Job Description

Job Number 23132029
Job Category Public Relations & Communications
Location Singapore Regional Office, 2 Harbourfront Place #06-08, Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
Schedule Full-Time
Located Remotely? N
Relocation? N
Position Type Management

JOB SUMMARY

Communications and Brand PR is an integral part of the Consumer Operations function which leads the overall consumer strategy comprising of Sales, Marketing, Revenue Management, Brand Management, Digital, Distribution, Communications, Loyalty, and Consumer Insights functions.

In this exciting, fast-paced position, the Director, Communications, APEC (Asia Pacific excluding China) will report to the Vice President, Communications, APEC in elevating and managing the corporate reputation through strategic communications for Marriott International across the region. The Director, will have a senior manager reporting to them alongside two Area PR leads, and will oversee the public relations efforts for the company, and its loyalty program, Marriott Bonvoy.

The Communications team establishes Marriott International in APEC\xe2\x80\x99s narrative and works to identify goals and KPIs to drive PR results for Marriott International, increasing media share of voice, elevating corporate reputation as well as build awareness for Marriott Bonvoy. The scope also includes crisis/issues communications, internal communications and supporting the executive positioning of the APEC President, C-level executives and relevant Consumer Operations Leaders. The Director, Communications APEC will be responsible for fully integrating communications to support the business and consumer operations goals, developing and successfully executing these corporate-focused PR plans, campaigns and initiatives utilizing proven PR practices as well as out-of-the-box thinking that drives awareness of, and action by, the company\xe2\x80\x99s target consumers.

The Director is responsible for the planning, strategy and execution of APEC Communications, liaison with APEC leadership team and other disciplines to offer communications consultancy. He/she oversees & lead APEC comms team, represents communications POV in APEC leadership team and liaison with other discipline heads.

CANDIDATE PROFILE
Education and Experience

• Formal training in Communications, a university degree or equivalent experience in public relations, communications or journalism.
• Ten years minimum in public relations.
• Working experience as a journalist is a plus

Skills and Competencies

• Solid knowledge of APEC media/social media landscape.
• Solid strategic planning and project management capability. Be able to manage multiple stakeholders and proactively drive for alignment.
• Travel, hospitality, consumer goods industry background in public relations, journalism/ broadcast is a plus
• Proficiency with Excel, PowerPoint and Word computer programs.
• Good spoken and written language in English.

CORE WORK ACTIVITIES

Develops PR strategies and executes initiatives to drive positive reputation, customer awareness, financial results, guest satisfaction and market share.

• Lead APEC media relations efforts for the region to drive awareness, preference and long-term customer loyalty for Marriott, and loyalty program
• Build on Marriott\xe2\x80\x99s culture and purpose through strategic internal communication to enhance associate engagement
• Develop creative and strategic PR campaigns and initiatives that underscore narratives, generate positive publicity and enhance guest experience.
• Executive Profiling: increase visibility of APEC senior leadership through media relations, speaking opportunities etc
• Development PR: Leverage public relations to attract owners / developers to achieve growth goals. Work with the Development team on newsworthy stories, including but not limited to announcing strategic signings and growth plans.
• Crisis/issues Communication: Develop tools, resources and serve as the lead for ongoing issues/ crisis communication support to hotels and Area teams
• ESG and HR Communications: leveraging Serve 360, Marriott\xe2\x80\x99s social impact and sustainability platform to develop communication and PR plans that position Marriott positively in the ESG space
• Utilize a thorough understanding of the lodging business (hotel operation, industry drivers, challenges, competitors, MI\xe2\x80\x99s position in the global marketplace) and cutting-edge trends to unveil opportunities for growth and increased market share/ media share of voice

Strategic PR and Communications Planning

• Support VP Communications in collaborating with Regional Leadership VPs, and the Chief Sales and Marketing Officer to develop Corporate Communications plans, and PR initiatives that support the business objectives of the region.
• Identify trends and uncover newsworthy stories from Marriott\xe2\x80\x99s portfolio of hotels.
• Manage efficient and effective PR agencies that deliver results

Media Relations

• Cultivate relationships with targeted media outlets to generate positive media coverage, elevate brand awareness and preference to achieve coverage in top tier lifestyle, consumer, business news, travel, hotel trade, and online/blogger media.
• Secure A-list media interviews for senior executives to increase visibility/leadership position in the region that supports with Executive profiling.
• Monitor and measure results, including media impressions and share of voice with competitive monitoring updates.

Area/Hotel PR Support

• Guide and mentor on-property or above property PR professionals.
• Conduct public relations training and provide resource materials, tools and templates
• Develops and manages relationships with hotel PR directors/managers, providing them with opportunities for media exposure.
• Assists Area teams with opening and key priority hotels in the development of PR messaging/press materials.
• Collaborate with field marketing and sales to maximize messaging pull-through, including participation in trade shows.

