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Corporate Knowledge Manager

"Sometimes people call me a corporate librarian. The challenge today for most companies is not getting information, it is organizing information so the right people can find it when they need it to make a decision. As the saying goes, “knowledge is power.” In business, well-managed knowledge is also a competitive advantage. My job is to appraise, acquire, arrange, preserve and facilitate access to information for my company. I answer questions for staff and manage the data they are looking for. I always have an answer at hand."

Salary Range:

$82,000 - $145,000

The Tip

Join a professional association while in school. It is a great way to meet professionals in different fields and explore career options.

Priority Knowledge & Skills
Advanced Research & Analysis Skills

  • Formulating research questions

  • Ability to critically analyze literature

  • Ability to develop and execute qualitative research

  • Ability to synthesize key themes from multiple sources

 

Contextual Knowledge

  • Knowledge of human behaviour

  • Understanding of context and values of audiences

  • Essential understanding of topics and themes as they relate to an audience

 

Advanced Communication Skills

  • Formulate and defend positions

  • Sensitivity to how communications is shaped by circumstances, authorship and intended audience

  • Formulate and defend positions

  • Apply written vocabulary to audience

Evidence-based Storytelling Skills

  • Ability to use research to develop an evidence-based story

  • Ability to generate story ideas

  • Ability to identify target audiences

  • Ability to create compelling narratives across media

 
Additional Skills

  • Excel in defined core transferable skills with a focus on transdisciplinary systems thinking, adaptive thinking, communication, organizational and interpersonal skills

  • Fundamental business acumen

  • Expertise in knowledge management

  • Extremely methodological and detail oriented

Building Block Experiences
Education & Learning:

  • Bachelor of Arts (English) with a minor in Computer Information Systems (CIS)

  • Completed M.B.A. with a concentration Management Information Systems (MIS). Paid for by my company.

  • I listen to one APQC podcast on knowledge management trends weekly

 

"My formal education in English provided me core research and communications skills. This, combined with training in CIS gave me the foundation to work in an increasingly complex (and changing) world of knowledge management (KM). I ultimately pursued my Master’s in MIS part time while working. To keep up, I am an avid listener and reader of all things KM."

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Employment Experiences:

  • Worked in sales for an electronics retailer part time in university

  • Did a work term while in school as a database analyst for a non-profit organization

  • Started as a web developer and IT support specialist following graduation for a small IT consulting firm

  • Recruited by one of our clients (an energy company) as knowledge management coordinator. In this role, I designed the system that stores all company information including documents, photographs, maps, manuscripts and audio-visual materials.

 

"Taking a position for a small IT consulting firm allowed me to better understand the KM industry and learn to manage clients. Having junior roles (including retail sales) early on gave me the ability to understand how to work with people. Some I loved. Some I didn’t. But it gave me a better sense of the type of people I thrive with and the culture I could succeed in. One day, one of my favourite clients offered me a job I couldn’t turn down. This is the reward for being technically skilled and having developed my interpersonal skills. That company invested in my professional development by funding my Master in MIS."

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Community Experiences:

  • I was very active in student government and was VP – Communications for the student union in my final year

  • I am an active member in the local chapter of DAMA, the Data Management Association International

 

"Student government allowed me to gain exposure to a variety of perspectives and learn from others about what motivates people. It also forced me to be excellent at time management. This is an essential lifelong skill. I attend one DAMA conference annually. In addition to the networking potential, it’s an important window into the future of the industry."

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Contextual Experiences:

  • Have worked in both independent consulting and for corporations

 

"The best decision I ever made was to do consulting early in my career. Every day was something different. Building a new website for a client one day, to designing a database the next day. I had to learn fast if I wanted to be profitable."

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Relationships:

  • Worked with diverse clients and managers from different parts of the organization

 

"My clients and peers aren’t all technical. I learned very early that to succeed, I’d need to learn how to speak their language. I can translate my job in a way my colleagues appreciate."

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