Integrated Communications Manager

Job Title: Integrated Communications Manager

FLSA Status: Exempt

Classification: Full-Time

Hours: Monday - Friday, 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM with flexibility to accommodate urgent needs outside standard hours (including evenings and weekends)

Pay Rate: Range starts at $69,591/year

Summary:
The Integrated Communications Manager serves as the lead for internal and external communications for the Omaha Zoological Society and its two attraction brands, Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium and Lee G. Simmons Wildlife Safari Park. This role protects and strengthens brand reputation, helps shape the public narrative, and ensures communications efforts align with organizational priorities, marketing initiatives, and guest experiences.

As the organization’s primary media contact and spokesperson, this role manages day-to-day public relations and media relations efforts, monitors brand sentiment, identifies emerging issues, and leads both proactive and reactive communications initiatives. The Integrated Communications Manager builds and nurtures relationships with local, regional, and national media partners while serving as a key connector across campaigns, events, and guest experiences.

Grounded in the organization’s mission and values, this role translates initiatives into clear and compelling narratives across internal audiences, external audiences, and partner channels while balancing factual communications with engaging storytelling. Partnering closely with leadership and collaborating with cross-functional teams, the Integrated Communications Manager uses analytics and media intelligence to inform communications strategy, strengthen share of voice, and support leadership in guiding how the organization communicates across media, internal communications, and digital storytelling channels. This position reports directly to the Vice President of Marketing and Communications.

Duties and Responsibilities (include but not limited to):

Narrative Strategy and Brand Reputation

• Lead the development and execution of an integrated communications strategy that shapes the public narrative, protects and strengthens brand reputation, increases share of voice, and supports organizational priorities across the Omaha Zoological Society and its two attractions, Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium and Lee G. Simmons Wildlife Safari Park.
• Monitor media coverage and public sentiment to identify emerging issues and signals that may impact brand perception. Provide response guidance to leadership and coordinate aligned communications across teams.
• Act as the organization’s primary media contact and spokesperson, building and nurturing strong relationships with local, regional, and national media while actively shaping and managing the public narrative.
• Identify and develop storytelling opportunities that translate campaigns, guest experiences, and organizational milestones into clear public narratives.
• Guide storytelling development across earned, owned, and digital channels.

Media Relations and Public Narrative

• Manage day-to-day reactive communications efforts when issues arise to ensure timely, accurate, and strategic responses.
• Partner with leadership across the organization to provide strategic counsel on messaging, positioning, and public-facing communications tied to emerging issues, initiatives, and long-term goals.
• Monitor media coverage and brand sentiment through media monitoring and alert systems; analyze share of voice, trends, and performance metrics, and translate insights into strategic recommendations.
• Coordinate crisis and issues communications planning, establish structured response protocols and guiding the organization’s narrative during high-visibility or sensitive situations.

Integrated Storytelling and Internal Alignment

• Align public relations efforts with marketing plans to ensure earned media, campaign messaging, partner communications, and on-site experiences are aligned and mutually reinforcing.
• Support internal communications strategy in collaboration with People and Culture and department leaders, ensuring employees are informed, aligned, and connected to organizational goals.
• Oversee the strategy, structure, and ongoing management of the organization’s intranet platform (SharePoint), supporting an efficient internal communications system that promotes clarity, transparency, and access to information.
• Oversee communications planning for organization wide All Teams meetings, coordinating with internal teams to support moderation, recording, and post-meeting summaries that reinforce key messages and organizational priorities.
• Develop and maintain key messaging frameworks, media kits, FAQs, and briefing materials that ensure consistency across internal audiences, external audiences, and partner channels.
• Contribute to annual planning by establishing measurable communications goals aligned with marketing strategies and broader organizational objectives.
• Model strong communication practices and foster collaboration across departments to ensure a unified, process-driven approach to storytelling and reputation management.

