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Manager of Community Relations - Resource Sector

"The energy company I work for employs thousands of people across many geographic regions. To succeed, we need the goodwill and support of the communities we work in. Our communities’ landowners, First Nations, small businesses and other interest groups must trust us. If they do, and we reliably deliver on this trust, we’ll succeed. If we lose their trust, our business cannot thrive. My job is to engage these communities, be a great listener and build real trust."

Salary Range:

$100,200 - $127,000

The Tip

In a world of hype for digital connectivity, people forget marketing is about real people. Get out from behind your screen and talk to someone different every day.

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

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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

  • Expertise in all core areas of marketing including strategic marketing, research marketing communications and promotions

  • Expertise in content development and curation

  • Expertise in community relations and earned media

Building Block Experiences
Education & Learning:

  • Bachelor of Arts (English) with minors in business & society and indigenous studies

  • Diploma in environmental science from a local college

  • I read everything I can find on corporate social responsibility from across the political spectrum

 

"It didn’t take long for me to realize that when it comes to strategy, stakeholders can be an asset (through advocacy) or a liability (through active resistance). Multiply this exponentially in the resource sector. So I invested my education in understanding and empathizing with stakeholder types to enable me to make better decisions."

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Employment Experiences:

  • Student ambassador in university and led high school student tours

  • Upon graduation, started as a communications coordinator for my current employer

  • Transferred to a non-communications field office role for three years, learning the core business

  • Transferred back into media relations role as a spokesperson

 

"Community relations is a senior role that requires years of industry experience. To build to this role, I needed to spend time learning the core businesses of both communications and the resource industry. My experience taught me how to leverage diverse old and new media tools and the technical dimension of the industry. This enabled me to become an effective company representative and storyteller."

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Community Experiences:

  • Volunteer for a local environmental organization, managing fundraising events

 

"I coordinate events for local non-profits, allowing the refinement of my event-management skills from promotion to execution."

 

 

Contextual Experiences:

  • Passionate traveler. My personal goal is 30 by 30. Thirty countries by age 30.

  • Did a three-month international posting in Dubai

 

"Travel taught me the reality that “context matters.” I’ve learned humility by recognizing how much I don’t know. For me, this recognition has triggered an intrinsic and authentic curiosity in people."

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Relationships:

  • Built a diverse mentor team of engineers, accountants and communicators over the years

 

"My mentors coached me to avoid specializing too early and to get out of the cubicle and into the field. I owe them a lot for pushing me."

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