The District Municipality of Muskoka is currently recruiting for two (2)

Program Communications Specialist

Posting Date: Wednesday, August 13, 2025

Closing Date: Wednesday, August 27, 2025 @ 12:00 NOON

Starting Rate: $73,928 annually

Salary Range: $73,928 – $86,486 annually

Hours of Work: 37.5 hours per week

Classification: Non-union, Class 5

Status: Temporary full-time (up to 18 months)

The District:
Muskoka is a great place to live and play, and the District is a four-season municipality passionate

about protecting, servicing and caring for this community. We have opportunities that will allow you to

learn, grow and build your career amongst other ambitious leaders and innovators. We offer a

competitive compensation package and are committed to promoting diversity, accessibility and

inclusion. It’s what we do!

The Opportunity:
The Program Communications Specialist provides strategic communication and engagement

expertise to client groups in support of Council and corporate priorities. This role, advises members of

senior leadership teams on best approaches for corporate messaging and branding to build public

trust and confidence in District programs and services, fosters a positive image for District programs

and services, enriches relationships with staff and with the community, and reflects the vision,

mission, and values established by Council and staff.

What you will do:
• Work closely with internal clients/department leadership to interpret communication and

engagement needs and develop communication and campaign plans to achieve corporate and

Council priorities through consistent, high-quality internal and external communication and

engagement activities.

• Develop and implement public relations elements of communication and campaign plans,

including identifying the most effective content, timing, audiences, and distribution channels to

achieve goals related to media relations, event management, program and service updates, and

emergency/crisis communications.

• Produce or oversee the production of marketing and creative elements of communication and

campaign plans, including creative conceptualization, writing, editing, and/or collaborating with

creative professionals to design and print/produce materials that inform, influence, and motivate

target audiences.

• Develop and implement engagement and insights elements of communication and campaign

plans. This includes anticipating, identifying, and managing emerging issues, trends, and

challenges to support informed decision-making and outline appropriate mitigating solutions or

improvements.

• Provide input and maintain policies, procedures, and guidelines/toolkits consistent with

established corporate standards for how the District communicates, engages, and serves its

clients, residents, and staff including training and oversight of staff and vendors/consultants to

ensure standards are met and compliance with provincial regulations is maintained.

• Research and provide opinions as a subject matter expert in platform design/navigation and user

experience, information services, and customer experience.

• Monitor trends and research best practices to identify opportunities to innovate corporate

communication and engagement activities and enhance digital information services/platforms.

• Prepare and present reports to associated standing or steering committees, taskforces or working

groups, management teams, and other parties, as required.

• Related duties as assigned.

What you will need:

• Graduation from a post-secondary program in Communications or equivalent field, or a

combination of education and relevant experience.

• Membership and progress toward registration with a relevant professional association is

preferred.

• Four (4) to Five (5) years directly related progressive experience in communications, public

relations, marketing, or equivalent. Supervisory or project management experience preferred.

• Demonstrated technical proficiency and thorough knowledge of applicable legislation, standards,

and guidelines.

• Highly developed interpersonal and customer service skills, including conflict resolution and

problem-solving; demonstrated ability to effectively communicate with diverse populations within

the community; experience working collaboratively with organizations, clients, and other

stakeholders.

• Political acumen to identify and manage issues.

• Excellent oral and written communication skills coupled with the ability to manage and

coordinate opposing views and find solutions and resolutions to complex issues

What we are offering:
The District is proud to offer the following benefits with this job:

• Health benefits

• OMERS pension

• Work-life flexibility

• Perks and discounts

• Wellness programs

• Fostering and fun environment

• Professional development and education opportunities

• Pay range progression based on length of time in the job and satisfactory performance

The Next Step
If you have the necessary skills, experience and qualifications, and can support our vision and

values (RISE: Respect, Innovation, Service and Equity), submit your application using the apply

now link below.

APPLY NOW or visit our careers page for other opportunities.

The District of Muskoka is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity in our workforce, encouraging

applications from all qualified individuals. Our organization is committed to providing persons with disabilities

with equal opportunities and standards of goods and services, and we are compliant with the Accessibility for

Ontarians with Disabilities Act. If you require disability related accommodation to participate in the recruitment

process, please advise the Human Resources department as soon as possible. Accommodation may be

provided in all steps of the hiring process. Any questions regarding this posting should be directed to the

Human Resources Department.