Manager of Communications

by Thames Valley District School Board

Location: London, ON
Date Posted: Jun 10, 2025
Thames Valley District School Board

Job Description

The Thames Valley District School Board is the fourth largest school board in Ontario. Our inclusive and diverse board serves more than 83,000 elementary and secondary school students and employs more than 13,000 staff across the City of London, Elgin, Middlesex and Oxford Counties, Chippewas of the Thames First Nation, Munsee-Delaware Nation and Oneida Nation of the Thames.  Spanning a large and diverse region in south-west Ontario, the Thames Valley learning community inspires innovation, embraces diversity, and celebrates achievement – a strong foundation for all students. 

Thames Valley is seeking a key leader to serve in the role of Manager of Communications. If your talents and skills are a match with this role, please consider submitting an application.


Position Summary
Reporting directly to the Director of Education, the Manager of Communications is responsible for providing strategic leadership in establishing and implementing communications strategies for the Board.  This role also encompasses overall management and oversight of graphic services and public affairs.  The Manager is tasked with ensuring the Board’s brand is consistently and positively communicated to both internal and external stakeholders across all relevant media platforms.  As an advocate of public education and student learning, the Manager will lead the Board’s communications policies and protocols, including crisis communications and media relations, engaging with a wide and diverse community comprising students, caregivers, staff, businesses, community and governmental organizations.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

  • Develop, implement, lead, assess, review and revise the TVDSB communications and public relations strategy
  • Manage the operations of the Communications Department, graphic services and oversee the Thames Valley Education Foundation
  • Provide strategic support and advice
  • Lead and execute communications crisis response at the Board and School-levels

WORK PERFORMED:

  • Develop responses to internal and external audiences regarding various issues
  • Maintain and oversee the development of over 160 websites
  • Develop, oversee and monitor social media strategies
  • Collaborate with external partners related to crisis response
  • Prepare and monitor budgets for the team and related projects
  • Manage direct reports including supervisison, delegation of tasks, performance management, conduct issues, performance appraisals, and goal-setting activities
QUALIFICATIONS/SKILLS/SPECIALIZED KNOWLEDGE:
  • Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills, both oral and written
  • Experience in managing integrated communications and public relations
  • Superior writing and editing skills for print and online publication
  • Knowledge of print/production, graphic design and digital media
  • Political acumen and the ability to foster and maintain positive working relationships
  • Expertise in designing and developing digital communication strategies for social media platforms
  • Experience in public relations, including event management, consultations and other public engagement formats
EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS:
  • Completion of a three (3) year degree in Public Relations, Communications, Journalism or equivalent
  • Seven (7) years of related work experience is required, preferably within a large corporate, educational, government or not-for-profit setting
  • Experience in leading, developing and mentoring high-performing, creative teams
  • Experience as an organizational spokesperson in media interactions

Expiry date:     2025 June 24
 
Prior to an offer of employment, a criminal background check for work with vulnerable persons will be required.
 
Please note that it is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that the application is received by Human Resources on or before the deadline date.
 
Please use the “APPLY FOR THIS POSITION” link below to submit your detailed electronic resume and cover letter, as well as four current professional references. 
Only applications using this link will be considered.

If you were educated outside of Canada, you must have your certificates and/or diplomas or degrees assessed against Canadian education standards. This will enable you to provide proof of Canadian equivalency when applying for a job. The Alliance of Credential Evaluation Services of Canada is a membership organization that offers fair and credible academic credential assessment services in Canada. (NOTE: This is different from translating credentials into English).

The Thames Valley District School Board is committed to equity and inclusion in the recruitment of qualified staff who reflect and support the diverse perspectives, experiences and needs of our students and school communities. The Thames Valley District School Board seeks to ensure that all recruiting processes are non-discriminatory and barrier-free and will provide accommodations to applicants in accordance with the Ontario Human Rights Code and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). Please inform the Human Resources team member indicated below of the nature of any accommodation(s) that you require.

We thank all applicants, however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.