LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE ROLE

The Communications Manager is responsible for shaping the voice, reputation and public positioning of the St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria Group. The role builds awareness, advocacy, trust and support for our mission, while amplifying the impact of our programs and services. It operates at both a strategic and operational level, delivering clear, consistent messaging across the organisation. The role works across multiple sectors and closely with the Government Relations Manager to drive our advocacy program.

YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead the development and delivery of organisation-wide communications strategies to support service delivery, advocacy, fundraising, retail and community engagement, while providing strategic advice to senior leaders and tracking team performance.
• Lead crisis communications and issues management by proactively monitoring risks, developing mitigation strategies, overseeing communications during critical events and collaborating with senior leaders to deliver timely, accurate and compassionate messaging that protects the organisation’s reputation.
• Drive proactive media engagement and manage reactive media enquiries by working closely with external agencies to prepare media materials, build strong relationships with journalists and key partners and support senior leadership with media training and preparation.
• Lead communications for major fundraising appeals, public campaigns and community events that support people experiencing homelessness, food insecurity and educational barriers.
• Oversee the organisation’s storytelling approach by leading the team to source and develop authentic, respectful content that shares stories of resilience, community, care and impact, ensuring the voices of people with lived experience are represented ethically and authentically.
• Lead targeted communication strategies that engage diverse audiences, build strong stakeholder relationships, support internal communications and collaborate across teams to deliver aligned, audience-specific messaging.
• Provide leadership, guidance and support to team members to build capability, foster collaboration and deliver high-quality communications outcomes.