Regional Head of Communications

Opportunity

Looking to drive internal change and external positioning in a communications role with regional and global impact and high business criticality? Svitzer is the world’s largest towage company and an independent brand within Maersk. We play a crucial role in keeping the global seaborne trade flowing by helping vessels navigate in and out of ports around the globe. We are looking for an experienced communicator to drive engaging strategic communications in the Europe region.

My name is Lise Demant, Managing Director for Svitzer Europe, and I’m looking for a new Regional Head of Communication to join our Svitzer Europe leadership team. The role will allow you to unfold your talent and work with most aspects of internal and external communications including stakeholder management, change management, issues and crisis management, communications advisory, content production and activation. The key focal point is to facilitate engagement through compelling communication at all levels of the organization from seafarers, frontline leaders, and senior management.

This is a 360° position, and you will be expected to master operational, tactic and strategic communications. You will also find that I am passionate both about our team and the business and that my style of communication is open and succinct. I appreciate that you are upright, structured and collaborative in your way of engaging with our team across functions in Svitzer Europe.

In this role, you will be centrally placed in the business with direct access to senior management, collaborating and networking with the global and regional communication teams in Svitzer and Maersk. You will be joining an international and very dynamic team with operations in seven countries and nearly 200 colleagues onshore, and 850 at sea and more than 120 tugboats.

 As Regional responsible, you will drive communication in an exciting business where communication plays a significant role in the regional business strategy. You will have the opportunity to work closely with functional and frontline leaders, develop your business acumen and be part of further developing communication as business support regionally and globally.

You will get colleagues from all over the world and get a broad network within Svitzer as well as within the Maersk Group, where learning and development opportunities are numerous.

This position is based in Svitzer Europe’s regional headquarters in Copenhagen. You will report to the Managing Director of Svitzer Europe and be part of the European Management Team. A lean and flat structure and our performance driven culture allow for significant impact on the performance of our team and our company. Travelling is to be expected as our business are located in many ports around Europe

You will be responsible for the overall communication strategy for Svitzer Europe, where stakeholder management and communicating our strategy internally and externally is in focus. Furthermore, you will be responsible for developing and delivering integrated communications for the business that engages internal and external stakeholders, building a positive reputation and helping to achieve business objectives. You are responsible for the regional communication, working closely with the Global Communications team to match corporate and regional priorities.

Key tasks and responsibilities:

• Align the overall business strategy with the communication strategy including messages, timing, formats, etc. 
  
  
• Maintain an annual regional communication calendar incl. prioritization and planning of communication activities and events.
  
  
• Develop content and updates for targeted key internal and external stakeholders to drive change and position Svitzer.
  
  
• Mature and advance the use of our app based internal communications platform.
  
  
• Support the business in strengthening relations with clients, unions, port authorities and other key external parties.
  
  
• Handling media: prepare media statements and releases. Respond to media enquiries – in close collaboration with Svitzer Global Head of Communication and Maersk.
  
  
• Serving as a communication consultant for management, coaching and supporting the regional management team and spokespeople on internal and external communications.
  
  
• Communicating on new strategic focus areas, including decarbonization and innovation
  
  
• Providing communications support for key projects across the business.
  
  

The ideal candidate has previous experience in leading and managing all aspects of internal and external communications activities in an international organization, either from a communication agency or in-house communication function. You are strategically strong and possess the ability to conceptualize, plan and implement. You are self-motivated with a high drive, a clear thinker, and a great writer.

To be successful, you need to demonstrate:

• A master’s degree in communication or a degree in journalism plus 5+ years relevant job experience.
  
  
• Track record of building communications capability in frontline leaders.
  
  
• Demonstrated ability to produce significant work volume within tight timeframes.
  
  
• Independent driven and operating as a team player.
  
  
• Highly developed sense of urgency coupled with a quality mind-set.
  
  
• A global mind-set and outstanding oral and written English communications skill, including effective writing skills for internal and external channels, executive messaging and presentations.
  
  
• Demonstrated ability to develop a communications plan that addresses a complex matrix of stakeholders with differing communications requirements.
  
  
• Strong understanding of the different communications channels and their effectiveness for different stakeholders, and ability to use these channels for maximum effect.
  
  

For further information about the position, please contact Managing Director for Svitzer Europe [email protected] / telephone +45 61163922 or Head of HR, Svitzer Europe [email protected] / telephone +45 23253410.

Building a Diverse Workplace

In Svitzer we value the diversity of our talent and will always strive to recruit the best person for the job – we value diversity in all its forms, including but not limited to gender, age, nationality, race, sexual orientation, disability, or religious beliefs. We are proud of our diversity and see it as a genuine source of strength for building high performing teams.

Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that members from some under-represented groups are less likely to apply for jobs if they don’t meet every single qualification. At Svitzer we are dedicated to building a diverse and inclusive workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles, and we are excited about hearing from you!

How to Apply

To apply for this role, please click on the 'Apply Now' button and create a Candidate Home to manage your applications.