Director, Strategic Communications

Description

Job Summary

The Director, Strategic Communications is a member of CLIA’s Strategic Communications team and supports the development and execution of integrated communications strategies that advance CLIA’s mission, protect and promote the cruise industry’s license to operate responsibly, strengthen the industry’s reputation, and reinforce CLIA’s role as the voice of the global cruise industry.

Reporting to the Vice President, Strategic Communications, the Director works within CLIA’s collaborative operating model, working with relevant functional and channel leads to support shared planning, early coordination, clear ownership, and integrated execution across workstreams. These workstreams focus primarily on media relations, conference and event content strategy and communications, content alignment, stakeholder engagement, and communications planning for major CLIA initiatives. This role helps ensure CLIA’s media engagement, events, conferences, executive visibility, member-facing programs, and strategic initiatives are supported with clear objectives, compelling messaging, coordinated content, and effective communications plans in coordination with the owners of related and complementary functions and channels, including Digital/Social, video production, Research, Graphic Design, regional communications, Government Affairs, Maritime Policy, and Membership & Events.

Membership & Events retains responsibility for event strategy, operations, logistics, registration, sponsorship management, event budgets, vendor coordination, and related execution. The Director leads assigned conference and event content, messaging, speaker preparation, promotional materials, and post-event communications in alignment with CLIA’s industry priorities, organizational objectives, the approved event strategy, and broader advocacy, stakeholder engagement, and member-value goals.

The Director works closely with colleagues across Strategic Communications, Maritime Policy, Government Affairs, Membership & Events, Research, Digital and Social Media, Graphic Design, regional teams, cruise line members, Executive Partners, vendors, consultants, and external stakeholders. The role requires strong strategic judgment, excellent writing and editing skills, strategic planning ability, project leadership, creativity in event marketing, and the ability to manage complex, cross-functional communications work.

Essential Job Functions

Media Relations and Reputation Support

• •Lead assigned media relations strategies and support broader media efforts that strengthen CLIA’s voice, credibility, and share of voice on issues affecting the global cruise industry.
• •Develop and execute proactive and reactive media strategies, including media outreach, reporter engagement, pitch development, press materials, statements, Q&As, briefing documents, backgrounders, and media lists.
• •Monitor media narratives, emerging issues, and reputational risks, and recommend communications approaches that support accurate, balanced, and timely coverage.
• •Support the preparation of CLIA executives, Board members, member representatives, and other spokespeople for media interviews, press briefings, panels, and public-facing engagements.
• •Work with the SVP, Vice President, and other communications colleagues to ensure media messaging is aligned with CLIA’s broader reputation, policy, advocacy, research, and stakeholder engagement priorities.
• •Coordinate with Digital and Social Media colleagues to amplify earned media coverage, develop media-related content, and support integrated paid, earned, shared, and owned communications strategies.

Conference and Event Content Strategy and Communications

• •Lead assigned communications, event marketing content, and program content-alignment work for assigned CLIA conferences, events, executive engagements, member programs, stakeholder meetings, and special initiatives, in alignment with the approved event strategy.
• •Work with Membership & Events, Government Affairs, Maritime Policy, Research, Digital and Social Media, Graphic Design, regional teams, and external partners to align event content with CLIA’s industry priorities, organizational objectives, audience needs, and approved event strategy.
• •Help shape event themes, session topics, panel concepts, speaker objectives, audience takeaways, messaging, and content flow in coordination with Membership & Events, Government Affairs, Maritime Policy, regional teams, Strategic Communications leadership, and other relevant subject-matter experts.
• •Help develop and coordinate event positioning, session descriptions, speaker briefing materials, promotional content, run-of-show materials, talking points, presentations, post-event content, and related communications materials.
• •Ensure conference and event content advances CLIA’s reputation, advocacy, stakeholder engagement, member-value, and partnership objectives and connects directly to broader organizational priorities.
• •Coordinate communications deliverables associated with sponsorships, Executive Partner engagement, member programs, and other stakeholder-facing initiatives to ensure alignment with CLIA’s strategic priorities, brand, and messaging standards.
• •Partner with Membership & Events and other event owners, who retain responsibility for event strategy, logistics, registration, sponsorship management, budgets, vendor coordination, and event operations.
• •Support content and communications planning for major industry moments and initiatives, including Seatrade Cruise Global, Cruise Forward, Cruise Caucus, regional summits, State of the Cruise Industry, Environmental Technologies and Practices releases, educational platforms, and other priority programs.

Content Strategy and Message Development

• •Develop and implement content strategies for assigned campaigns, events, initiatives, media opportunities, executive communications, and stakeholder engagement activities.
• •Draft and edit messaging, talking points, fact sheets, backgrounders, web content, newsletters, articles, presentations, event materials, scripts, briefing documents, stakeholder materials, and other communications products.
• •Translate complex industry, policy, research, sustainability, destination stewardship, workforce, health and safety, economic impact, and reputational issues into clear, credible, and compelling communications.
• •Work with Research and subject-matter experts to incorporate accurate data, proof points, and insights into communications materials.
• •Support the development of shared messaging resources, toolkits, content libraries, and communications materials for CLIA staff, members, partners, and regional teams.
• •Help maintain consistency of CLIA’s messaging across audiences, channels, regions, events, and initiatives.
• •Coordinate with the Director, Digital Strategy & Video Production, and the social and digital content lead on digital, social, and video components early in the planning process on approach, including purpose, audience, message, format, production needs, distribution, timing, and measurement.

Executive and Stakeholder Communications

• •Support assigned executive communications for CLIA leadership, including speeches, presentations, talking points, remarks, interview preparation, correspondence, video scripts, internal messages, and other executive-level communications.
• •Develop materials for the CEO, SVP, Vice President, senior leadership, Board members, committee leaders, and designated spokespeople in external and internal engagements.
• •Support stakeholder communications for cruise line members, Executive Partners, travel trade members, policymakers, ports and destinations, tourism organizations, industry partners, academic institutions, media, and other audiences, in coordination with the appropriate relationship owners and workstream leads.
• •Help identify and develop opportunities to use stakeholder voices, third-party experts, member