If you combine your corporate communications expertise and brand building chops with strong emotional intelligence and the confidence to navigate ambiguity effectively, this position offers you some very compelling opportunities. You will:

• Make a significant impact shaping the Essilor brand and narrative in a complex environment that includes completing our merger with Luxottica, re-engaging employees and customers in the COVID-19 landscape, extensive change in our industry and more
• Bring important and valued communications bandwidth to a global industry leader at time when the need is great Quick question for you - click here
• Help shape your own role and the brand & communications function in this dynamic period -- the sky's the limit for a motivated and creative individual
• Join an organization driven by a threefold mission: Improving lives by improving sight, Innovating for better vision, and Reaching the 2.7 billion underserved
• Support a brand that stands above the rest, thanks to consistent investment in innovation

Improving Lives By Improving Sight. Essilor of America, Inc. is the leading manufacturer of eyeglass lenses in the United States, employs more than 8,000 people and operates the largest and most comprehensive optical laboratory network in the U.S. Essilor of America, Inc. is a subsidiary of Paris-based Essilor International. Essilor manufactures optical lenses under the Varilux®, Crizal®, Transitions®, and other brands, and our products are worn by one billion people daily. Essilor has been on Forbes' list of the World's 100 Most Innovative Companies every year since 2010, and we ranked #62 out of 700 corporations awarded the title "Diversity Leader 2020" by the Financial Times.

To meet the basic qualification for this role, you will have legal authorization to work permanently in the United States for any employer without requiring a visa transfer or visa sponsorship. In addition, to be a good fit for the Director of Brand Communications opportunity, you will have:

• An undergraduate degree; an advanced degree preferred
• Significant and broad experience in corporate communications, message development and business communications; top candidates will have a mix of agency and corporate experience and/or experience in multiple industries
• Business acumen and the ability to develop an in-depth understanding of the company and its strategy, operations, business objectives, and industry
• The ability to critically evaluate the costs, risks, and benefits of communications alternatives before making a decision
• A high degree of creativity, including:
  • Strategic and persuasive writing and editing skills
  • Brand building expertise
  • Excellent storytelling skills in written, video and digital content Quick question for you - click here
• Executive presence, including a demonstrated ability to present complex business ideas, strategies, and results succinctly and persuasively to senior executives
• A proven ability to provide strong leadership to individuals and groups
• The ability to influence change within an organization
• An ongoing commitment to innovation and simplicity in communications -- reaching key stakeholders with evolved, sometimes complex, and many times difficult messaging
• Strong analytical skills, including communications program ROI analysis
• Compelling verbal communication skills with confidence and sensitivity
• The managerial courage to think and act independently, including taking calculated risks
• Agility, flexibility and the ability to pivot in an environment with lots of moving parts

We are following stringent COVID-19 precautions and initially you will work from home. Once it is safe, we will implement a responsible return-to-work plan. We expect that it will involve flexibility, but at this time nothing is definite.

Note: this is a high-level overview of the role. To take a deeper dive into the details, see the Role Specifics tab.

The Essilor Brand and Communications is at the center of our mission, our culture and our customer value proposition, and is a critical part of the transformation of our company and our industry. You will leverage your professional communication expertise to build Essilor’s brand, reputation and goodwill through your leadership in consumer & trade brand building, employee communications and engagement, industry leadership and reputation building.

Reporting to the Vice President, Brand, Media and Communications, you will plan and execute the brand & communications strategy during a time of transformation, merger communications and COVID response and recovery, helping key stakeholders understand Essilor’s mission, values and principles, and our role as an industry leader. This will include responsibility for the proactive and reactive approach to reputation management, employee communications, and crisis management. You'll serves as a key liaison with human resources, marketing and commercial organizations in ensuring we drive one voice, elevate who we are and what we stand for and delivering a cohesive communications plan as it relates to our corporate position with key stakeholders.

Some insight into the challenges and opportunities at this extraordinarily complex time in our history:

• As with most companies, our people have faced resizing and other changes due to COVID. In addition, we are completing our merger with Luxottica. Your first major objective will be to partner with HR to promote a sense of stability, elevate engagement and ensure our employees are our strongest advocates.


• Many of our core customers have been closed for weeks. A second key objective will be to create the messaging that renews relationships, rebuilds confidence and reinvigorates business, answering the key question:  "Why partner with Essilor?".


• Our industry is transforming from a relatively simple order-and-distribution model to one that integrates a variety of stakeholders, including healthcare providers, vision wear retailers, manufacturers to both frames and lenses, distributors and others. You'll shape the narrative that guides stakeholders through disruption and change.


