Senior Specialist, Retail Communications

at  Walgreens

JOB SUMMARY:

Join the Walgreens Corporate Affairs department as a Senior Specialist on the Retail Communications team, where you will support the comprehensive communications and public relations strategy for the Walgreens Retail business segment. Reporting to the Director of Communications, Retail, this individual will manage communications projects, develop internal and external company communications materials, engage with media and conduct research assignments.
In collaboration with the team, this contributor is responsible for executing strategic communications plans and campaigns, as well as serving as communications partner to project leaders within merchandising, supply chain, marketing and more.
Walgreens is transforming its business and accelerating its retail presence. The ideal candidate will be comfortable working in a changing environment and have experience with AP Style writing, media relations, executive thought leadership, issues and crisis management and both external and internal communications.

Job Responsibilities:

• Supports development of external and internal communications strategy and plans for the assigned divisions. Completes assignments against communications plan and updates as needed. Researches the latest communications and related industry trends.
• Writes and edits external and internal communications products, such as press releases, media pitches executive briefing books, key messages, talking points, memos, reports, among other communications. Coordinates with cross functional teams and production, as needed.
• Serve as communications advocate to partners and leaders within the retail and customer experience function.
• Applies a strategic lens to the communications support, internal and/or external, for Walgreens retail offering
• Manages media inquiries, proactive and reactive, related to Walgreens retail business
• Serves as primary, day to day contact for internal and external business partners
• Keeps a regular pulse on the industry covered and shares timely updates and implications with colleagues and business partners.

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s Degree and at least 1 year of experience in Communications at a company/professional services firm OR High School/ GED and at least 4 years of experience in Communications at a company/professional services firm
• Experience pitching and developing relationships with media, writing short, action based communications, such as press releases, media pitches, key messages and talking points, as well as and lengthy, strategic documents and presentations
• Experience using time management skills such as prioritizing/organizing and tracking details and meeting deadlines of multiple projects with varying completion dates
• Experience developing ways of accomplishing goals with little or no supervision, depending on oneself to complete objectives and determining when escalation of issues is necessary
• Intermediate level skill in Microsoft Excel (for example: using SUM function, setting borders, setting column width, inserting charts, using text wrap, sorting, setting headers and footers and/or print scaling)
• Intermediate level skill in Microsoft PowerPoint (for example: applying a theme, formatting character spacing, inserting a picture, changing slide layout and theme colors, adding transitions, customizing slide numbers, changing chart style and/or formatting font)
• Intermediate level skill in Microsoft Word (for example: inserting headers, page breaks, page numbers and tables and/or adjusting table columns
• Willing to travel up to/at least 10% of the time for business purposes (within state and out of state).

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in a communications discipline (for example: mass communications, health communications, journalism, public relations)
• Experience in communication plan development and project management.
• Experience in retail or CPG industry
• Experience in consumer business communications
• At least 2 years of communications experience at a company/professional services firm
  We will consider employment of qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

• Supports development of external and internal communications strategy and plans for the assigned divisions. Completes assignments against communications plan and updates as needed. Researches the latest communications and related industry trends.
• Writes and edits external and internal communications products, such as press releases, media pitches executive briefing books, key messages, talking points, memos, reports, among other communications. Coordinates with cross functional teams and production, as needed.
• Serve as communications advocate to partners and leaders within the retail and customer experience function.
• Applies a strategic lens to the communications support, internal and/or external, for Walgreens retail offering
• Manages media inquiries, proactive and reactive, related to Walgreens retail business
• Serves as primary, day to day contact for internal and external business partners
• Keeps a regular pulse on the industry covered and shares timely updates and implications with colleagues and business partners