Job Description:

Job Summary

The Communications and Translations Specialist is responsible for managing content creation and translation ensuring clear, accurate, and consistent communication across multiple channels, while maintaining brand standards. This role involves collaborating with cross-functional teams to deliver content specific messaging to Corporate and Franchise stores, as well as Vendors, leveraging internal systems to oversee the intake/coordination of communications and ad hoc translations, from initial submission to delivery of the final assets. The Specialist will support the Communications and Translations Manager in maintaining communication standards, handling daily and urgent communications, and ensuring timely, high-quality content delivery, primarily in English, with occasional French requirements. Success in this role requires resourcefulness and the ability to pivot when required, while influencing others in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.

Essential Details and Responsibilities

• Internal Content Creation Management and Engagement Monitoring:
  • Collaborate cross-functionally to create and edit submissions to be clear & engaging using channels such as memos, newsletters, product descriptions, and marketing materials in multiple languages.
  • Influence and lead by example with excellent verbal and written communication skills in English and French; compose and edit submissions daily using proper grammar, spelling, to ensure all content adheres to brand tone, style, and messaging guidelines to achieve consistency and develop standardized templates.
  • Support and/or manage and create content for Corporate and Franchise specific platforms, in multiple languages where applicable, leveraging creativity to tailor messaging for different audiences and ensure the overall flow of communications is digestible to increase readership and buy in.
  • Draft vendor communications, ensure clarity and brand alignment, and assist with workback plans for timely information sharing.
  • Assist in the distribution of marketing campaigns to ensure messaging resonates and field locations are prepared to execute.
  • Utilize tools such as out of box system reporting and Excel to monitor and create detailed reporting for volume, types of communications shared, including out of cycle, and engagement to identify areas of opportunity.
• Translation:
  • Translate content from English to French, ensuring accuracy and brand relevance with an understanding of translation techniques, with an eye for detail and cultural and brand nuances.
  • Manage external translation vendor, monitor costs, and review vendor completed translations for accuracy and adherence to brand standards.
  • Advocate for translation needs and assist in translating internal documents and policies.
• Research & Development:
  • Develop a communications calendar/schedule to provide alerts for holiday impacts to communications cadence.
  • Stay informed on pet retail industry trends and effective communication trends.
  • Analyze internal trends to identify opportunities for improvement; continuously seeking improvement with creative solutions to communication strategies, leading change initiatives and introducing innovative solutions; excited by the possibility of change and possess a future-oriented vision.
  • Strong communicator who can influence others to share in their vision; active change agent with the courage to lead complex change initiatives.
  • Observant of external & contextual surroundings, attentive to what is changing in the company and industry, while anticipating future trends and proactively develop new methods or processes to continuously adapt to both local market and big picture impacts.
• Problem Solving:
  • Comfortable with complex & ambiguous situations; able to apply numerous problem-solving tools using independent judgment when approaching an issue to find solutions; thorough and decisive.
  • Broad interests, highly curious, demonstrates intellectual curiosity, and a thirst for knowledge and experiences.

Experience, Education, Certifications

• Associate degree in Journalism, Communications, Business, English/French/Literature, or related preferred
• Excellent understanding of English and French language and interpretation skills, including English to French Canadian translation
• Experience communications and/or translations role preferred
• Experience in a retail and corporate environment preferred
• Experience in creative writing and writing multiple communications representing different voices for various audiences
• Excellent knowledge of Microsoft Office 365: Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and OneDrive
• Excellent knowledge of Adobe Applications: Reader and Photoshop
• Experience utilizing various content management systems and content creation tools

Competencies

• Written Communications – Proficient in English and French with the ability to write clearly and succinctly in both languages, in a variety of communication settings and styles to successfully communicate the message in the intended effect; excellent writing, editing, and proofreading skills in English and French.
• Understanding Others – Understands why groups do what they do; picks up the sense of the group in terms of positions, intentions, and needs; what they value and how to motivate them; can predict what groups will do across different situations.
• Time Management – Ability to work on multiple projects simultaneously and meet tight deadlines by using time effectively and efficiently; values time and able to prioritize to concentrate efforts on the more important tasks; gets more done in less time than others; can attend to a broader range of activities; understands what can and cannot be controlled and focuses efforts accordingly.
• Decision Quality - Makes good, efficient decisions based upon a mixture of analysis, wisdom, experience, and judgment; most of his/her solutions and suggestions turn out to be correct and accurate; sought out by others for advice and solutions.
• Listening – Practices attentive and active listening; has the patience to hear people out; can accurately restate the opinions of others even when he/she disagrees.
• Customer Focus – Is dedicated to meeting the expectations and requirements of internal and external customers; gets first-hand customer information and uses it for improvements in products and services; acts with customers in mind; establishes and maintains effective relationships with customers and gains their trust and respect.
• Process Management – Figuring out the processes necessary to get things done; understands how to separate and combine tasks into efficient workflow; can see opportunities for synergy and integration while being adaptable, creative, and culturally sensitive. Supports Manager with the development of communication and translation strategies and standards.
• Informing – Provides the information people need to know to do their jobs and to feel good about being a member of the team and/or organization; provides individuals information so that they can make accurate decisions; is timely with information; strong communication and interpersonal skills to deliver the message successfully.
• Self-Aware - Insightful, reflective, clearly understands personal strengths and weaknesses, actively seeks feedback/insights, and learns from it; displays dedication and commitment to learning and self-improvement by actively seeking/is responsive to coaching and feedback and views corrective feedback as helpful; reflects/contemplates what they could have done differently while being open and forthcoming and managing emotions effectively, staying composed in difficult situations.

JOB EVALUATION SUB-FACTORS

• Skill Factor: Complexity of Decision Making: Knowledgeable in store processes & business requirements, understanding the difference between Corporate and Franchise operations. Decision making requirements would include content, capacity, and negotiation skills.
• Skill Factor: Problem Solving: Metrics, reporting, analysis of results/output. Creativity is required to navigate communication and translation requests, to manage volume and confirm accuracy of content.
• Responsibility Factor: Impact of Action: Manage the accuracy of content in both English and French, while reliant on SMEs to validate.
• Responsibility Factor: Working Relationships: Can maintain open communication with fellow employees, and upper management. Regular 1:1 with key department content creators, field teams, internal team, and manager. Ability to work well independently and in a team environment when needed.
• Responsibility Factor: Leadership: Influence content creators to adhere to and support internal processes. Provide guidance and subject matter expert advice pertaining to effectiveness/impact of communications, including the medium/terminology implemented, layout and flow of information to increase readership.
• Responsibility Factor: Accountability for Resources: Given access to business information, customer and/or personnel information, and other company policies, which Pet Valu regards as confidential and request you maintain such information confidential.
• Effort Factor: Physical Demands: Day-to-day work environment requires desk/laptop.
• Effort Factor: Sensory Demands: Access and input information from the computer system using various platforms (ACELINK, OneDrive, PetConnect, etc.). Participation in virtual and in person meetings.
• Working Conditions Factor: Environment: Typing, data entry, and vision to monitor, sitting/standing for extended periods of time. In home remote work setting or in office.