Internal Communications Manager

Polsinelli strives to create an environment where team members are encouraged to bring their creativity and professional passions into the workplace so they can thrive.

About the role

Polsinelli is seeking an Internal Communications Manager based out of the Kansas City office. In this role, you will be responsible for developing and advancing the firm’s internal communications strategy and ensuring attorneys and business professionals receive timely, clear, and coordinated information about firmwide priorities, programs, and initiatives. The Manager will serve as a trusted communications partner to Human Resources, Shared Services, Innovation, lawyer leadership, and other internal stakeholders that may need to communicate across the firm. The successful candidate will combine strong writing and editorial judgment with disciplined project management, relationship-building, and a continuous-improvement mindset.

Responsibilities

• Develop, implement, and continually refine a comprehensive internal communications strategy aligned with the firm’s business priorities, culture, and values.
• Establish communication standards, planning processes, editorial guidelines, and channel strategies that ensure messages are clear, consistent, timely, and supportive of a cohesive employee experience.
• Advise internal stakeholders on communication objectives, audiences, messaging, sequencing, and the most effective channels for reaching attorneys and business professionals across offices and functions.
• Identify opportunities to improve how information flows across the firm and recommend new approaches, tools, and practices based on feedback, engagement data (clicks, etc.), and evolving business needs.
• Ensure narrative consistency across leadership communications and company-wide efforts.
• Define measures of internal communication effectiveness and provide regular reporting and recommendations to leadership on communication activity, continuously looking for opportunities for improvement.
• Develop, own, and maintain the firmwide internal communications calendar, coordinating the timing and cadence of announcements, campaigns, meetings, and recurring communications to ensure communications are being read by their targeted audiences while avoiding message fatigue.
• Partner and build relationships with Human Resources, Shared Services, Innovation, Marketing, lawyer leadership (including lawyer-led committees), and other internal teams to translate complex or sensitive information into clear, concise, and audience-appropriate communications.
• Create integrated communication plans for major initiatives and change efforts, including objectives, stakeholder mapping, key messages, channels, timelines, responsibilities, approvals, and measurement.
• Create efficient intake, prioritization, and approval processes that enable stakeholders to plan ahead and produce high-quality communications.
• Draft, edit, and distribute firmwide communications, including announcements, leadership messages, program launches, policy and benefits communications, operational updates, presentations, and other internal content.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Journalism, Public Relations, Marketing, English, or a related field; equivalent relevant experience will be considered.
• 5+ years of progressive experience in internal communications, corporate communications, employee communications, or a related field, including experience leading complex, organization-wide communications.
• Professional services or legal industry experience is preferred.
• Strong understanding of internal communications strategy, change communications, content governance, and stakeholder engagement.
• Demonstrate ownership for delivering customized projects with a degree of autonomy; adept at supporting several projects simultaneously.
• Exceptional writing, editing, and proofreading skills. Dedication to accuracy, precision, and diligence in all projects and tasks.
• Excellent personal organizational skills and ability to track tasks, progress, and next steps, as well as reporting on same to leadership.
• Analytical and detail oriented, while being able to balance competing priorities.
• Experience in using analytical tools such as Excel and/or CRM tools and using those insights to communicate to specific audiences.
• Proficiency using Microsoft Office suite and internal document management systems.