Director, Executive Communications & Engagement

Requisition ID: 274319 

Join a purpose driven winning team, committed to results, in an inclusive and high-performing culture.

The Role:

Reporting to the leader of the Office of the Chief Security Officer (OCSO), the Director, Executive Communications & Engagement leads the strategy, governance, and end-to-end delivery of high-impact communications and decision materials for Enterprise Security’s CSO and Senior Leadership as well as leads the strategy and delivery of Engagement activities for the team. The role is accountable for converting complex technology, cybersecurity, risk, performance, and transformation priorities into clear enterprise narratives, evidence-based insights, and actionable recommendations that enable informed oversight and decision-making. The role requires a senior leader who can operate with an enterprise mindset, exercise sound judgment, hold sensitive information in confidence and influence executives and senior stakeholders; translating complex priorities into clear, compelling narratives across a variety of internal channels, including senior leader committees and boards.

As a strategic advisor and communications leader, the Director partners directly with the Senior Director, Office of the Chief Security Officer (CSO), Chief Security Officer, Senior Vice Presidents, Vice Presidents, Managing Directors, and cross-functional executives to shape messaging, anticipate stakeholder needs, challenge content, and ensure that submissions are accurate, timely, cohesive, and aligned with the Bank’s strategic objectives, risk appetite, regulatory commitments, and governance standards.

The Director owns the Board Support portfolio and operating model, including forward planning, quality assurance, executive briefing, stakeholder engagement, reporting process improvement, and team leadership. The role sets a high bar for insight, precision, judgment, and confidentiality while building an enterprise-wide network of content and metrics owners. The Director also own all of the team level engagement events, including Town Halls and volunteer opportunities, supporting socials, etc. across Enterprise Security.

Is this role right for you? In this role, you will:

• Strategic Communications Leadership & Content Advisory 
  • • Lead the translation of Enterprise Security priorities, performance, risks, commitments, and emerging issues into compelling enterprise narratives supported by relevant evidence and analysis.
    • Provide independent challenge and sound judgment on the clarity, completeness, strategic relevance, and decision usefulness of materials; identify gaps and recommend solutions before executive review.
    • Anticipate Board, executive, and regulatory questions and ensure leaders are equipped with concise briefing materials, speaking points, key messages, and response strategies.
• Board, Executive & Regulatory Deliverables
  • • Own the end-to-end planning and delivery of presentations, reports, submissions, briefing packages, and decision materials for senior leadership, executives, the Board of Directors, and regulators.
    • Set portfolio-level messaging and editorial direction, in partnership with senior leadership, across deliverables to ensure consistency, traceability, and alignment with enterprise requirements, commitments, governance forums, and strategic objectives.
    • Lead real-time executive reviews, resolve feedback efficiently, and make risk-based decisions on content, sequencing, escalation, and readiness for submission.
    • Oversee final quality assurance, ensuring that complex information is accurate, balanced, audience-appropriate, and presented with clear implications, recommendations, and accountabilities.
• Portfolio Governance & Delivery Excellence
  • • Establishes metrics, insights, and feedback mechanisms to assess engagement effectiveness, communications impact, stakeholder satisfaction, and adoption of key initiatives; uses data to inform recommendations and executive decision-making.
    • Establish and manage the integrated forward plan for Board, executive, and regulatory deliverables, balancing dependencies, review cycles, competing priorities, and peak delivery windows.
    • Define and maintain governance, standards, templates, controls, and service expectations for material development, approval, version control, recordkeeping, and submission.
    • Own delivery risk and issue management for the portfolio; escalate material concerns, broker decisions, and mobilize senior stakeholders to protect quality and timelines.
    • Use performance insights and stakeholder feedback to continuously improve the operating model, reporting processes, controls, and overall effectiveness of the Board Support function.
    • Create clear accountabilities across subject matter experts, content owners, metrics owners, reviewers, and approvers; resolve misalignment and drive timely decisions across organizational boundaries.
    • Promote a culture of collaboration, constructive challenge, transparency, and disciplined execution across the reporting ecosystem.

• People Leadership & Capability Building

• • • Lead, coach, and develop the team, setting clear objectives, quality standards, development plans, and performance expectations.
    • Build organizational capability in executive writing, strategic storytelling, data visualization, critical thinking, project management, communications and engagement event planning.
    • Allocate work and capacity across the portfolio, establish succession and continuity practices, and create an inclusive environment where colleagues can perform at their best.
    • Champion a results-focused culture that leverages broader Bank relationships, systems, and knowledge

Do you have the skills that will enable you to succeed in this role? We'd love to work with you if you have:

• University degree in Business, Technology, Communications, Law, Marketing, Strategy or a related discipline; relevant graduate degree or equivalent executive-level consulting experience is an asset.
• 10+ years of progressive experience in strategy, executive communications, risk management, governance, board services, management consulting, or comparable roles, including meaningful experience in banking or financial services.
• Demonstrated experience advising senior executives and leading the development of materials for executive, Board, regulatory, or other high-stakes audiences.
• Experience leading people, complex cross-functional portfolios, and time-sensitive deliverables in a highly regulated environment.
• Working knowledge of cybersecurity, technology risk, financial services regulation, and enterprise governance is strongly preferred.
• Consistently demonstrating self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship management, and Scotiabank’s Core Values

What's in it for you?

• Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Allyship - We strive to create an inclusive culture where every employee is empowered to reach their fullest potential, respected for who they are, and are embraced through bias-free practices and inclusive values across Scotiabank. We embrace diversity and provide opportunities for all employee to learn, grow & participate through our various Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) that span across diverse gender identities, ethnicity, race, age, ability & veterans.
• Accessibility and Workplace Accommodations - We value the unique skills and experiences each individual brings to the Bank and are committed to creating and maintaining an inclusive and accessible environment for everyone. Scotiabank continues to locate, remove and prevent barriers so that we can build a diverse and inclusive environment while meeting accessibility requirements.  
• Upskilling through online courses, cross-functional development opportunities, and tuition assistance.
• Competitive Rewards program including bonus, flexible vacation, personal, sick days and benefits will start on day one.
• Community Engagement - no matter where you choose to work from; we offer opportunities for community engagement & belonging with our various programs such as hackathons, contests, Humans of Digital and much more

Location(s):  Canada : Ontario : Toronto 

Scotiabank is a leading bank in the Americas. Guided by our purpose: "for every future", we help our customers, their families and their communities achieve success through a broad range of advice, products and services, including personal and commercial banking, wealth management and private banking, corporate and investment banking, and capital markets.  

At Scotiabank, we value the unique skills and experiences each individual brings to the Bank, and are committed to creating and maintaining an inclusive and accessible environment for everyone. If you require accommodation (including, but not limited to, an accessible interview site, alternate format documents, ASL Interpreter, or Assistive Technology) during the recruitment and selection process, please let our  Recruitment team know. If you require technical assistance, please click here. Candidates must apply directly online to be considered for this role. We thank all applicants for their interest in a career at Scotiabank; however, only those candidates who are selected for an interview will be contacted.