About Kingsdale Advisors:

With offices in Toronto and New York, Kingsdale Advisors is the leading shareholder services and advisory firm, having acted on the largest and most high-profile proxy fights and transactions. Since 2003, public companies across North America have looked to the expertise of Kingsdale Advisors to help them reach out to shareholders and secure the success of transactions or resolutions driven by shareholder votes. Kingsdale Advisors’ multidisciplinary team offers an array of specialized services focused on strategic and defensive advisory, governance advisory and proxy analytics, strategic communications, and voting analytics.

Your Role & How You Will Contribute:

Reporting to the Acting Head of Marketing and Communications, the Associate Director, Strategic Communications will play a leadership role in the strategic development and execution of communications campaigns, strategies, and plans for clients in special and contested situations (i.e., proxy contests, hostile bids, and other fight/crisis mandates). This role will also focus on issues management, crisis communications, and reputation management while working in high-pressure environments with multiple clients.

The successful candidate will be an experienced business writer, who can develop thought leadership content across multiple platforms and formats. They will also provide strategic advisory support, ensuring the highest quality standards in communications while positioning Kingsdale and its clients for success.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead the development and execution of strategies and messaging for unique client needs, ensuring cohesive and impactful communication that controls the narrative.
• Prepare client presentations, press releases, shareholder letters, and other deliverables under tight deadlines.
• Provide integrated strategic communications and advisory support, including issues management, crisis communications, and reputation management.
• Develop and repurpose thought leadership content for Kingsdale, WeShall, and its portfolio brands, including long and short-form pieces such as insight articles, white papers, Op-Eds, case studies, and research reports (e.g., Proxy Season Review).
• Write, edit, and produce high-quality content for various channels, including social media, websites, presentations, email campaigns, videos, and corporate materials.
• Continuously identify opportunities to showcase the company’s thought leadership and executives through webinars, podcasts, video content, and LinkedIn articles.
• Help evolve corporate narratives and positioning on topics like shareholder activism and ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance), ensuring alignment with industry trends.
• Cultivate relationships with journalists, publications, and other relevant parties to amplify client success stories and increase earned media coverage.
• Measure and report the performance of content outreach, assessing ROI and KPIs.
• Stay current on industry trends, proxy advisor policies, and legal developments, translating insights into strategic content opportunities.
• Partner with internal teams, clients, and third-party advisors to deliver integrated and effective messaging across platforms.
• Manage social media campaigns, including remarketing initiatives, and oversee basic graphic design needs as required.

Education & Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in journalism, marketing, communications, or a related field.
• 5+ years of experience in public relations, strategic communications, or business journalism, ideally working with financial clients or in capital markets.
• Proven experience in issues management, crisis communications, and reputation management.
• Demonstrated ability to prepare strategic messaging, thought leadership content, and client-facing materials.
• Strong business acumen and ability to analyze industry trends, translating them into engaging content.
• Experience in planning and executing digital and social media campaigns.

Required Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

• Exceptional business writing and editing skills with the ability to adapt for varied audiences and formats.
• Expertise in managing crisis situations requiring immediate attention, with the ability to remain calm under pressure.
• Strategic thinker and writer, with a strong ability to conceptualize, develop, and promote long and short form branded content across relevant channels.
• Strong organizational, multitasking, and time management skills, with the ability to manage multiple content/editorial projects simultaneously.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook), with advanced PowerPoint proficiency. Graphic design experience is a plus.
• Collaborative business partner who can work with subject matter experts to gather insights, research, and produce high-quality branded content.
• High ethical standards and attention to detail in content creation and communication delivery.
• Knowledge of digital and social media campaign planning and execution.

Equity Statement

Kingsdale Advisors is a staunch advocate for diversity in all its forms, and especially welcomes applications from members of the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour) community, women, people with disabilities, the LGBTQ+ community, and those of diverse intersectional identities. Accommodations are available on request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process as well as part of employment with Kingsdale Advisors. In accordance with the AODA Act, for applicants with disabilities accommodation will be provided throughout the search process.