Communications Lead

Location

Illinois

Type

Contract

Duration

6 months with potential for extension

Start Date

ASAP

Skills

Communications, internal communications, SharePoint, MS Teams,

Reference #

Job-11905

Job Description

Communications Lead – Contract

If you’re a seasoned internal communications professional who thrives at the intersection of strategy and execution, this is a compelling opportunity to make a real impact. As an embedded communications partner to senior marketing leadership, you’ll shape and amplify a clear organizational narrative, help employees understand and embrace transformation, and bring structure and clarity to a fast-moving environment — all while working alongside a collaborative team that values both your counsel and your craft.

* **Start Date: ASAP
* **Duration: 6 months ( possible extension up to 12 months)
* **Location: Remote
* **Compensation: Up to $96 per hour (W2) plus benefits

Communications Lead – Contract

This contract role serves as an embedded communications partner to senior marketing leadership. The position connects leadership priorities, transformation initiatives, business updates, and key wins into a clear and consistent organizational narrative — then translates that narrative into practical, audience-appropriate communications for the broader marketing team.

Working closely with leaders, change management professionals, and initiative teams, this individual identifies what employees need to know, recommends how and when to communicate it, and independently develops and delivers the required materials.

Key Responsibilities

Leadership Partnership & Communications Counsel
Participate in relevant leadership discussions and maintain visibility across major priorities and initiatives. Proactively identify communications needs and recommend the appropriate audience, message, channel, and timing.

Communications Planning & Organizational Narrative
Operationalize the team’s internal communications approach and maintain a clear, consistent narrative connecting leadership priorities, transformation initiatives, milestones, business outcomes, and key wins. Maintain an integrated communications calendar and recommend communications based on emerging needs.

Transformation & Initiative Communications
Partner with change management and initiative leaders to translate change plans into clear, coordinated communications. Develop messages, stakeholder communications, leader materials, FAQs, and communications cadences that support awareness, understanding, and adoption.

Leadership Messaging & Talking Points
Develop executive communications, presentations, leadership updates, briefing materials, and reusable talking points that equip leaders and team members to explain priorities and initiatives consistently.

Content Development, Storytelling & Wins
Translate complex topics into clear, practical, and engaging communications for diverse audiences. Develop emails, Teams messages, presentations, FAQs, newsletters, leader materials, and stories that make organizational priorities, progress, and key wins visible and understandable.

Town Halls & Employee Engagement
Support the planning and execution of town halls and employee engagement activities, including messaging, creative concepts, presentation development, speaker preparation, and follow-up communications.

Communications Operations & Channels
Establish and maintain the working structure for internal communications, including planning routines, intake and prioritization, editorial cadence, calendars, templates, content repositories, and channel delivery across platforms such as Staffbase, Teams, SharePoint, email, and other employee communications tools.

Measurement & Insights
Monitor communications performance and employee feedback, using engagement data and insights to improve effectiveness and inform future communications.

What Success Looks Like
* A clear, consistent communications narrative connects leadership priorities, transformation initiatives, progress, and key wins across the organization.
* Leadership communications are coordinated, timely, and supported by clear messaging, talking points, and presentation materials.
* Communications needs are identified proactively rather than only after leaders or initiative teams request support.
* Employees receive clear, audience-appropriate updates through a predictable communications cadence.
* Town halls and major employee communications reinforce the same priorities and narrative.
* Leaders and team members can explain major initiatives consistently in everyday conversations.
* Communications plans, calendars, templates, channels, and repositories are organized and easy to maintain.
* Engagement data and employee feedback are used to improve future communications.

Ideal Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate brings 7 or more years of relevant internal, corporate, or transformation communications experience — or equivalent experience demonstrating the ability to independently counsel leaders and execute communications in a complex organization. This person combines strong judgment and exceptional writing with the ability to connect activity across multiple initiatives, bring structure to ambiguity, and turn broad direction into clear, finished communications.

Key Attributes
* Demonstrated ability to work independently from broad or incomplete direction
* Strong judgment about what needs to be communicated, to whom, when, and through which channel
* Ability to stay informed across multiple initiatives without needing to be the subject-matter expert for each
* Comfort participating in leadership discussions and handling confidential or evolving information
* Ability to connect disparate updates into a consistent organizational narrative
* Strong writing, editing, storytelling, and executive communications capabilities
* Experience supporting transformation, organizational change, or major business initiatives through communications
* Skilled at developing communications plans, leadership messaging, town halls, employee engagement activities, and channel content
* Strong project and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and follow through
* Data-informed mindset and experience using communications metrics and feedback to improve effectiveness
* Equally comfortable advising leaders and producing finished deliverables
* Highly proactive, low-ego, and comfortable operating in a fast-paced environment where priorities and information may evolve quickly #LI-RJ1 #LI-DNI #LI-Remote

For more information, please email: Job-11905@thecarreraagency.com