Sr. Corporate Relations - Communications

The position requires both subject-matter expertise and strategic and tactical program leadership. The role calls for strong collaboration and management through influence across the enterprise and regular engagement with internal/external partnerships. This leader should demonstrate abilities to influence executive leadership and board, mobilize partnerships and convene and lead cross-functional partnerships. Deep familiarity with the global landscape of corporate sustainability; corporate governance, financial reporting, climate change; responsible supply chain management; diversity, equity and inclusion; and ESG investments are also required.

Many of the challenges in corporate sustainability are sophisticated and beyond the scope of one brand or company. As one of the main drivers of Allstate’s sustainability agenda, this role is committed to a vision of global sustainability leadership. As well as being a creative and inclusive problem solver, the leader has deep awareness of how investors, employees, customers, and consumers understand global, social and political issues, particularly sustainability related views. In addition to being a skilled communicator, this leader should encourage and facilitate dialogue on sophisticated and complex issues that bring together Allstate’s financial and non-financial indicators of long-term value creation under one narrative.

The leader will be the company’s primary liaison with external ESG rating and ranking organizations, managing the inputs to these rating systems and translating trends into internal recommendation for ESG program improvements. In addition to providing rigorous ESG counsel across the organization, the leader should support the overall mission of Corporate Brand:

• Build enduring relationships between Allstate and its stakeholders by telling Allstate’s iconic story and bringing the voice of Allstate to life through internal and external strategic communications. 
• Know the business and work closely with business leaders as thought partners, continuing to strengthen Allstate’s reputation, strategy and culture. 
• Provide world-class communications counsel to advance issues and initiatives important to our stakeholders. 
• Candidates may reside in the Chicagoland area or work from a remote location.

Key Responsibilities:

• Serve as the enterprise leader on ESG/sustainability reporting, benchmarking best-in-class methods, monitoring future trends and priorities and making recommendations to enhance Allstate’s data collection and reporting methods. 
• Own and project manage the company’s annual Sustainability Report, working across the organization to collect data, write and publish the report. The report should evolve each year and include critical ESG frameworks such as: GRI, IRRC, SASB, TCFD and SDG. 
• Partner with Corporate Accounting, Financial Reporting, Investor Relations, Human Resources (including the Inclusive Diversity and Equity team), Law and Regulation, Investments and others to ensure consistency with annual disclosures (Proxy, 10K, etc.) and ensure Allstate’s disclosures satisfy and exceed shareholder expectations. 
• Evaluate, prioritize and assess different stakeholder groups, interests and public information requirements and regulatory standards to inform yearly reporting enhancements. 
• Lead and deliver additional annual ESG disclosures to DJSI, CDP, etc. 
• Build and maintain relationships with external ESG reporting organizations and thought leaders. 
• Serve as the primary liaison between Allstate and key ESG ratings firms such as MSCI, ISS, Sustainalytics, Glass Lewis, Bloomberg and S&P. 
• Inspire and influence others to adopt and drive forward Allstate’s ESG strategy and build consensus and action across cross-functional teams to elevate reporting and disclosure practices.

Additional Skills;

• Sustainability Expertise: Employs working knowledge of sustainability frameworks, disclosures and best practices among large public companies. Executes specific aspects of corporate responsibility and sustainability programs. Ability to look at issues from multiple perspectives with a sense of fairness and balance, seeing both business and social realities. Draws on optimism and conviction to help build and support a specific sustainability involvement program designed to make a difference and inspire and engage others. 
• Communication Strategy and Planning: Helps plan and execute specific sustainability projects and related communications. Consistently leverages organizational awareness and interpersonal communication skills to influence others to engage with and offer support to specific corporate responsibility initiatives. 
• Executive Communication: Assists in planning and executing communications that engage C-suite executives and corporate directors as champions of corporate responsibility programs. 
• Financial and Insurance Acumen: Knowledge of financial and insurance industry. Contributes ideas for how to align corporate responsibility goals and activities to capitalize on industry trends and / or address key industry concerns. 
• Project Management: Develops and executes work plans for a specific sustainability initiative that organizes a project into discrete tasks; sequences activities to achieve maximum efficiency; and consistently estimates and manages time and budget required to complete tasks. 
• Internal Communications: With some oversight, plans and executes internal communications for specific sustainability strategies, as needed. 
• Presentation and Verbal Communications: Ability to prepare complex presentations incorporating key messages aligned with strategic goals of business. Consistently demonstrates effective written and verbal skills and is an effective presenter. 
• Social Media: Consistently uses social media strategically to holistically integrate off-line and online interactive tactics for specific corporate responsibility programs.
• Reputation Leadership and Brand Management: Understands the importance of maintaining a strong reputation and brand. 
• Strategic Thinking: Generates innovative ideas to address emerging or potential corporate responsibility and sustainability issues in a way that advances company priorities. Consistently presents solutions clearly, enhances existing ideas to maximize opportunities, supports a creative, innovative environment and connects the dots to find the ideal intersection between community needs and business resources.

Compensation Data:

The minimum salary for this position is $115,000. The salary offered will be commensurate with experience. The candidate(s) offered this position will be required to submit to a background investigation, which includes a drug screen.