Communications Manager

About the role

The Communications Manager is a trusted strategic partner, advisor and doer within the Components segment - one of Cummins’ five operating segments. This role serves as the communications partner for one of the segment’s three unique business units (BUs) and its Vice President & General Manager, shaping and executing communications that advance business priorities, strengthen leadership visibility and connect employees to the business’ and company's purpose and strategy.

Working closely with leaders and subject matter experts, this role translates complex business priorities into clear, compelling narratives and campaigns. It works independently within the business and also collaboratively with the Components and Accelera corporate communications team and the central communications function to ensure alignment to the big picture and top-level messaging.

Beyond BU support, this role will also provide communications support for select additional business or functional leaders and initiatives as needed.

What you’ll do

The Communications Manager plans, manages, executes, measures and refines communications plans, events and campaigns. This sharp strategist will bring impeccable writing and storytelling skills to develop effective and accurate internal and external communications - working closely with subject matter experts and senior leaders.

In this role, you will make an impact in the following ways:

• Develops and continues to evolve the assigned BU’s communications plan, in alignment with the segment’s and company’s communications and strategic objectives
• Serves as communications point for the BU’s Vice President & General Manager, acting as an advisor and thought partner
• Represents the communications team and function within the business and maintains a strong connection between business needs and functional requirements and expectations
• Leads tactical execution of the BU communications plans and development of all related materials
• Provides necessary support for other Components leaders or initiatives, as assigned
• Manages logistics and execution for key communications events
• Appropriately utilizes and manages relationships with vendors
• Identifies and manages process improvement and functional excellence where applicable
• Gains alignment and simplifies complex problems or messages across multiple stakeholders
• Writes, edits, and creates effective and creative content and strategic messaging and adheres to relevant style guide
• Represents, adheres to and champions Cummins brand
• Sets targets for data-driven decisions; compiles, analyzes, and utilizes metrics, data, and analytics to ensure continuous improvement of communications strategies
• Understands and effectively implements digital tools, trends and channels
• Solution-oriented and drives action to achieve communications and business objectives
• Prioritizes and effectively manages scope to ensure focus on the most important work and highest areas of impact

To be successful in this role you will need the following:

• Professional and confident presence; adept presentation skills; well-spoken, persuasive and able to gain buy-in and alignment with stakeholders at the executive level
• Expert strategic listening skills and a willingness to ask the clarifying questions; ability to accurately distill takeaways and action items
• Extensive experience in communications strategy, tactical execution and best practices
• Proven ability to navigate a complex organization
• Proactive mindset with the ability to ideate and initiate rather than simply execute on asks
• High level of discernment and good decision making
• Comfortable engaging in constructive conflict and strong sense of prioritization
• Impeccable writing skills and creative communication design to present information in a compelling and accurate way appropriate for the audience
• Ability to effectively gather, interpret and leverage data to inform communications strategy
• Digital media savvy, with a high level of comfort utilizing enterprise communication and content management systems
• Values differences, recognizing the benefit that different perspectives and cultures bring to an organization.

Education, Licenses, Certifications:

• College, university, or equivalent degree in communications, marketing, or a related subject required.

• MBA, Master's in Communications, Master's in Marketing, or equivalent degree highly preferred.

Experience:

• Digital experience preferred (emerging trends, digital for business, metrics, paid vs. organic, advertising content).

• Graphic design skills, visual communications channel capabilities preferred.

• Global perspective and experience preferred.

• Client/account management preferred.

• System integration/account management for marketing roles preferred.

• 6 Sigma, Value Stream Transformation, continuous improvement experience preferred.

• B2B experience preferred.

• Communications experience in a complex corporate environment, ideally a global company, highly preferred
• Minimum of 10 years of communications or related working experience preferred
• Samples of business writing and communications strategy work preferred