• Traditionally consumers have been somewhat apathetic in purchasing vision wear. You will help spark enthusiasm for available options in lenses (progressive focus, protection against blue-violet light and digital screens, enhanced color distinction, and more) and also create stronger awareness of how the right frames influence how the wearer is perceived by others.

As Director of Brand Communications, you will help define the company’s position on a variety of issues and proactively preempt and mitigate risks to Essilor’s reputation. This will include helping key leaders and groups integrate mission and reputation into employee engagement opportunities, communication channels and messaging platforms. You'll be a key leader in the Marketing and Human Resources teams. Quick question for you - click here

More specifically, you will:

• Create integrated strategic employee communications plans with HR leadership to effectively build, manage, and maintain Essilor of America’s reputation with employees during a strategic integration
• Oversee employee communications channel strategy, which includes the employee and social media content that will engage and excite employees and potential employees
• Partner with talent management, talent acquisition and inclusion and diversity leaders to build and grow the culture of Essilor of America – both as a division and as a new and integrated company
• Create meaningful messaging and moments for customers, employees and industry to engage and experience who we are and what we stand for
• Serve as key liaison with the Dallas community to help drive awareness and understanding of our business as an employer of choice and good corporate citizen
• Draft position statements, Q&As and responses for issues and business drivers as defined by the Vice President, Brand, Media & Communications
• Track industry, business, economic and social trends to anticipate opportunities to enhance company’s mission, reputation and/or image
• Track, measure and analyze perceptions of company’s reputation and employee engagement activities
• Develop a comprehensive measurement approach to gauge the effectiveness of reputation programs and improve plans, strategies and tactics

Create a legacy
Years from now people will reflect on 2020 and 2021 to single out those companies that emerged better and stronger. You'll establish an enviable reputation as a key leader who helped distinguish Essilor not only with regard to COVID, but also in light of other major challenges.

Steady stream of intriguing challenges
If you're the person we're looking for, you see the opportunities behind the challenges. The need for innovative and compelling communications is great in both Essilor and Luxottica, offering you a nearly blank slate on which to draw your future.

Autonomy and support
We'll give you the elbowroom you need to succeed, and you'll also have plenty of support. For example we recently create a team of Engagement Ambassadors across the organization who can help deliver you message. You'll also enjoy the resources of an industry leader -- our merger with Luxottica has given us an unmatched global footprint in the eyewear industry.

Great environment
You will join a team that includes dedicated, sharp and mutually supportive professionals. Our culture is entrepreneurial and fresh, backed by 170 years of success. You'll also be part of global communications organization.

Truly living our values
At Essilor, we believe everyone deserves to see life and all its detail with the best vision possible. That's why, in addition to designing, manufacturing and distributing quality vision care solutions worldwide, we invest in raising awareness of the importance of good vision, support eyecare professionals, invent new technologies and products, and support philanthropic initiatives. We also are committed to robust standards for environmental sustainability. These are just a couple of reasons we were one of the 52 companies named to Fortune magazine's 2019 Change the World list.

Excellent compensation
In addition to competitive compensation and bonus potential, we offer an exceptional mix of first-rate benefits, including medical, dental and vision plans; a 401(k) plan with company match; tuition reimbursement; comprehensive training through Essilor University; lens and frame benefits for you and your family; an employee stock purchase plan with company match; and more.

Video: As part of the #DifferenceMakers campaign, Essilor chose four eyecare professionals and three Essilor employees to participate in a mission trip to Southeast Asia in March 2019.

This may be the most challenging job you'll ever love. You'll address a number of audiences with diverse agendas in a landscape that is constantly shifting. Those who excel at Essilor truly enjoy the whirl. They aren't thrown by having to re-prioritize their day -- "agile" and "pivot" are much more than just buzzwords here. For this role in particular, you'll need a broad background to draw from as well as the creativity to envision completely new solutions. Those solutions need to be informed by solid business savvy

We understand that there will be a learning curve, and you'll have support, but we'll also look to you to be proactive about getting up to speed quickly. That also will include earning the confidence of other company leaders. In relatively short order you should have what you need to stay three steps ahead of changes, crises and opportunities.

In addition, in order to be an outstanding Director of Communications, you will:

• Consistently display strong critical thinking skills and the ability to weigh risks vs. rewards
• Create and convey the communications big picture and also pay keen attention to detail
• Maintain a customer-first mindset
• Lead cross-functional groups effectively, including managing through ambiguity
• Take the initiative to ask questions and find the information you need
• Bring strong emotional intelligence -- including a ready sense of humor