External Communications Manager

The External Communications Manager is responsible for establishing, leading and implementing the global external communications and strategy at H.B. Fuller in ways that connect stakeholders to H.B. Fuller’s mission and vision, protect and strengthen the company’s brand and reputation, and drive business success. Ultimately, the job of the External Communications Manager is to think like a content publisher, leading the development of proactive cross-company communications initiatives that tell the H.B. Fuller growth story and support and grow the overall brand.

The External Communications Manager will be an excellent creative writer and communications strategist who has extensive media relations experience, the ability to build and maintain strong media relationships, high energy, attention to detail, and the ability to set a compelling vision, marshal a team and partners to achieve it, and manage multiple projects and deadlines simultaneously. The individual will be an expert in all things related to external communications strategy, content, brand consistency, analytics, and meaningful measurement.

The individual in this role will serve as H.B. Fuller’s primary media leader and support members of the executive management team in their preparation for external presentations/engagements and media interviews. The role will also partner closely with the business units and digital team to tell H.B. Fuller’s story externally, and will lead the development of PR, media relations and brand best practices, toolkits, guidelines and associated governance models that equip and enable partners throughout the organization to consistently promote and protect H.B. Fuller’s corporate image and brand equity across stakeholder groups.

This position reports to the Global Communications & Community Affairs Director at H.B. Fuller headquarters in St. Paul, Minn., with flexibility to work onsite, hybrid or remote.

Primary Responsibilities include:

• Establish a path forward for external communications at H.B. Fuller, with the goal of developing an external communications strategy that builds brand and strengthens reputation among key stakeholders. Marshal internal resources and partnerships to achieve that vision. Continuous improvement and evolvement of strategy is key. 
• Collaborate across business units and functions to define and tell the H.B. Fuller brand story to external audiences 
• Champion strategic external communications and promotional campaign ideas through various types of media, both proactive and reactive. Produce various proactive tactics, narratives, key message frameworks and campaigns. 
• Work cross-functionally to develop impactful content and stories for a variety of external communications channels (social media, HBFuller.com and HBFuller.com Newsroom, press releases, talking points, videos, etc.); ensure external messaging is consistent across all media and audiences and aligns with internal messaging. 
• Lead and oversee enterprise-level external communications activities, including editorial/content and channel strategy; governance; best practices; audits; and metrics/reporting. Regularly evaluate the efficacy of external communications activities, making continuous improvements. 
• Establish guidelines, toolkits, best practices and governance models that equip and enable internal partners to effectively communicate on behalf of H.B. Fuller, in accordance with brand guidelines and standards. 
• Oversee H.B. Fuller’s crisis communications best practices and response, internally and externally. 
• Lead the development and continuous improvement of H.B. Fuller’s annual report and annual sustainability report. 
• Lead enterprise messaging for mergers and acquisitions; coach and equip M&A project teams to effectively communicate M&A activity to key stakeholders. 
• Implement media monitoring tools that provide data and insight to H.B. Fuller leadership, collaborating with key departments to share regular, customized news feeds as appropriate. 
• Develop strong media relationships and manage relevant resources, such as agencies and other vendors, to support external communications efforts. 
• Manage 1-2 communications professionals dedicated to external communications.

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in Communications, Public Relations, Journalism, or a related field. Advanced degrees are a plus. 
• Native English language skills. 
• Six or more years’ experience in external corporate communications or a closely related field, ideally in-house. 
• A strong team leader, with previous experience managing others and leading high-performing teams. 
• Role will have one direct report initially. 
• Expert-level writing, editing and proofreading skills, with a focus on audience, purpose, clarity, and correctness. 
• Significant experience building, executing and leading external communications strategies and projects; strong media relations experience. 
• Expert-level proficiency in Associated Press (AP) style guidelines. 
• Experience supporting senior-executive communications. 
• Ability to manage and accomplish multiple projects independently and meet deadlines on time. 
• A self-starter with a strong work ethic and high level of ownership, accountability, and initiative. 
• Proficient in basic MS programs (Word, PowerPoint, Excel) 
• Travel required: 5- 25% as needed.

Preferred Requirements:

• Master’s degree 
• Knowledge of the adhesives industry 
• Chinese, Spanish, German, or Portuguese second language proficiency 
• Self-motivated with the desire to work independently and be resourceful 
• Team focused, with a desire to improve process and workflow for continuous improvement 
• Outgoing and engaging personality, with ability to build trusted relationships internally and externally