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Reports To

President & CEO

Job Overview

The Director of External Relations leads Genome Atlantic’s strategic communications and plays a key role in supporting the President & CEO in building and maintaining strong relationships with funders, partners, and other stakeholders.

In this role, you will be responsible for developing and executing a comprehensive external relations strategy that supports the organization’s goals and engages a wide range of audiences – from government and industry to media and the broader public. This role will also play a key part in building on and evolving Genome Atlantic’s external communications approach, strengthening ongoing visibility, engagement, and promotion across all channels.

You bring both strategic insight and hands-on experience, allowing you to lead planning and delivery across all facets of external relations. This includes producing communications materials such as brochures, annual reports, websites, newsletters, videos, presentations, and social media content, as well as working closely with project teams to ensure alignment with strategic messaging.

As part of the Management Team, you will contribute to operational and fundraising plans and provide strategic advice on emerging political, business, and academic developments that may present opportunities or challenges.

Why This Position Is Important To Our Organization

This position is central to advancing Genome Atlantic’s mission and visibility. As part of a small, collaborative team, the Director, External Relations, plays a vital role in shaping how we tell our story and build relationships. Working closely with colleagues across the organization, this role ensures our communications and stakeholder engagement strategies are aligned with organizational priorities and opportunities. By leading external communications and cultivating key relationships, the Director helps position Genome Atlantic to secure funding, influence policy, and drive impact across Atlantic Canada’s key sectors, translating strategy into clear, consistent execution.

Key Responsibilities And Duties Include:

- Develop and execute Genome Atlantic’s external relations plan in alignment with organizational goals.
- Build and maintain robust relationships with key stakeholders.
- Develop and execute a range of communications materials, including annual reports, web and social media content, videos, newsletters, and presentations, as part of a broader, ongoing communications and promotion strategy to maintain strong visibility and engagement over time.
- Manage external communications contractors, including writers, translators, graphic designers, web and digital specialists, videographers, and communications consultants, to assist with key corporate communications vehicles and campaigns.
- Develop, track and report on metrics as they relate to the impact of Genome Atlantic’s communications efforts.
- Develop, implement, and evaluate corporate communication initiatives and projects in digital and social media, media relations, internal and external communications, product development, and advertising for the purpose of supporting specific communication objectives.
- Support the President & CEO in developing government relations material.
- Monitor, assess, and advise on political, business,



and academic developments that may present opportunities or challenges for the organization.
- Prepare briefing notes and/or presentations for Board and Management Team meetings, for the purposes of providing input, advice and reporting on strategies, initiatives and approaches related to the assigned communications activities and initiatives, specifically for generating operational support from governments and other governmental agencies.
- Work closely with the Management Team to support strategic and operational planning, including fundraising proposals.
- Collaborate with project teams to ensure consistent and strategic communications across all initiatives.
- Direct the updating and maintenance of Genome Atlantic’s website and social media and coordinate content with the goal of keeping it current and relevant to Genome Atlantic’s policy stakeholders, scientific community, partners and the general public.
- Provide and prepare input to the budgeting, accounting, planning, reporting and evaluation of assigned projects and initiatives.
- Undertake other duties, as assigned by the President & CEO.

Key Qualifications

You are:

- An energetic and self-motivated team player.
- A proven relationship builder with excellent written and oral communication skills.
- Comfortable engaging with a wide range of audiences, including business, education, and government sectors.
- A strategic, big-picture thinker with a strong grasp of how communications align with organizational priorities.
- Familiar with provincial and federal government structures and protocols.
- Comfortable operating at both the strategic and tactical levels, with the ability to develop high-level plans and take an active role in executing day-to-day communications activities.
- Able to bring creative thinking to develop innovative and effective communications and engagement strategies.

You have:

- 8–10 years of senior-level experience in corporate communications or government relations.
- Recognized certification in public relations (such as an APR) and/or a bachelor’s degree in public relations or an equivalent diploma from a recognized community college.
- Demonstrated ability to plan, advise, and think strategically about communications, stakeholder engagement, government relations, media relations, and social media, and translate that thinking into clear, effective execution.
- Experience managing and collaborating with consultants and service providers to deliver high-quality communications and projects.
- Experience managing communications budgets, including planning, tracking, and aligning expenditures with strategic priorities.
- Demonstrates strong comfort with technology, including learning, evaluating, and selecting tools to enhance communications, stakeholder engagement, content creation and workflow efficiency.
- Familiarity with basic platforms for web content development, email marketing, and social media analytics.
- Broad communications expertise,



with strong capabilities in content creation, social media strategy, website management and analytics, branding, and promotional channels.
- Advanced skills and experience with digital tools and platforms, including performance measurement and leading stakeholder and public engagement campaigns.

Working Conditions

We value collaboration, teamwork, and efficiency. Working the majority of the time from our office in Halifax allows for easier communication and collaboration between team members and stakeholders. This hybrid role offers a combination of mandatory in-office workdays (Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays) and the option to work remotely part of the time (Mondays and Fridays). While the remote work option offers some flexibility, this is primarily an in-office position based out of our office in Halifax, with some expectation of travel outside the province.

Physical Requirements

- Ability to sit at a desk or workstation for extended periods of time while performing computer-based work.
- Ability to communicate effectively with team members, stakeholders, and clients through verbal and written communication.
- Ability to travel to other Genome Canada/Genome Centre offices, partner sites, and out-of-province conferences as needed.

Direct Reports

This role does not currently have internal direct reports.

Responsible for leading and coordinating the work of external communications resources and contractors.

How To Apply

If this role speaks to you, we’d love to hear from you!

Please share your cover letter and resume as a single PDF (with your full name in the file name) to with the subject line: Director, External Relations.

The priority application deadline is April 29th, 2026, but we’ll continue to review applications until the position is filled.

Individual accommodations due to a disability are available upon request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, religion, ethnicity, gender, disability, citizenship status, marital status, or actual or perceived sexual orientation.

Genome Atlantic is committed to creating an inclusive environment and building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. We value diversity and recognize that experience comes in many forms and skills are transferable. Please view this description as a general overview rather than a mandatory comprehensive list. If you feel enthusiastic about our efforts and believe you have the skills to contribute and excel in this role, apply!

We thank all interested parties; however, only those applicants under consideration will be contacted.

About Genome Atlantic

Genome Atlantic connects ideas and people across public and private sectors to fuel innovation and translate discoveries into solutions across key sectors, including energy, mining, aquaculture, agriculture and agri-food, forestry, health, and the environment. Together with our many partners, we have enabled over $160 million in strategic R&D; since our inception in 2000, driving sustainable economic development in Atlantic Canada’s natural resources, improving health outcomes, enhancing environmental stewardship, and helping our regional industries adapt to climate change.

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📌 Director, External Relations (Halifax Regional Municipality)
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📍 Halifax Regional Municipality