Associate Director - Communication and Engagement

Associate Director – Communication and Engagement

Role Overview

At EY Global Delivery Services (GDS) Brand, Marketing and Communications (BMC), we work closely with Talent and business leaders to bring EY’s people strategy to life. This role plays a critical part in shaping clear, consistent and impactful Talent communications across the organization.

The Talent Communications Leader is responsible for defining and delivering the enterprise-wide Talent narrative for EY GDS. This role partners with senior Talent leaders to translate strategy into compelling communications that engage employees, support change, and strengthen culture.

Talent Communication Strategy

• Define and lead the enterprise-wide Talent communications agenda in partnership with Talent, GDS leadership and BMC, ensuring alignment with EY GDS people priorities and business strategy.
• Translate Talent strategy, workforce priorities and cultural aspirations into a clear, cohesive communication narrative.
• Identify communication opportunities across the employee lifecycle, including moments that matter such as hiring, onboarding, performance, learning and progression.
• Drive structured, multi-year communication planning to ensure consistency, continuity and impact across Talent programs.

Talent Program Communications 

• Lead communications for core Talent programs including performance management, rewards and recognition, learning and development, careers, wellbeing and engagement.
• Ensure end-to-end communication integration across programs, reducing fragmentation and creating a unified employee experience.
• Partner with Talent COEs, Enablement and BMC teams to align messaging, timelines and delivery across initiatives.
• Simplify complex Talent processes, policies and frameworks into clear, employee-centric communication.

Executive Advisory and Stakeholder Management

• Serve as a strategic communications advisor to senior Talent leaders, GDS leadership and program sponsors.
• Shape leadership narratives, executive messaging, town halls, leader toolkits and key employee communications.
• Facilitate alignment workshops and discussions with stakeholders to ensure clarity of intent and messaging consistency.
• Build strong cross-functional relationships to enable seamless communication delivery across geographies and service lines.

Content Strategy, Storytelling and Employee Experience

• Define the content strategy for Talent communications, ensuring relevance, clarity and consistency across all channels.
• Lead development of key narratives, campaigns, toolkits and communication assets aligned to Talent priorities.
• Ensure all content is audience-centric, inclusive and aligned to EY tone of voice and brand standards.
• Drive storytelling that enhances employee understanding, engagement and connection to EY GDS culture and purpose.

Campaign Delivery and Channel Effectiveness

• Oversee the planning and execution of integrated communication campaigns across channels including intranet, email, events and leadership forums.
• Partner with publishing, analytics and digital teams to ensure effective use of communication platforms and tools.
• Ensure communication cadence is well-governed, avoiding overload while maintaining relevance and impact.
• Continuously optimize channel mix and formats to improve reach, engagement and comprehension.

Governance, Measurement and Capability Building

• Establish communication governance, frameworks and standards for Talent communications across GDS.
• Define success metrics and dashboards to track reach, engagement, understanding and behavior change where applicable.
• Use insights and data to continuously refine messaging, formats and delivery approaches.
• Mentor and guide team members and extended contributors, building capability across Talent and BMC stakeholders.

Skills and Competencies

• Strong enterprise mindset with the ability to connect Talent communications to business strategy and workforce priorities.
• Proven ability to influence and advise senior leaders with confidence and credibility.
• Experience leading complex, multi-country communication initiatives within matrixed organizations.
• Strong understanding of Talent processes including performance, rewards, careers, learning and employee engagement.
• Ability to translate Talent frameworks and policies into clear, practical and employee-focused communication.
• Experience supporting large-scale Talent transformations or culture programs.
• Exceptional writing, editing and narrative development skills across formats.
• Ability to simplify complex topics into clear, structured and engaging communication.
• Strong executive communication capability, including development of leadership messaging and presentations.
• Strong project management capabilities with ability to plan, prioritize and deliver across multiple programs.
• Ability to work in fast-paced, global environments and manage competing priorities effectively.
• High ownership, attention to detail and ability to operate with ambiguity.

• Master’s/Bachelor’s degree in Business, Economics, Public Policy, Communications, Journalism, or related field.
• 16+ years' experience in internal communications, employer and recruitment brand
• Experience in professional services, advisory, or enterprise-level insight functions is highly preferred.
• Proven track record of leading major cross geographic team