Senior Vice President, Community Engagement & Risk Communications - FEMA CERC

Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide - Washington, DC

Full-time - Senior

Washington, DC

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services

About the position

Ogilvy is seeking a highly driven and passionate Senior Vice President for Community Engagement and Risk Communications, primarily to support our ongoing work with FEMA on the Community Engagement and Risk Communication (CERC) contract. This role is pivotal in helping to build a more resilient country in the face of natural disasters and climate change. The successful candidate will work within a large, dynamic team that includes experts in behavior change, disaster resilience, risk communications, emergency management, community outreach, partnership building, community planning, and engineering. This program operates on national, regional, and community levels, engaging a wide array of stakeholders to empower communities in disaster mitigation and climate adaptation efforts. In this management-level full-time position, the Senior Vice President will collaborate with colleagues in Washington, D.C., and across 10 regional offices to achieve significant results in understanding local vulnerabilities and driving actions to strengthen communities. The role involves serving as a key lead for a portion of a large contract, managing strategic, personnel, delivery, and financial aspects of the work. The candidate will provide expertise in strategic communications related to community resilience, manage relationships with regional partners, and develop tailored programs to meet specific community needs. The position requires mobilizing integrated teams towards action and results, maintaining high levels of team effectiveness, and ensuring quality delivery of work. The Senior Vice President will also foster collaboration with internal and external partners, anticipate and address client needs, and navigate challenges effectively. Additionally, the role involves resource management and advising on integrated communications project plans, ensuring that projects are completed on time and within budget.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a key lead for a portion of a large contract, collaborating with the contract leadership team to manage strategic, personnel, delivery, and financial aspects of the work.
• Provide expertise in the delivery of strategic communications and content related to community resilience.
• Manage relationships with regional partners and serve as a senior strategic partner on the development of tailored programs.
• Mobilize and drive integrated teams towards forward progress, action, and results.
• Develop and maintain high levels of team effectiveness (trust, communication, collaboration, productivity, diversity, engagement).
• Partner with internal teams to ensure high quality delivery and execution of the work.
• Foster collaboration with internal and external partners to share best practices and drive towards the client's overall strategic vision.
• Anticipate and address both internal and client needs.
• Effectively and impartially navigate teams through challenges.
• Work with Resource Manager to ensure right resource allocation and management on any given program/project.
• Review and advise on integrated communications project plans (timeline, budget, scope of work, staff plan) spanning client services, strategy, creative, production, media, measurement, and other subject matter expertise.

Requirements

• 13+ years of experience in strategic communications, including developing and managing relationships, preferably in an agency setting and for a government client.
• 6+ years of supervisory experience.
• Management level experience with a multi-faceted government contract.
• Superior client service and client relationship skills.
• Proactive, problem solver, team player.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively with a broad spectrum of audiences from Federal, State, and local officials to thought leaders, business leaders, and local residents.
• Familiarity with or interest in equity-centered approaches to community engagement and program delivery.
• Proven ability to manage staff across multiple projects efficiently and effectively.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively with teams across the nation is essential.
• Excellent written and verbal communications skills are essential.
• Willingness to travel and work onsite at client offices.
• Demonstrated capability to get things done on budget and on time, established sense of business and financial acumen.
• Ability to work with and manage sub-contractors and vendor relationships.
• An understanding of the dynamics and workings of the agency's process as it relates to the client's business.
• Demonstrable knowledge of client and agency operations and working knowledge of Ogilvy's capabilities.
• Professional competency in written and oral Spanish a plus.

Nice-to-haves

• Professional competency in written and oral Spanish.

Benefits

• Opportunities for professional development and growth.
• Supportive work environment with a focus on collaboration and integrity.
• Autonomy to seek out new paths and better ways of doing things.
• Access to a network of experts across various disciplines.