Senior Director, Communications

Senior Director, Communications

Location: Warsaw

Warsaw Site (WS) is a mature site contributing to all areas of AstraZeneca’s global strategy and entire portfolio while being a great place to work. Senior Director, Communications leads the Internal Communication function for Warsaw Site and acts as a technical expert within it. Leads or contributes to regional or global projects to develop new internal communications campaigns or monitors and improves the effectiveness of existing ones.

Senior Director, Communications effectively positions Warsaw Site as an attractive investment destination through strategic and compelling communication, fostering a positive perception, trust, and alignment with the global organization's objectives, thereby driving increased investment and growth opportunities. Cultivates a compelling and engaging internal communication strategy that showcases the company as an employer of choice, fosters a positive and inclusive workplace culture, and empowers employees to connect with the company’s purpose, values, and opportunities for growth and development.

Typical Accountabilities

• Leads the planning and delivery of the Internal Communications Plan to inform, educate, align and engage employees to deliver business strategy and priorities to drive business success.
• Is responsible for Internal Communications within own area of responsibility and from that area of responsibility to other relevant parts of AstraZeneca.
• Develops and executes a communication strategy that aligns with the WS overall objectives and Site Leadership Team (SLT) expectations and effectively conveys the WS value proposition to the global organization and employees.
• Provides strategic guidance, best practices, and support to SLT members, enabling them to effectively communicate with and engage global stakeholders and employees.
• Manages internal communications initiatives that increase employee engagement and alignment with local and broader AstraZeneca business strategy.
• Fosters effective collaboration and partnership across different departments within Warsaw Site, including seamless communication, sharing knowledge, aligning goals and coordinating efforts.
• Builds meaningful, tailored messages thanks to deep understanding of strategic priorities of the company and key functions represented in WS. Understands the cultural nuances and norms within the global organization which is crucial for effectively communicating with stakeholders from various backgrounds.
• Manages internal communication initiatives to help support and embed new processes and technologies.
• Manages internal communications channels and services, in line with AstraZeneca Global requirements and standards.
• Incorporates new and innovative communications channels and approaches, especially digital & social media, into the internal communication strategy. Has proficiency and „feel” for the selection of the best communication channels (including digital) and tools to reach target audiences most effectively, striving for a seamless experience.
• Recognizes latest trends in effective communications and courageously experiments with new concepts and applies them in practice.
• Actively leverages functional and geographical communication professional networks inside AZ to properly propagate local and global messages, concepts and initiatives to and from Poland.
• Understands key stakeholders within the global organization and fosters strong relationships with them and collaborates effectively with colleagues across different functions and geographies.
• Provides flexibility and agility to the Global Communications by having the ability to take responsibility for Communication Projects across Global brand communications as determined by business need.
• Has a plan in place to maximize the positive messages and manage potential crises and/or risks.
• Crafts and delivers messages around change - manages communication during periods of change and growth/decline within the organization.
• Manages performance of Internal Communications professionals to ensure the function continues to operate smoothly.
• Offers appropriate training and development opportunities to build a pipeline of talented professionals capable of filling future vacancies.
• Uses data and analytics to measure the effectiveness of communication strategies and make informed decisions for continuous improvement.

Education, Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

• Graduate degree in a communications-related field
• Min. 10 years of experience in the communication department,including 5 years of experience working in a global corporation or on international projects
• Significant experience of working in the pharmaceutical or FMCG industry
• Expertise in strategic communication
• Change management communication skills
• Experience supporting senior leaders through communications counsel
• Cross-functional collaboration and relationship building
• Experience developing and implementing integrated communication plans
• Understanding and experience of issues management
• Familiarity and experience of working with digital communication tools and platforms
• Understanding and experience with communication trend tracking and setting
• Understanding the potential impact of internal communication
• Proactive approach and ability to anticipate communication needs