Key Competencies:

• Brand Reputation and Narrative Leadership: Protects and strengthens the organization’s reputation by shaping the public narrative, managing brand sentiment, and ensuring messaging reflects mission, values, and organizational priorities.
• Integrated Communications Strategy: Aligns public relations, marketing campaigns, events, guest experiences, internal communications, and partner channels into a cohesive and consistent storytelling approach.
• Media and Issues Management: Builds and nurtures strong media relationships while leading proactive outreach and structured responses during high-visibility or sensitive situations.
• Internal Communications and Systems Execution: Designs and manages efficient, process-driven communication systems, including intranet strategy and organization-wide messaging forums, to ensure clarity and alignment.
• Data-Informed Decision Making: Uses media monitoring, alert systems, and analytics to evaluate performance, guide strategy, and strengthen share of voice and impact.
• Executive and Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partners effectively across leadership and departments, connecting the dots across initiatives and reinforcing consistent messaging.
• Editorial Excellence: Maintains exceptional standards for clarity, tone, accuracy, and brand consistency.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Exceptional writing and editing skills with the ability to balance factual communications with engaging storytelling, adapting tone and style across internal audiences, external audiences, and partner channels.
• Strong editorial judgment with the ability to navigate both hard news communications and narrative storytelling, ensuring the organization’s voice remains credible, engaging, and mission aligned.
• Strong understanding of public relations best practices, media landscapes, journalist engagement, and earned media strategy.
• Demonstrated experience leading internal communications strategies, including collaboration on intranet platforms such as SharePoint.
• Ability to influence digital, social, and campaign communications through close partnership with content and social media teams rather than direct execution.
• Proficiency in analyzing communications performance using tools such as Cision, Meltwater, Google Analytics, and social dashboards to assess impact and inform strategy.
• Ability to translate complex data and insights into clear, executive-level reporting that demonstrates communications effectiveness and ROI.
• Strong organizational and project management skills with the ability to balance multiple priorities and deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Excellent interpersonal skills with a proven ability to build trust, collaborate effectively, and influence stakeholders at all levels of the organization.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and collaboration tools to support planning, content development, performance reporting, and internal communications workflows.
• High attention to detail with strong proofreading and quality assurance skills to ensure accuracy, consistency, and brand alignment.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

• Provides direct supervision and strategic guidance to the Social Media and Content Specialist, ensuring alignment between communications strategy, content development, and brand storytelling.

Required Experience and Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Public Relations, Marketing, Journalism, or a related field.
• Minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible public relations and communications experience, ideally within a nonprofit, mission-driven, or complex consumer-facing organization.
• Experience acting as a primary media contact and leading comprehensive media relations programs within a high-visibility environment.
• Demonstrated leadership managing communications across both proactive campaigns and reactive, time-sensitive situations.
• Oversight of internal communications initiatives, including intranet platform management (e.g., SharePoint) and organization-wide messaging forums.
• Working knowledge of media monitoring platforms and analytics tools to assess communications impact and guide strategic direction.
• Experience preparing and reporting to executive leadership, including presenting communications strategy, performance insights, and reputational considerations.
• Track record of operating effectively in fast-paced environments while balancing competing priorities and maintaining message discipline.
• Collaboration with organizational leadership to support public-facing communications, strategic messaging, and executive visibility.

Candidates might be (depending on position) required to pass a pre-employment background check, drug test, negative skin tuberculosis test, and possess a valid driver’s license with a good history.

Work Environment/Physical Demands:

• Works in an office setting but frequently conducts on-site visits to both the Zoo and Wildlife Safari Park. This may include indoor and outdoor areas.
• The position typically involves regular office hours, but it can also demand flexibility to address issues or emergencies that may arise outside typical working hours, including weekends and evenings.
• Position requires occasional lifting and carrying of items, equipment, or supplies (usually 25 pounds or less).
• Ability to sit, stand, bend, stoop, crouch, kneel, reach upward, twist, and have good lateral movement.

Travel Required:

• Ability to travel to attend annual job-related conferences or other zoo-related functions. Travel requirements are less than 5%.

Remote Work:

• This is to be determined in conjunction with the Department Head and Zoo policy.

DISCLAIMER

The information presented indicates the general nature and level of work expected of employees in this classification. It is not designed to contain, nor is it to be interpreted as, a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and objectives required of employees assigned to this job.

Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer as defined by the EEOC.