Change Management Consultant

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Develop and execute the internal communications strategy and annual editorial calendar aligned to company priorities, leadership objectives and HR programs to improve employee awareness and alignment.
Create high-quality written content — including executive announcements, leadership blogs, intranet articles, newsletters, FAQs, talking points and speeches — tailored to different audiences and channels.
Design and manage multi-channel communications campaigns (email, intranet, Yammer/Workplace, Slack, digital signage, video, town halls) to launch initiatives, policy changes, benefits updates and strategic priorities.
Partner with senior leaders and subject-matter experts to craft clear, credible and timely executive messaging and leader talking points that translate strategy into employee language.
Lead change communications for major initiatives such as reorganizations, mergers & acquisitions, system implementations and policy changes, including communication plans, risk mitigation, and stakeholder briefings.
Maintain and optimize the corporate intranet/CMS (SharePoint, Sitecore, Jive, etc.), ensuring content is accurate, searchable, on-brand and accessible to global audiences.
Build and manage an internal communications content calendar and workflow, coordinating approvals, localization, legal review and cross-functional deadlines.
Produce and coordinate internal events and forums including town halls, leader Q&A sessions, all-hands meetings and employee webinars; manage logistics, runbooks and post-event follow-up.
Design and deliver video communications and short-form multimedia content (interviews, CEO updates, employee stories) working with internal or external production teams.
Manage email communications and campaigns: audience segmentation, A/B testing of subject lines, template design, scheduling and deliverability best practices.
Establish metrics and reporting framework to measure reach, engagement and impact (open rates, click-throughs, intranet analytics, pulse surveys) and translate data into actionable recommendations.
Run employee listening programs and pulse surveys, analyze results and partner with HR and leaders to close feedback loops and improve employee experience.
Serve as a brand guardian for internal messaging, ensuring consistency of tone, voice, and brand alignment across all internal channels.
Provide counsel to senior leaders on communication timing, tone and sequencing to mitigate risk and enhance employee trust during sensitive matters.
Manage stakeholder relationships across HR, Legal, IT, Facilities, and business units to prioritize initiatives and ensure aligned delivery of communications.
Develop templates, toolkits and training for managers to cascade messages locally and to coach leaders on effective employee communication and storytelling.
Create crisis and incident communications plans for the internal audience, coordinate rapid response messaging and updates during operational disruptions.
Drive employee advocacy and recognition programs by developing targeted content that highlights employee stories, successes and culture initiatives.
Oversee content localization and translation processes to ensure global consistency while respecting local context and compliance requirements.
Maintain editorial standards including proofreading, fact-checking, and compliance with legal and regulatory requirements for internal communications.
Manage relationships with external vendors and agencies for video production, event support, translation services and communications technology.
Continuously scan internal communication trends and tools, recommending new channels or technologies (e.g., internal social platforms, collaboration tools) to increase impact.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc employee engagement initiatives and cross-functional project teams with communications expertise and content support.
Assist HR and business leaders with change readiness activities, including manager toolkits and training materials.
Help maintain employee directories, distribution lists, communication templates and intake processes to streamline delivery.
Contribute to employer brand and onboarding communications, ensuring new hire materials reflect company culture and priorities.
Provide editorial support for employee-facing policy updates, ensuring clear explanation of implications and next steps.
Coordinate feedback loops from employees and managers to refine messaging, channel strategy and content formats.
Track and reconcile internal communications budgets, vendor invoices and project expenses as needed.
Support measurement and reporting by compiling dashboards and preparing executive summaries on communications performance.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Internal communications strategy development and execution tailored to multi-channel delivery (email, intranet, internal social).
Professional writing, editing and storytelling skills for executive communications, newsletters, speeches and FAQs.
Intranet/CMS management experience (SharePoint, Sitecore, Jive, Confluence or equivalent) and content governance.
Email marketing and campaign tools experience (e.g., Microsoft Exchange/Outlook campaigns, Workday communications, Mailchimp, Campaign Monitor, or HRIS-driven communications).
Basic multimedia production knowledge: video scripting, interviewing, captioning, and familiarity with video production workflows and vendors.
Analytics and measurement: experience with reporting tools, intranet analytics, Google Analytics, survey platforms (Qualtrics, SurveyMonkey) and Excel/Google Sheets for dashboards.
Change communications and stakeholder mapping methodologies for reorganizations, system launches and M&A.
Project management skills and tools (Asana, Trello, Jira, Microsoft Project) to manage content calendars and cross-functional workstreams.
Basic graphic/design tools proficiency (Canva, PowerPoint, Adobe Creative Suite basics) to create compelling internal assets.
Content localization and translation process management, ensuring consistency and compliance across global regions.
Familiarity with employee engagement and listening platforms (e.g., Glint, Culture Amp, Officevibe).
Knowledge of GDPR, privacy and confidentiality best practices for internal messaging distribution.

Soft Skills

Exceptional written and verbal communication with the ability to simplify complex information for diverse audiences.
Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills with senior leaders and cross-functional partners.
Strategic thinking combined with hands-on execution; able to operate at both conceptual and tactical levels.
High emotional intelligence and discretion handling sensitive or confidential information.
Project ownership, organization and the ability to manage multiple priorities and tight deadlines.
Collaboration and facilitation skills to lead workshops, manager briefings and employee forums.
Curiosity and continuous improvement mindset, using data and feedback to iterate on communications.
Attention to detail and strong editorial judgment.
Adaptability and resilience when responding to rapidly changing business needs or crises.
Coaching and training capability to enable managers to communicate effectively with their teams.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

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

Preferred Education:

Master's degree or postgraduate certificate in Corporate Communications, Strategic Communications, or Organizational Change is a plus.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Communications, Journalism, Public Relations
Marketing, Business Administration
Human Resources, Organizational Development
English, Writing, Media Studies

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 3–7 years of progressive internal or corporate communications experience, including proven experience supporting senior leaders and managing multi-channel campaigns.

Preferred:

5+ years in internal communications within a medium-to-large organization or global matrix environment.
Direct experience supporting change programs, M&A communications, executive communications and intranet/content management.
Demonstrated track record of measurement-driven campaigns and improving employee engagement metrics.