Senior Manager, Internal Communications

Department: Communications
Location: Stephen A. Schwarzman Building
Compensation: $100,000 - $105,000 / year

About the role

The Senior Manager, Internal Communications, serves as the Library’s primary lead for internal communications. Reporting to the Communications Director, this role develops and executes internal communications plans, manages the Library’s principal employee communication channels, and advises leaders on communications for strategic priorities, including the Library’s Five-Year Strategy, as well as other major initiatives, operational changes, and complex or sensitive matters.

This role also serves as the prime Communications contact for the implementation of the new Intranet platform and leads its content migration, ongoing editorial strategy, content governance, and adoption in partnership with IT and departmental content owners. Proficiency with content management systems, email distribution platforms, and common workplace collaboration tools required. While based within the Communications & Marketing team, the Senior Manager also works closely with Human Resources, the President’s Office, IT, and colleagues across the Library to coordinate messaging on institutional priorities.

Success requires an understanding of the Library’s culture and employee audiences, strong relationships across the organization, and the ability to create communications that are clear, timely, credible, and engaging. The Senior Manager also develops practical ways to understand how internal communications are being received and uses employee feedback to improve future communications. This is a hands-on senior individual contributor role requiring excellent writing, editorial judgment, project management, and interpersonal skills. The Senior Manager serves as the primary champion of the Five-Year Strategy, driving staff alignment and excitement through consistent updates, celebrating wins, and sharing successful tactics to keep everyone working toward the same goals.

Expectations

• Within 1 month:
  • Learn the Library’s mission, organizational structure, strategic priorities, and current internal communications practices.
  • Become familiar with Lair (NYPL intranet), The Roar (staff newsletter), other departmental newsletters, all-staff email processes, and the plans for the new intranet.
  • Begin building relationships with key partners in Communications & Marketing, Human Resources, the President’s Office, IT, and other departments.
  • Assume responsibility for recurring internal communications and the editorial calendar.
• Within 3 months:
  • Develop the content migration and communications strategy needed to support the implementation of the new Lair.
  • Establish productive working relationships with key leaders and partners across the Library.
  • Assess existing communication channels, processes, and content and identify practical opportunities for improvement.
  • Develop an internal communications plan and refine the editorial calendar to align with institutional priorities.
  • Establish baseline measures and a practical approach for gathering employee feedback on the clarity, usefulness, accessibility, and reach of internal communications.
• Within 6 months and beyond:
  • Implement improvements to internal communication processes, standards, and channels.
  • Provide consistent communications counsel to leaders and departments.
  • Advance the implementation and adoption of the new Lair in accordance with the project timeline.
  • Establish sustainable processes for intranet content governance and ongoing content management.
  • Begin to demonstrate measurable improvements in the clarity, coordination, reach, and usefulness of employee communications.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute the Library’s internal communications strategy in partnership with the Communications Director and in alignment with the Library’s Five-Year Strategy and other institutional priorities.
• Advise leaders on messaging, audience, tone, timing, sequencing, and communication channels for strategic priorities, major initiatives, operational changes, and complex or sensitive matters.
• Build relationships across the Library to understand its culture, employee audiences, communication needs, and the most effective approaches.
• Manage the Library’s primary internal communications channels, including Lair, The Roar, all-staff emails, and the internal editorial calendar, with particular attention to reaching both frontline and office-based employees.
• Serve as the primary Communications contact for implementing the new NYPL intranet, partnering with IT and other stakeholders on content planning, migration, governance, launch communications, and employee adoption.
• Oversee Lair’s ongoing editorial direction and content management, working with departmental content owners to keep information accurate, useful, and current.
• Write, edit, and produce executive messages, newsletters, intranet content, announcements, talking points, FAQs, presentations, manager toolkits, and other employee communications.
• Partner with Communications & Marketing, Human Resources, the President’s Office, IT, and other departments to coordinate institution-wide communications and contribute communications expertise to employee engagement initiatives.
• Coordinate internal communications during emergencies, operational disruptions, and other time-sensitive situations in partnership with the Director of Communications and appropriate stakeholders.
• Gather and analyze employee feedback through targeted pulse surveys, channel analytics, and other practical listening methods to assess whether communications are reaching employees, are understood, and are useful, and use those findings to improve content, channels, and processes.

Requirements

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in communications, journalism, public relations, marketing, English, or a related field.
• 7+ years of progressively responsible experience in internal communications, employee communications, corporate communications, organizational communications, or a related field.
• Experience leading internal communications or serving as the primary internal communications resource for a complex, multi-location, or distributed organization.
• Experience developing communication plans and advising leaders on major initiatives, organizational changes, and complex or sensitive matters.
• Experience communicating with varied employee audiences, including frontline and office-based staff.
• Experience managing digital workplace platforms and employee communication technologies, including intranets, enterprise email tools, content management systems, or related platforms.
• Experience supporting an intranet implementation, redesign, content migration, or content governance initiative.
• Experience writing and editing communications for senior leaders and coordinating projects involving multiple stakeholders, deadlines, and approvals.

Skills

• Exceptional writing, editing, proofreading, and content development skills.
• Strong editorial judgment and attention to detail.
• Ability to translate complex or sensitive information into clear, concise, and credible communications.
• Strong project management and organizational skills, including the ability to manage competing priorities and deadlines.
• Proficiency with content management systems, email distribution platforms, and common workplace collaboration tools.
• Ability to interpret communication analytics and employee feedback and translate findings into practical improvements.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build trust and influence without formal authority.
• Sound judgment, discretion, and the ability to adapt messaging and tone for different audiences and circumstances.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working in government or a nonprofit, cultural, educational, public service, or other mission-driven organization.
• Experience in or working closely with Public Relations.
• Experience developing multimedia content for internal audiences.

Core Values

All team members are expected and encouraged to embody the NYPL Core Values:

• Be Helpful to patrons and colleagues
• Be Resourceful in solving problems
• Be Curious in all aspects of your work
• Be Welcoming and Inclusive

Work Environment

• Office setting (primarily), with some travel to other NYPL and/or other settings.
• May require travel between NYPL locations, or to other relevant New York City destinations.
• Regular office hours the majority of the time, but with occasional flexibility needed for evenings or weekends.

Pay

$100,000 - $105,000 / year