Senior Manager, Brand & Communications

About MCU

Municipal Credit Union (MCU) has been serving New Yorkers since 1915, offering affordable financial products and services to over 600,000 members. MCU's mission is to help hard-working New Yorkers build better tomorrows, and its vision is to become New York's most loved financial institution.

Overview

The Sr. Manager, Brand and Communications is responsible for shaping, protecting, and elevating MCU's brand and reputation through strategic brand leadership, public relations, thought leadership, and enterprise communications. This role serves as the senior owner of MCU's brand and communications function and works closely with executive leadership and external agency partners to deliver cohesive, high-impact messaging aligned with MCU's business objectives, values, and growth strategy.

Responsibilities

• Own and lead MCU's brand and communications strategy, ensuring consistent, high-quality messaging across all external and internal touchpoints.
• Manage and work closely with our advertising agencies and partners to deliver creative work that builds our reputation and business.
• This includes responsibility for our creative strategies, campaigns and media plans.
• Lead, plan, and execute enterprise-wide Town Halls and Leadership Connections meetings, including content development, executive coordination, messaging alignment, production oversight, and post-event communication.
• Develop MCU's annual public relations strategy in partnership with the external PR firm, including media relations, planning, storyline development, executive visibility, and proactive opportunity identification.
• Work closely with executive leadership to develop and manage thought leadership platforms for the CEO and members of the Executive Leadership Team, including speaking opportunities, interviews, podcasts and bylined content.
• Work with the PR firm to prepare press releases and media materials for MCU and the MCU Foundation.
• Work with the PR firm to prepare press releases and media materials for MCU and the MCU Foundation.
• Provide strategic counsel to executive leadership on reputation management, brand positioning, and external communications.
• Prepare, manage, and oversee all corporate communications related to brand, reputation, and public relations, including messaging frameworks, content development, governance and approvals, performance analysis, and enterprise internal communication.
• Oversee and manage external agency relationships, including MCU's marketing agency and public relations agency, ensuring clear scopes, accountability, performance measurement, and alignment with enterprise priorities.
• Directly manage and develop the Manager of Partnerships, Graphic Designer, and Internal Communications Manager, providing clear priorities, performance expectations, and ongoing coaching.
• Ensure strong cross-functional collaboration with Marketing, Product, Digital, HR, Legal, Compliance, and the MCU Foundation.
• Perform other related duties as requested and special projects as assigned.

Requirements

• Bachelor or advanced degree in communications, journalism, public relations, marketing or related field.
• 10+ years of experience in brand, communications, and public relations, with demonstrated leadership responsibility.
• Public relations experience preferred.
• Experience managing external PR agencies and/or content creators strongly preferred.
• Ability to manage sensitive or confidential information with sound judgement.
• Strong written, verbal, and digital communications skills.
• Comfortable working with executive management, employees, media and the larger MCU community.
• Impeccable copywriting and copy-editing abilities.
• Excellent verbal communication and presentation skills.
• Technologically proficient.

Leadership Competencies

• Strong ability to influence without authority.
• Proven ability to manage change.
• Capacity to take calculated risks and innovate.
• Experience in setting vision and strategy.
• Successful in communicating effectively.
• Proven ability to build, manager, and develop high-performing teams.