Internal Communications

• In collaboration with HR, develop internal communications strategy that communicates the region\xe2\x80\x99s strategic vision and goals internally
• Uplift and enhance associate engagement through positive story-telling, underscoring company culture and purpose

Crisis Communications/Issues Management

• Manage crisis and issues, including assisting individual properties and serving as the region\xe2\x80\x99s crisis communications lead. Liaison with Crisis function within Corporate Media Relations team.

Events

• Manage special event activities including grand openings, press conferences, media briefings and press trips.
• Develop talking points/speeches for President, CSMO and Continent Executives participating in media events.

MANAGEMENT COMPETENCIES

Leadership

• Adaptability - Maintains performance level under pressure or when experiencing changes or challenges in the workplace.
• Communication - Conveys information and ideas to others in a convincing and engaging manner through a variety of methods.
• Problem Solving and Decision Making - Identifies and understands issues, problems, and opportunities; obtains and compares information from different sources to draw conclusions, develops and evaluates alternatives and solutions, solves problems, and chooses a course of action.

Learning and Applying Professional Expertise

• Applied Learning - Seeks and makes the most of learning opportunities to improve performance of self and/or others.
• Business Acumen - Understands and utilizes business information to manage everyday operations and generate innovative solutions to approach business and administrative challenges.

Technical Acumen
o Creative Ideation & External Lens: Responsibilities of this role include the development and implementation of creative approaches to attract media attention and interest in Marriott\xe2\x80\x99s stories \xe2\x80\x93 whether that is through unique partnerships, creative pitching, experiential activations, one-of-a-kind events or leaning into trends (including sustainability and DEI) and the cultural zeitgeist in a way that is authentic. This role relies on a continual focus on communication trends and themes externally
o Media Relationships: A critical component of this role is to use the candidate\xe2\x80\x99s already established extensive media relationships - preferably in key trade, business outlets - or ability to develop relationships in this very critical niche of the media and other key outlets/journalists in order to continually \xe2\x80\x9cpitch\xe2\x80\x9d Marriott stories
o Writing: The individual in this role is responsible for creating, editing and developing their own PR materials as well as overseeing the team\xe2\x80\x99s development of all related PR materials including messaging, news releases, executive briefs, talking points, presentations and pitches, among other documents
o Issues/ Crisis Communications: possess the necessary and relevant skills and experience to guide and support teams as part of issues/ crisis management
o Team Management: The Director manages a team with three direct reports, they are responsible for creating and maintaining a team environment that encourages accountability, high standards, innovation, emphasizing strong business performance as well as cultivating an understanding of and appreciation for the Marriott culture. The Director oversees, manages, and mentors the PR team and is accountable for the team\xe2\x80\x99s performance to meet and/or exceed the goals as well as driving both Consumer Operations nd Marriott\xe2\x80\x99s objectives. In addition, the Director is an example of a good Company steward and promotes Marriott\xe2\x80\x99s core values.
o Collaboration: The Director coordinates with other departments and teams \xe2\x80\x93 including with corporate communications team at HQ, APEC Loyalty marketing teams, and the company more broadly \xe2\x80\x93 and builds strong working relationships. This role creates strong professional relationships both internally and externally.
o Global Alignment: The Director, Communications is responsible for coordinating with the global Corporate Communications teams, to ensure global message alignment and appropriate regional implementation
o Resource Management: The Director strategically manages agency resources as well as assigned budget. Reviews contracts and expenses; has approval authorization for certain expenses.
o Measurement: This position will also monitor and measure success using tools and resources available and will deliver goals and metrics on a timely basis to senior management.

Managing Execution

• Building and Contributing to Teams - Participates as a member of a team to move toward the completion of common goals while fostering cohesion and collaboration among team members.
• Driving for Results - Sets high standards of performance for self and/or others; assumes responsibility for work objectives; initiates, focuses, and monitors the efforts of self and/or others toward the accomplishment goals; proactively takes action and goes beyond what is required.
• Planning and Organizing - Gathers information and resources required to set a plan of action for self and/or others; prioritizes and arranges work requirements to accomplish goals and ensure work is completed.

Marriott International is an equal opportunity employer. We believe in hiring a diverse workforce and sustaining an inclusive, people-first culture. We are committed to non-discrimination on any protected basis, such as disability and veteran status, or any other basis covered under applicable law.

Marriott International is the world\xe2\x80\x99s largest hotel company, with more brands, more hotels and more opportunities for associates to grow and succeed. Be where you can do your best work,\xe2\x80\x8b begin your purpose, belong to an amazing global\xe2\x80\x8b team, and become the best version of you.

Marriott