Communications Specialist (Executive & Board Presentations)

Reports To: Director of IT

Role Summary

The Communications Specialist will craft clear, compelling, and visually engaging communications for IT leadership and Board of Directors audiences-especially CFO-level stakeholders-translating complex technology, risk, and investment narratives into concise executive presentations, pre-reads, and talking points. This role supports executive meetings and events with high standards of professionalism, branding alignment, and message clarity.

Key Responsibilities

Executive & Board Presentation Development

• Develop CFO-ready narratives and presentation decks that communicate strategy, investment cases, operating metrics, risk/compliance posture, and business outcomes-tailored for senior executive and Board audiences.
• Create "summary-first" storylines with tight executive structure and optional backup detail, enabling efficient leadership discussion and decision-making.
• Partner with content owners (IT leaders, program managers, risk/compliance leads) to extract the "so what," sharpen the ask, and align messages to executive expectations.

Content Strategy, Storytelling & Message Clarity

• Translate technical material into executive language by identifying the target audience, what matters to them, and how much detail to include-then shaping a narrative that keeps leaders engaged while landing key messages.
• Create outlines and content flow that reflect what has been presented previously, what changed, and what decisions or updates are required for the current forum.

Visual Communication & Executive Standards

• Produce polished, on-brand slides: clean layouts, data visualization, and crisp executive wording that meets senior-level expectations for clarity and readability (e.g., minimum font guidance when applicable).
• Ensure decks are "presenter-driven" and easy to navigate in live executive forums, with a clear summary slide and supporting backup slides for Q&A.

Executive Communications Operations

• Support executive meetings/events with end-to-end communications coordination (pre-reads, deck readiness, version control, archival/standalone deck packaging where needed).
• Maintain a structured repository of executive communications assets (templates, standard story arcs, reusable visuals) and continuously improve quality and consistency.

Core Deliverables

• Board/ELT/CIO Staff presentations (strategy updates, quarterly reviews, risk and audit updates, investment proposals)
• Executive pre-read packs and leadership talking points
• Standardized templates and role profiles/scorecard-ready structures aligned to internal role documentation formats
• Presentation storyboards/outlines and meeting-ready "one-slide summary + backup" structures

Key Stakeholders & Working Relationships

• IT Leadership team (CIO staff, functional leaders, program owners)
• Executive Services / GIS Communications partners supporting executive meetings and events
• Cross-functional partners (Risk, Audit, Finance, Compliance, Data Governance) depending on agenda

Qualifications

Required

• 5+ years in executive communications, corporate communications, management consulting communications, or a presentation-specialist role supporting senior leaders.
• Demonstrated ability to create executive-ready PowerPoint presentations and written narratives for CFO/Board-level audiences.
• Strong ability to translate complex content into clear executive communications (message discipline, brevity, structure).
• Proven stakeholder management: can interview busy SMEs, distill content quickly, and drive to high-quality deliverables under tight timelines.

Preferred

• Experience supporting technology strategy, enterprise risk/compliance, audit, or large-scale transformation communications.
• Familiarity with executive meeting operating rhythms and producing pre-reads for leadership forums.

Skills & Competencies

• Executive storytelling & synthesis: creates compelling "so what / now what" narratives and decision framing.
• Visual communication: strong slide design, layout, and data visualization for senior readability.
• Audience-first communication: tailors content based on who you're communicating to and what level they are.
• Operational excellence: version control, deadlines, and quality gates for exec-ready materials.
• Collaboration & facilitation: pulls clarity from diverse stakeholders and aligns messages.

Tools (Typical)

• Microsoft PowerPoint (advanced), Excel (charts), Word (briefs), Teams/SharePoint (collaboration & asset management). Adobe Creative Cloud

Performance Metrics

• Executive satisfaction with decks (clarity, readiness, usefulness in decision forums)
• On-time delivery of pre-reads and final decks for leadership meetings
• Reduction in "rework cycles" via stronger first-pass synthesis and alignment
• Adoption of standardized templates and improved consistency across leadership presentations