Coca-Cola HBC
Director, Communications (Corporate Reputation)
Join one of the world’s most iconic and visible brands and help shape how The Coca-Cola Company navigates today’s complex external environment. As Director, Communications, you will lead external and internal communications that protect and strengthen the company’s reputation across the U.S. and Canada. You will play a central role in how Coca-Cola responds to emerging risks, engages with media and stakeholders, and articulates our commitments on topics that matter to consumers, communities, and the broader public.
What You’ll Do
- Lead crisis and issues management communications for The Coca-Cola Company’s North America Operating Unit (NAOU), creating clear messaging, response strategies, and real time guidance to the business and the bottling system.
- Anticipate emerging issues and reputational risks, shaping scenarios, playbooks, and proactive narratives before issues escalates.
- Contribute to the company’s Incident Management and Crisis Resolution (IMCR) program, collaborating with key stakeholder’s across the organization to mitigate and respond to operational events. Operate a part of the IMCR team when activated.
- Work with the broader communications team to develop and execute proactive internal and external communications plans around key topics to support crisis & issues management.
- Build and maintain relationships with journalists, industry groups, advocacy partners, and third-party organizations.
- Partner with stakeholders across the organization to ensure unified, accurate, and strategic messaging.
- Help articulate Coca-Cola’s positions and commitments on complex issues in ways that are clear, credible, and grounded in our values.
- Monitor media coverage, sentiment, and emerging issues; translate insights into action and influence internal stakeholders to take meaningful business steps when appropriate.
- Manage internal teams and agency partners for comprehensive digital monitoring.
- Enable NAOU’s digital risk intelligence, including online threats, misinformation, and reputational risks, and translating insights into clear guidance and action for leaders.
- Help ensure Coca-Cola shows up with a consistent voice across channels and stakeholder communications – operate with a clear understanding of today’s multichannel media environment, ensuring messaging is supported by the right narratives and assets to travel consistently across news, digital, and stakeholder channels.
- Partner with bottling partners to align messaging and responses during issues that impact the broader system.
Qualifications
- 7+ years in external communications, crisis/issues management, media relations, and/or public relations.
- Strong writing, editing, and message development skills under tight deadlines.
- Proven ability to influence and negotiate across stakeholders with differing interests.
- Experience navigating complex regulatory, societal, or activist-driven issues.
- Demonstrated sound judgment in high stakes situations, including navigating the company on when to speak, when to listen, and when not to engage. Discretion when managing sensitive topics, ambiguity, and competing perspectives in a highly visible brand environment.
- Ability to serve as (or prepare others to serve as) a spokesperson in high visibility situations.
- Exceptional judgment, discretion, and comfort operating in ambiguity.
- Strong relationship building skills across internal teams, media, and external partners.
What We Offer
- Opportunity to shape the reputation and narrative of one of the most recognized global brands.
- The opportunity to help protect and strengthen the reputation of one of the world’s most trusted and visible brands.
- Exposure to senior leaders and global communications teams and complex, high impact decision making.
- A collaborative and mission driven Public Affairs, Communications and Sustainability (PACS) culture focused on impact, learning, and growth.
- A seat at the table during moments that matter most – helping shape how one of the world’s most recognized brands is understood, trusted, and discussed.