Q2 is a mission-driven company focused on building strong and diverse communities by strengthening their financial institutions. To help fulfill this mission and commitment to the community, we are seeking an experienced, talented and passionate communications professional who will lead the strategic development and execution of all global internal communications supporting employee engagement. In partnership with our People organization and the marketing team, this individual will play a key role in building a greater internal understanding of the company’s mission, business strategy, culture and values. The Senior Communications Strategist - People and Community will work in an embedded approach with the People team and a broad cross-functional group within Q2 to ensure we achieve the goals and commitments to our people and the communities we serve. This position can be based remote or in Austin and reports to the Vice President of Marketing, Communications.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Tightly integrate with the People team to ensure the communications and engagement programs are aligned to the goals and objectives of the business

• Serve as a strategic partner, provide strategic counsel and executive writing support to key Q2 executives as needed

• Develop messaging and internal presentations for company updates and meetings, key initiatives, industry issues and other topics. In order to accomplish this, the individual must thoroughly understand business issues and be able to prepare communication materials for a variety of internal audiences

• Develop and implement company-wide People and Community communications and partner with the People team to execute employee engagement strategies and plans that engage, align and inspire employees

• Drive effective communications programs to help Q2’s people understand the company’s mission, strategies, priorities and key initiatives

• Coordinate communications program and activities in partnership with the broad set of the organization (i.e., benefits, corporate services, learning and development, and culture) to ensure consistency and alignment across the organization

• Collaborate with the Marketing Communications team – PR, Social Media, Thought Leadership – to maximize awareness and exposure of Q2’s brand in the Austin area and other key regions to attract talent to the company

• Plan content and oversee implementation for quarterly town hall meetings and other global people events

• Establish the company’s people engagement communications program, including identifying and implementing communications opportunities to connect leadership with employees, and developing key messages and communications materials

• Establish and track metrics that help correlate internal communications programs to people productivity, satisfaction and organizational performance

• Design measurement evaluations to help assess program success

• Drive exceptional program and project management support for the numerous internal brand campaigns and employee engagement events and activities

• Deliver ongoing communication updates to many levels of leadership within Q2, and sharing of status and tracking progress towards goals

• Update and maintain the People and Community programs communications calendar and related activities and proactively develop communications plans and strategies to achieve goals

• Build strong partnerships and working relationship with internal and external constituents

• Be detail-oriented to ensure every aspect of the Q2 People and Community programs are effectively executed

• Capture insights and feedback from the cross-functional teams to continuously improve efforts and results

• Offer recommendations for ongoing improvements and new iterations to better achieve goals

• Provide counsel and guidance on communications best practices to inform communications program design, training of others

• Offer both programmatic design and real-time work to answer the dynamic needs of the organization

EXPERIENCE AND KNOWLEDGE:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in Marketing, Program Management, Communications or related field 

• 12+ years of experience in Communications, Marketing, Public Relations, or Program Management

• Experienced communications professional that is passionate, with a high degree of empathy. Some who cares and values the role of communications to win the hearts and minds of our people

• Strong interpersonal skills needed and must be comfortable in front of C-level executives

• An exceptional writer with the ability to create compelling messages that effectively and clearly communicate to target audiences

• Keenly aware of the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion as an essential element of communications best practice

• Creative and proactive in bringing new ideas and approaches to better achieve the goals and objectives of the program

• Excellent project and program management skills are required to be successful in this role

• Ability to identify and analyze business and audience needs to deliver messages via the most appropriate mix of channels.

• Ability to manage multiple programs/projects simultaneously in a fast-paced environment often interrupted with immediate support requirements

• Able to be hands-on as well as strategic. A “team player” who is results-orientated

• As a member of the Marketing Communications team, this role will require collaboration with the extended Marketing Communications team to support key communications initiatives and brand campaigns

• Superior collaboration and interpersonal skills and the ability to interface with all levels of management. Ability to project a confident leadership image to peers and management

• Excellent presentation and communication skills

• Outstanding judgment, with a balance of confidence, maturity, refinement and high energy.

• Understanding of brand program and campaign management preferred

• Must have the ability to build strong relationship with cross-functional teams quickly

• Strong attention to detail and organizational skills are a must 

• Strong project and time management skills required to move between concurrent projects efficiently

• Must be able to thrive in a fast-paced environment and manage multiple projects at the same time

• Communications and interpersonal skills – Ability to build strong working relationships with cross-functional teams and external teams

• Bias for action, results focused, KPI focused

At Q2, our goal is to be a diverse and inclusive workforce that fosters mutual respect for our employees and the communities we serve. Q2 is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, protected veteran status, disability, age, or other legally protected status.