Description
This is a key role within the Corporate Relations organization, advancing Visa’s business interests in 5 countries of ECCA region (South-Easter Europe, including Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, and Albania) via the deployment of effective external communications.
The Communications Manager will report into Head of Corporate Communications in ECCA and liaise with the local team to create and execute a communications strategy designed to help amplify Visa’s strategic goals.
The ideal candidate will have prior experience implementing external communications strategy, be skilled in written and verbal communications, and have experience in media relations, communications to support executives, event planning, digital communications, etc.
Principle Responsibilities / Key Results Area
- Strategy: develops, executes and measures annual External Communications plan for SEE markets as part of the overall communications plan that strengthen Visa’s reputation and supports business objectives in this region.
- Storytelling: directs and manages PR agencies to ensure that corporate messages and news stories are managed and distributed in a way that enhances external perceptions of Visa and meets business objectives.
- Advisory: serves as an advisor to the SEE and CISSEE leadership teams in helping build powerful stories to external and internal audiences.
- Leadership: champions Visa Leadership Principles: accountability, empathy, credibility to support leaders in driving the company’s culture and flexibility.
- Partnership and Relationship Management: performs executive management & counseling, manages key stakeholders and clients’ engagement.
- Media relations and community engagement: develops and keeps relationships with associations, regional media, KOLs and influencers, local teams, and key stakeholders.
- Communications Planning & Program Management: multi-channel communications planning; project management audience mapping and prioritization.
- Agencies network management: identifies strengths and gaps in skills and capabilities across the agencies and develops and implements plan to ensure continuous improvement.
- Managing and coordinating crisis response: works with the Country Manager and Head of CISSEE Corporate Communications.
- Measurement and reporting: works with a local agency to manage media monitoring and progress, provides reporting on communications activities to internal stakeholders as needed.
- Finance: manages budgets for Corporate Relations in SEE, PR agencies and campaigns assigned.
- Compliance: ensures appropriate PR process are aligned with global and regional requirements, documented, in place and followed.
Qualifications
- 10+ years of experience in communications, preferably both in-house and within agency.
- Fluent Serbian / English speaker.
- Experience of developing and implementing corporate, B2B, technology and consumer PR.
- Experience competently managing complex business issues and developing communications responses.
- Proven record of generating stories that drive business outcomes.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Experience project managing projects, budget.
- Proven competency in managing agencies and working with teams remotely.
- Ability to manage multiple projects in a fast-paced environment under short timelines.