Mill Communications Leader

Variable pay may provide additional opportunities for financial awards. This job is eligible to participate in IP’s short –term incentive plan.

• Serve as a trusted advisor to mill leadership, providing strategic and tactical communications counsel.

• Develop and maintain an integrated mill communications plan aligned with facility, business, and corporate objectives.

• Translate enterprise and business strategies into clear, relevant, and actionable communications for mill audiences.

• Support change management initiatives through deliberate messaging and engagement strategies.
  

Employee Communications & Engagement

• Create, curate, and distribute communications that drive alignment, reinforce priorities, and enhance employee engagement.

• Own and continuously improve employee communication channels (e.g., newsletters, digital displays, message boards, town halls, meetings).

• Establish feedback loops and listening mechanisms to assess effectiveness and improve communication quality.

• Partner with mill leadership to foster a culture of transparency, trust, and two-way communication.
  

Crisis, Media & Reputation Management

• Align with business and corporate communications to support crisis readiness and response.

• Ensure facility crisis communication protocols are established, maintained, and understood.

• Coordinate and support media interactions, including drafting press releases and responses to inquiries.

• Facilitate media and crisis communications training for leaders as needed.
  

Community Engagement & External Relations

• Develop and execute a community engagement strategy that strengthens relationships, builds goodwill, and mitigates risk.

• Serve as the IP Foundation Ambassador, managing the end-to-end grant nomination and award process.

• Partner with Government Relations to coordinate local official or community le

  ader visits.

• Align site-level outreach with enterprise community engagement priorities.
  

Collaboration & Special Projects

• Work cross-functionally with HR, Safety, Operations, Government Relations, and Corporate Communications.

• Support facility, regional, or business-led projects, campaigns, and initiatives as assigned.

• Create, collect and disseminate messaging that drives deliberate improvement, facilitates alignment to realize results and supports employee engagement Develop, manage, enhance and sustain effective employee communication channels and feedback systems, such as a newsletter, message boards, mill-wide meetings, etc.

• Develop systems for the ongoing collection of leadership and employee feedback to gauge effectiveness of communication channels, systems, material and alignment

• Collaborate with mill leadership to create an environment that supports and encourages open employee feedback

• Align with business and corporate communications to coordinate crisis communications and ensure crisis communication processes and protocols are in place

• Work with corporate and business communications to respond to media inquiries and write news releases as needed
  

Key Challenges:

• Communicating effectively within a diverse workforce (hourly/salaried; union/non-union).

• Building trust and credibility in a 24/7 manufacturing environment.

• Balancing mill priorities with business and enterprise messaging.

• Staying agile while managing multiple, often time-sensitive priorities.

• Advancing communication methods through digital tools, AI, and new channels.

• Being on-call to support crisis or critical issues as needed.
  

• Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Public Relations, Journalism, or a related field.

• 5–7 years of experience in communications, employee engagement, or public relations.

• Demonstrated strength in employee communications and community relations.

• Exceptional writing, editing, presentation, and interpersonal communication skills.

• Proven ability to influence and build relationships at all levels of the organization.

• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage competing priorities independently.

• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office and presentation design tools.

• Must be able to wear all required safety equipment (PPE).

• Must be able to perform required duties in a mill/manufacturing setting.
  

Preferred:

• Experience in manufacturing, industrial, or labor-intensive environments.

• Familiarity with digital communication platforms, AI-enabled tools, and web-based content.

• Graphic design or desktop publishing experience.

• Internship or early-career experience in communications or media.
  

Key Competencies:

• Leadership Competencies

• Interpersonal Savvy

• Listening

• Managerial Courage

• Action Oriented

• Planning & Priority Setting

• Time Management

• Dealing with Ambiguity

• Functional & Technical Competencies

• Strategic Message Development

• Channel Strategy & Optimization

• Speaking & Presentation Development

• Change & Crisis Communications