Specialist, Media Relations

Definity is the parent company to some of Canada’s most long-standing and innovative insurance brands, including Economical Insurance, Sonnet Insurance, Family Insurance Solutions, and Petline Insurance. Our ambition is to be one of Canada’s leading and most innovative property and casualty insurers. We can’t do that without our people, so we embrace and encourage a culture that’s collaborative, ambitious, rewarding, and empowering.

We offer a flexible, hybrid work experience where employees work from the office and virtually depending on the type of work they are doing and who they are working with. Bring your true self and be a part of our journey. It’s better here.

Reporting to the Manager, External Communication, the Media Relations Specialist will play an important role in our team’s mission to inspire and engage our audiences through compelling stories. The role will be responsible for managing media relationships, producing external communications, supporting thought leadership initiatives, collaborating on brand journalism opportunities, and analyzing performance to help refine future focus. It will work closely with a collaborative team of communicators who specialize in social media, B2B and employee communication, and content marketing.

This role is an excellent fit for a PR professional with an interest in financial services who wants to work cross-functionally with multiple stakeholders and business units.

This role is based in Toronto, ON. We are currently working a hybrid model, with two days per week in our home office and some travel between Toronto and Waterloo for team gatherings.

Who we’re looking for:

• You have a good sense of trends and current affairs, and understand what makes a story timely, relevant, and compelling
• You are good at connecting the dots within and beyond a company to build salient stories
• You have experience working with mainstream and non-traditional media and influencers across Canada
• You’re well-organized, resourceful, efficient, and have impeccable attention to detail
• You’re adept at identifying and using different formats — written, visual, audio, video, digital, events — to create the best possible content
• Your written and oral communication skills are exceptional
• You can work closely with senior leaders to make complex ideas accessible to a wide audience
• You have excellent research, analysis, writing, and editing skills
• You’re inspired by data and insights and can capably pick out story lines and infuse key points to strengthen narrative
• You’re professional, friendly, and courteous — excellent at building relationships across diverse groups, including internal stakeholders and external business partners
• You’re always open to listening, learning, and expanding your skills
• You’re comfortable taking initiative and being a self-starter
• You’re capable of navigating and operating within a fast-paced environment
• You’re excited at the possibility of creativity and innovation in your work

Your responsibilities:

• Identify opportunities for our brand to engage and participate in relevant topics and conversations
• Actively participate in cross-functional brainstorms
• Develop and deploy a wide range of innovative communication tactics that align to program priorities and objectives, as well as support overall brand positioning
• Collaborate closely with members of the communication, marketing, and operations teams to plan, integrate, and publish content
• Maintain strong collaborative working relationships among key internal and external stakeholders
• Support media relations, engagement, and outreach
• Analyze performance and prepare regular reports outlining areas of success and opportunity

Experience and skills:

• Must have at least 2-3 years of media relations experience, ideally within financial services or a public company environment
• Proven ability to develop and maintain strong relationships with media, influencers, and internal stakeholders
• Superb content planning and creation capabilities to further storytelling and drive engagement
• Experience creating innovative content about complex issues
• Experience collaborating with integrated multi-channel marketing and communication teams
• Excellent project management, channel planning, and problem-solving skills
• Proven experience in delivering effective, engaging communications
• Proven ability to measure and analyze impact of communication and engagement efforts
• Knowledge of French is an asset but not a requirement

Education:

• University degree in English, Communications, Journalism, Marketing, Business, or Finance
• Post-graduate certification in related discipline an asset

Salary Range is: $$55,800 - $102,800

 

Interested in this role, but don't meet every requirement? We encourage you to apply! We know from experience that a candidate doesn't need 100% of the qualifications listed to bring incredible value to our team. We're actively seeking diverse backgrounds and perspectives to help us make insurance better. At Definity, inclusion, diversity, and equity aren't just "nice to have" — they're essential to our success.

What's in it for you?

• Hybrid work schedule for most roles
• Company share ownership program
• Pension and savings programs, with company-matched RRSP contributions
• Paid volunteer days and company matching on charitable donations
• Educational resources, tuition assistance, and paid time off to study for exams
• Focus on inclusion with employee groups, support for gender affirmation surgery, access to BIPOC counsellors, access to programs for working parents
• Wellness and recognition programs
• Discounts on products and services

Actual salary for the role may vary depending on work location of the successful candidate and other factors including but not limited to, skills, education, experience, working conditions and the local labour market.  In addition to base pay, eligible employees may participate in various incentive plans which are paid out at the discretion of the company and subject to individual and company performance.

Go ahead and expect a lot — you deserve it.
It's better here — but don't take our word for it. Definity was named by Great Place to Work® as one of the Best Workplaces™ in Canada for women, for youth, and for inclusion.

Our inclusive work environment welcomes diversity and supports accessibility. If you require accommodation at any time during the recruitment process, please let us know by contacting [email protected].

Background checks
This role requires successful clearance of background checks (including criminal checks and leadership references).

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