Director, External Affairs & Communications

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At Travel Alberta, we are redefining what it means to be a tourism and economic development leader in Canada. As the provincial destination management organization, we’ve embraced an ambitious goal: doubling Alberta’s tourism sector to $25 billion in annual visitor spending by 2035. This bold vision reflects our commitment to transforming Alberta into a premier destination for both visitors and investors, driving sustainable economic growth while creating unforgettable itineraries and experiences that showcase our breathtaking landscapes, vibrant cities, and rich cultural heritage.

Role Summary Reporting to the Vice President, Strategy, Research & Communications, the Director, External Affairs & Communications is a senior leadership role responsible for leading Travel Alberta’s external affairs and communications functions, including stakeholder relations, government engagement, organizational positioning, and media relations strategy.

The Director strengthens Travel Alberta’s influence, credibility, and stakeholder confidence across Alberta’s tourism ecosystem, advancing the organization’s mandate to grow the value of tourism through strong partnerships with government, industry, Indigenous communities, destination organizations, and key tourism stakeholders provincially, nationally, and internationally.

The role provides strategic oversight of external affairs, communications, and media relations to ensure Travel Alberta maintains a clear, consistent, and trusted voice with government, industry, media, and the broader tourism sector.

A primary focus of the position is leading and developing a high-performing team responsible for external affairs, stakeholder engagement, communications strategy, media relations support, and executive engagement activities. The Director is accountable for building team capability, fostering a high-performance culture, and ensuring clear priorities, accountability, and alignment with organizational goals. Corporate communications and executive engagement activities, including events, are supported through specialized team members and overseen strategically to ensure alignment with organizational priorities and stakeholder impact.

Working closely with internal partners across Strategy, Research & Communications, Destination and Commercial Development, Investor Relations, and Brand & Content, the Director ensures integrated planning and coordinated execution of external engagement and communications strategies.

This role requires strong political acuity, exceptional leadership capability, sound judgment, and the ability to operate effectively in complex, high-profile environments.

Key Responsibilities 1. External Affairs & Stakeholder Relations:

• Lead the development and execution of Travel Alberta’s external affairs strategy, with primary focus on government shareholder relations, stakeholder engagement, and industry partnerships.
• Build and sustain trusted relationships with government ministries, agencies, tourism operators, industry associations, destination organizations, Indigenous communities, municipalities, and other key stakeholders.
• Provide strategic counsel to the Vice President, President & CEO, and Executive Team on stakeholder engagement, government relations, and external positioning.
• Represent Travel Alberta in senior-level meetings, consultations, industry forums, and strategic engagements as required.
• Monitor the external environment and identify emerging issues, risks, and opportunities that may impact Travel Alberta’s mandate, priorities, or stakeholder confidence.
• Advance coordinated engagement strategies that strengthen alignment across Alberta’s tourism ecosystem and support sector growth.

2. Communications Strategy & Media Leadership:

• Provide strategic leadership for Travel Alberta’s internal and external communications strategy, ensuring alignment with organizational priorities, stakeholder needs, and tourism growth objectives.
• Guide the development of organizational messaging, positioning, executive communications, and key narratives that support Travel Alberta’s mandate.
• Provide oversight of media relations strategy, including proactive media engagement, issues awareness, and guidance on high-profile or sensitive media matters.
• Support executive leadership in preparing for media interactions, interviews, and public-facing engagements.
• Ensure communications approaches are coordinated, consistent, and aligned across internal teams and external partners.
• Strengthen Travel Alberta’s public voice and visibility through strategic communications planning and informed media engagement.

3. Leadership & Team Development:

• Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing team responsible for external affairs, stakeholder engagement, communications, media relations support, and executive engagement.
• Set clear direction, priorities, and performance expectations while fostering accountability, collaboration, and a strong service-oriented culture.
• Build leadership capability within the team, supporting growth and professional development.
• Strengthen cross-functional collaboration and ensure alignment across internal partners to support integrated external engagement.
• Drive employee engagement and cultivate a culture of trust, performance, inclusion, and continuous improvement.

4. Operational Leadership & Oversight:

• Provide oversight for key operational elements of the external affairs and communications function, including coordination of resources, budgets, and planning processes.
• Ensure appropriate allocation and stewardship of resources in alignment with organizational priorities and approved budgets.
• Provide input into planning, reporting, and performance measurement related to external affairs, communications, and stakeholder engagement activities.
• Ensure compliance with Travel Alberta policies, governance standards, and operational requirements.

Required Qualifications 1. Education and Experience:

• University degree in Communications, Public Relations, Political Science, Business, Public Affairs, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Minimum of ten (10) years of progressive leadership experience in external affairs, government relations, stakeholder engagement, communications strategy, or public affairs.
• Demonstrated experience leading high-performing teams and developing leadership capability in a complex, multi-stakeholder environment.
• Proven experience advising executive leadership and managing high-profile external relationships and strategic initiatives.
• Strong understanding of media relations and experience guiding media strategy supporting executive media engagement.
• Experience within tourism, economic development, government, or public-sector environments is considered an asset.
• Media training experience or certification is considered a strong asset.
• Ability to travel up to 20% of the time.

Core Competencies

• External Affairs & Stakeholder Influence:
  • Builds trusted relationships and advances organizational priorities through effective stakeholder engagement and strategic influence.
• Strategic Communications Leadership:
  • Leads communications strategy and ensures alignment of messaging, positioning, and organizational narrative.
• Leadership & People Development:
  • Builds and develops high-performing teams through clear direction, coaching, accountability, and a commitment to growth and engagement.
• Media Strategy & Advisory:
  • Provides informed oversight of media relations and supports effective engagement with media and public-facing communications.
• ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Executive Advisory & Influence:
  • Provides strategic counsel and supports executive leadership through high-quality advice, engagement strategies, and stakeholder insight.
• Issues Awareness & Sound Judgment:
  • ​​​​​​​Applies strong judgment in navigating sensitive issues, stakeholder dynamics, and emerging risks.
• ​​​​​​​Collaboration & Enterprise Alignment:
  • Ensures integrated planning and alignment across internal teams and external partners.
• Resilience & Adaptability:
  • Operates effectively in complex, fast-paced, and high-profile environments with evolving priorities.
• Entrepreneurial Mindset:
  • Acts with initiative and adaptability in a dynamic environment, thinking strategically while driving practical solutions. Actively fosters a collaborative, team-first mindset - building alignment across functions, sharing ownership of outcomes, and contributing to collective success while navigating ambiguity and delivering results.

*We kindly thank all agency partners, we will NOT require support to fill this role. We kindly request no phone calls nor emails*