Internal Communications Editor in Chief

Unclassified - Pierre, SD

Full-time - Mid Level

Pierre, SD

About the position

At Ford Motor Company, we are committed to building a better world through innovative mobility solutions. As the Editor in Chief for the Internal Communications team, you will play a pivotal role in shaping the narrative that connects over 170,000 global employees to our mission and values. This position is not just about managing content; it's about inspiring and engaging our workforce through strategic storytelling and effective communication channels. You will oversee the @FordOnline and BlueOvalNow digital platforms, which serve as vital resources for current and former employees, providing them with essential company news and updates. Your leadership will ensure that our internal communications are not only informative but also compelling, fostering a sense of community and trust among our employees. In this role, you will be responsible for developing and executing a comprehensive editorial strategy that aligns with Ford's broader communications goals. You will lead a diverse team of content creators, including interactive designers, videographers, and internal reporters, to produce high-quality content that resonates with our audience. Your ability to analyze data and insights will be crucial in identifying storytelling opportunities that drive engagement and support our business objectives. You will also be tasked with re-evaluating and enhancing our editorial processes to maintain a high-performance internal communications newsroom. As a leader within the Ford Employee Communications team, you will inspire a culture of creativity and excellence, ensuring that our content not only informs but also motivates and engages our employees. Your work will directly impact the way our employees perceive and connect with Ford, making this a highly influential position within the organization.

Responsibilities

• Develop creative, streamlined editorial content for Ford's employees, partners, and alumni via the @FordOnline intranet, the BlueOvalNow employee app, digital signage, and alumni communications.
• Build and lead the editorial process and content team, including cross-functional partners, interactive designers, videographers, and internal reporters.
• Collaborate with the larger Ford Communications team to create editorial plans to support all major skill team moments like product launches.
• Re-evaluate and reimagine processes and practices as needed to consistently maintain a high-performance internal communications newsroom.
• Inspire the team to tell compelling stories through film and video, graphic design, and thoughtful prose tailored to internal audiences.
• Use data and insights to identify unique storytelling opportunities to drive attention, excitement, engagement, and business results.
• Identify and exploit emerging content and creative platform trends/software.
• Deliver multi-channel content propositions to optimize storytelling objectives.
• Act as a true organizational leader and partner within the overall Ford Employee Communications team to ensure the editorial strategy aligns with Employee Engagement.
• Inspire a culture of optimism, competitiveness, and creative excellence.
• Monitor and evaluate content performance and engagement.
• Utilize data and research to ensure that campaigns are successful.
• Balance staff and production budgets.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Communications, Public Relations, Journalism, English, or related field.
• 8-10 years of experience in communications, including experience in online editorial or content management roles.
• Five or more years of experience leading online publishing, channel planning, or content amplification strategies.

Nice-to-haves

• Experience in a news-making environment plus public relations or internal communications, digital content marketing, or content creation.
• Demonstrated track record developing comprehensive, integrated strategies designed to tell an enterprise story to internal audiences.
• Strong written and verbal communications skills with an ability to develop compelling stories that are persuasive, engaging, and quotable.
• Energetic and skilled storyteller - long form, short form, visual and up to date with latest trends.
• Self-starter, comfortable operating in a fast-paced and less-defined environment.
• Experience applying quantitative methods, including data, research, impact, and measurement to content strategy.
• Demonstrable experience with and knowledge of social and digital media platforms and tools to bring a mobile-first approach to our employee app.
• Continuous demonstration of superior problem-solving, decision-making, and project management skills.
• Experience managing a multi-disciplined, creative team.
• Ability to work with dispersed talent on virtual team projects.
• Strong knowledge of AEM-based publishing and collaboration tools such as Trello.

Benefits

• Immediate medical, dental, vision, and prescription drug coverage
• Flexible family care days, paid parental leave, new parent ramp-up programs, subsidized back-up child care
• Family building benefits including adoption and surrogacy expense reimbursement, fertility treatments
• Vehicle discount program for employees and family members and management leases
• Tuition assistance
• Established and active employee resource groups
• Paid time off for individual and team community service
• A generous schedule of paid holidays, including the week between Christmas and New Year's Day
• Paid time off and the option to purchase additional vacation time.