Assistant Vice President, Strategic Communications-

Effectively communicating with external stakeholders and employees is a top priority for the Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank.The Public Affairs department sets and executes the Bank’s overall communication strategy,building public trust and understanding by increasing the Bank’s external visibility locally and nationally.

Reporting to the senior vice president (SVP), the assistant vice president (AVP) for strategic communications is a strategic thinker and effective manager who is passionate about building, protecting and enhancing organizational reputations. The AVP leads a comprehensive communications function, including media relations, internal communications, digital marketing and social media, and web, multi-media, creative, and design services. The Public Affairs department also includes the Bank’s government relations, and regional outreach and public programs functions, which are key clients and collaborators.

The AVP collaborates with a wide variety of stakeholders to develop communications and marketing plans and content to advance the Bank’s strategic priorities and core messaging, and is responsible for telling stories that engage the Bank’s audiences, including policymakers, business and community leaders, academics and economists, and the general public. As a member of the Public Affairs management team, the AVP works across the department to set and achieve its strategies and objectives, and serves as an officer of the Bank.

This position is located in Minneapolis, MN.

Key Responsibilities:

• Works closely with the SVP to develop the Bank’s overall communications strategy and ensures it is effectively implemented.
• Provides strategic communications counsel to Bank executives and other leaders across the organization and leads the development and implementation of communications and marketing plans to promote Bank priorities, including public policy initiatives, research, and public outreach and education events and activities.
• Oversees the Bank’s media relations program, which includes proactive pitching, placing Op-Eds, developing productive relationships with beat reporters, crafting messages, and coaching and prepping others for media interviews. May serve as a spokesperson for the Bank.
• Leads implementation of a distinctive and consistent brand identity. Establishes a cohesive and sustainable creative platform and messaging that advances and supports the Bank’s public service mission. Oversees staff and freelance resources to enhance new and existing initiatives.
• Provides leadership to a multi-faceted digital engagement strategy, including the website, video, social media, customer relationship management, direct email marketing, and new ventures on other established and emerging platforms.
• Serves as a content curator and editor for Bank communications, including managing a pipeline of content generated both within Public Affairs and by other departments and individuals throughout the Bank. Provides leadership to Bank publications, including overall editorial planning and execution to publish the Opportunity and Inclusive Growth Institute’s bi-annual magazine, For All.
• Ensures the Bank’s internal communications are compelling and reflect Bank priorities and strategic direction, and support employee engagement. Provides leadership to facilitate new modes of internal communications and continual improvement.
• Closely collaborates with departments in the Bank who interface with external stakeholders, including economists and leaders in government relations, community development, and the Fed’s research centers, to communicate effectively and highlight Bank research and policy insights.
• Develops meaningful measures to gauge the effectiveness of communications, ensure progress in meeting communications objectives, and enable mid-course adjustments in plans and resources, if needed.
• Ensures timely identification of potential reputational risks, including developing, sharing and implementing recommendations to mitigate those risks.
• Engages with peers from across the Federal Reserve System to support System-wide communications initiatives, share best practices, manage issues, and coordinate cross-district and other System-wide efforts.
• Effectively manages a highly engaged team of professional subject matter experts. Facilitates open communications with staff and manages performance and professional development through coaching, constructive recognition, rewards, feedback, training, and appraisals.
• Promotes an environment in which all employees feel they belong and contribute to the Bank's mission. Models and develops an organizational culture that encourages a high degree of employee engagement, fosters a diverse and inclusive workplace, and reduces barriers to productive work.
• Oversees program budgets and ensures compliance with all applicable department, Bank and System policies, procedures and controls to provide the highest level of public confidence and operational integrity.
• The AVP is also responsible for other specific duties that may be assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree required. Master’s degree preferred. 
• Ten or more years of progressively more responsible professional experience in public affairs, communications, public relations or directly-related field. This must include significant demonstrated experience effectively managing people and teams. 
• Visionary leader with exceptional personal and professional credibility. 
• Excellent oral and written communications skills, including the ability to communicate strategically and persuasively to leadership and other large groups. 
• Highly developed interpersonal skills with the ability to effectively relate and communicate at all levels. Exceptional customer-service orientation with the ability to influence across the organization. 
• Strong business acumen with excellent organizational, problem solving, influencing and negotiating skills. Excellent day-to-day operational management skills – ability to execute coupled with a disciplined approach and the ability to effectively manage risk. 
• Demonstrated commitment to promoting diversity and inclusion, including in hiring, staff development, vendor selection, and all other programmatic initiatives. 
• Ability to motivate, develop and lead a diverse team through collaboration and consensus and reinforce a culture of service, accountability and innovation. Proven record of successfully driving change through collaboration and matrix management. 
• Demonstrated ability to manage and make decisions in light of changing priorities. 
• Discretion and sensitivity in handling confidential, varied and complex issues.

Preferred:

• High degree of intellectual curiosity – interest in economics, banking and financial systems. 
• Comfortable and able to engage effectively with senior subject-matter experts on complex or nuanced issues; ability to distill key messages and frame them succinctly for verbal, digital, and written communications. 
• Strong leader, who operates in a completely transparent manner, manages and motivates the team while instilling a sense of professional pride and discipline in their work.