Supervisor, Communications

Service Area: Corporate Services Department: Strategic Communications and Community Engagement Work Location: City Hall, 1 Carden Street Work Mode: Hybrid Job Type and Duration: Permanent, Full Time Vacancy Position Availability: 1 vacant position(s) Salary Range: $97,148.69-$121,435.86 per year Affiliation: Non-Union Posting Period: February 25, 2026 to March 15, :59 p.m.

Why Join the City of Guelph?

When you join the City of Guelph, you join a team of over 2000 employees who deliver services the community relies on every day. Together, we are bringing to life Guelph's vision of an inclusive, connected, and prosperous city where we look after each other and our environment. As a single tier municipality, we offer a variety of occupations and career specialities within our organization. Guided by the goals and objectives of the Future Guelph: Strategic Plan and committed to the Corporate Values of integrity, service, inclusion, wellness and learning, the candidate will aid in the achievement of the Community Vision for an inclusive, connected, prosperous city.

What we offer

We offer competitive wages and comprehensive benefits to meet the needs of our diverse employees. Many of our positions offer:

• Paid vacation days, increasing with years of service
• Paid personal days;
• Hybrid and flexible work arrangements;
• Defined benefit pension plan with OMERS, including 100-per-cent employer matching;
• Extended health and dental benefits, including Health Care Spending Account;
• Employee and Family Assistance Program;
• Parental leave top up program;
• Learning and development opportunities including tuition assistance
• Employee recognition programs.

Resumes are being accepted for the position of Supervisor, Communications within the Strategic Communications and Community Engagement Department.

Reporting to the Manager, Strategic Communications, the Supervisor, Communications provides operational leadership and strategic oversight to a team of communications professionals responsible for supporting corporate priorities and the City's Strategic Plan.

Under the direction of the Manager, the Supervisor ensures consistent quality, alignment, and performance of communications planning and delivery across the team. The supervisor establishes structured workflows, reinforces standard practices and provides coaching and guidance to strengthen strategic thinking, execution, discipline and measurable outcomes.

The Supervisor fosters a culture of collaboration, accountability and continuous improvement, ensuring communications initiatives are audience-focused, accessible, data-informed and aligned with corporate values of integrity, service, inclusion, wellness and learning in support of the Vision for an inclusive, connected and prosperous city.

Key duties and responsibilities

1. Strategic oversight and quality assurance

• Provide direction and guidance to communications staff in the development of integrated communications plans aligned with corporate priorities and the City's Strategic Plan.
• Review and evaluate communications plans and materials to ensure clarity of objectives, audience alignment, measurable outcomes and adherence to corporate standards.
• Ensure consistency, quality and strategic alignment across all communications initiatives before execution.
• Identify gaps, risks and misalignment in proposed plans and provide recommendations for refinement.
• Ensure third-party connections and relationships are maintained.

2. Operational leadership and workflow management

• Oversee team workload planning, prioritization and coordination to ensure resources are aligned with corporate priorities.
• Establish and maintain structured intake and workflow processes that support efficient, predictable and high-quality service delivery.
• Monitor performance timelines and ensure deliverables meet established service standards.
• Identify opportunities to strengthen operational processes and improve team effectiveness.

3. Performance measurement and continuous improvement

• Ensure communications plans incorporate appropriate performance measures and evaluation criteria.
• Review analytics and reporting prepared by staff to assess effectiveness and identify areas for optimization.
• Provide insights and reports to the Manager, Strategic Communications and the General Manager, Strategic Communications on performance trends and stakeholder feedback.
• Support the team in leveraging digital tools and data to inform decision-making.

4. People leadership and capability development

• Recruit, supervise, mentor and develop communications officers, coordinators and graphic design staff.
• Set clear performance expectations and provide ongoing coaching and constructive feedback to elevate the team's strategic and tactical capabilities.
• Foster a collaborative, inclusive and accountable work environment consistent with the city's leadership philosophy.
• Support the team's professional development aligned with emerging best practices in communications and digital tools.

5. Governance and risk management

• Ensure communications practices comply with corporate brand standards, accessibility legislation and acceptable policies.
• Identify potential reputational or stakeholder risks and escalate to the manager as appropriate.
• Ensure corporate purchasing polices are followed for RFP/RFQs – Roster of Vendors, etc.
• Participate in on-call rotation and support issues management as required.

Qualifications and requirements

• Considerable experience related to the duties listed above, normally acquired through the completion of a post-secondary degree, diploma, or post-degree certificate in Public Relations or Corporate Communications, Marketing/Digital Marketing or a related discipline and considerable experience in the field of communications. Candidates with equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered.
• Experience managing staff and leading work teams with the ability to coach for performance, motivate employees, and creating the conditions necessary for success.
• A critical-thinking, creative professional who delivers innovative communications solutions.
• Solid understanding of key strategic issues, corporate priorities and corporate communications objectives and imperatives.
• Ability to exercise good judgement, make data-informed decisions, think critically, and act with a client and resident-first focus.
• Excellent interpersonal skills with an ability to work with individuals of all professional levels and of diverse experience.
• Ability to establish and maintain co-operative and constructive relationships with individuals at all levels of the organization.
• Excellent project management, facilitation, research, writing and editing skills.
• Advanced understanding of strategic public relations best practices with significant experience developing, implementing and evaluating comprehensive communications programs.
• Ability to positively influence staff, exercise sound judgment, and execute decisions in a manner consistent with corporate values.
• Excellent communications skills.
• A collaborative leader with strong writing, project management, and team development skills, who thrives in a fast-paced, multi-stakeholder environment.
• Ability to work well under pressure, complete multiple assignments and function effectively in a high-volume workplace with tight deadlines.
• Experience inMicrosoft Office Suite, Adobe Suite, Google Analytics, content management systems, and various social media platforms (i.e. Facebook, X, Instagram, LinkedIn, BlueSky, etc.)
• Experience and/or knowledge of municipal government is considered an asset.

Hours of work35 hours per week, Monday to Friday, between the hours of 8:30 a.m and 4:30 p.m. This position is eligible for hybrid and flexible work arrangement options (as per current corporate policy).

How to applyQualified applicants are invited to apply using our online application system by March 15, 2026. Please note all applicants must complete the online questionnaire specific to this position at the time they submit their resume and cover letter in order to be considered.

Hiring Process TransparencyThe City of Guelph is committed to fair and transparent recruitment practices. Candidates who participate in an interview for this position will be notified of the hiring decision within 45 days of their interview. Notifications will be provided in writing, or through technology.

Commitment to Diversity & Accessibility

The City of Guelph is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive workplace where employees feel welcome, valued and engaged. Our employment policies strictly prohibit all forms of discrimination on any of the grounds in relevant laws. All employment practices are solely based on individual merit, qualifications, and organization's needs at the time. In keeping with the Ontario Human Rights Code and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, we are committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodation for qualified individuals in our job application procedures. If you need an accommodation in order to participate in the hiring process, you may contact us to make your needs known in advance.

Privacy Notice Personal information collected through the recruitment process will be used solely to determine eligibility for employment. We thank all candidates in advance; however, only those being considered for an interview will be contacted.