Senior Communications Specialist, WPF

Position Summary

As part of the HNI Member Engagement & Communications Center of Excellence (CoE), the Sr. Communications Specialist acts as a communications consultant for the Workplace Furnishings (WPF) organization. The position plans, develops, and implements communications that support WPF business strategy, member engagement, organizational change, and key initiatives. Responsibilities include strategic communication planning; creation of clear, audience-focused written, visual, digital, and multimedia content; coordination of communication deployment across distributed audiences; management of member communication channels and select engagement programs; and use of feedback and success metrics to drive continual improvement.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Lead strategic planning for WPF communications

• Build leadership-level relationships to understand WPF and corporate strategy, business priorities, programs, initiatives, culture, and related communication needs.
• Lead and coordinate communication planning for key WPF programs, processes, priorities, organizational changes, and strategic initiatives involving multiple stakeholders across teams and locations.
• Develop project-specific and annual communication plans aligned with stakeholder and audience needs, including ongoing communication vehicles such as monthly and quarterly communications, member meetings, leadership meetings, and town halls.

Craft effective communications for WPF members, leaders, and business stakeholders

• Use a variety of media, including print, video, electronic, face-to-face, web, social, and digital channels, to create deliverables that meet the needs of diverse and distributed audiences.
• Research, outline, write, edit, and create content and layouts that simplify complex concepts, support consistent messaging, and reflect the WPF and HNI brand voice.
• Review and align communication strategies, key messages, and drafts with senior leaders, managers, and other key stakeholders.

Deploy communications, manage engagement channels, gather feedback and success metrics, and implement continual improvements

• Coordinate deployment schedules and approaches to ensure communications reach distributed audience groups at the right time and through appropriate channels.
• Collaborate with the CoE team, internal partners, cross-functional teams, multimedia production resources, and third-party vendors as needed to develop, implement, and distribute communications.
• Utilize feedback channels and analyze communication and engagement metrics to recommend and implement continual improvements to communication strategies, content, channels, and programs.
• Assist with coordination and execution of WPF member and leadership meetings, including overall meeting approach, content development, speaker support, and deployment of follow-up communications.
• Support member-recognition and engagement programs, including communication strategies, content, promotion, and ongoing improvement based on participation and feedback.
• Partner with cross-functional teams to develop communication plans for organizational transformations, ensuring clarity, transparency, and support for impacted members.
• As a member of the CoE, participate in enterprise-wide communications strategy and deliverables development, supporting projects as needed.

Education

Minimum Required

Preferred

Accepted Majors / Fields of Study

☐     High school diploma / equivalent

☐     2-year degree (e.g., Associates)

☒     4-year degree

☐      Masters degree

☐      High school diploma / equivalent

☐     2-year degree (e.g., Associates)

☐      4-year degree

☐      Masters degree

Preferred fields: Communications, Marketing, Journalism, English, Advertising, Graphic Design, Business, or related fields

Certifications / Other Education

N/A

Experience

• 7+ years experience in marketing or communications, including communication planning, drafting, editing, and deployment through written, digital, and multimedia channels.
• Experience within WPF or a similar environment is preferred. Knowledge of culture, business priorities, and business structure will be heavily considered in lieu of specific communications experience.
• Solid project management experience; skilled at managing multiple deliverables for a variety of projects in a fast-paced environment.
• Experience consulting with others on potential communication approaches and identifying strengths and weaknesses of alternate options based on audience needs
• 3+ years of experience partnering directly with senior leaders and managers to develop and implement communication and/or project plans.
• Solid history of taking on larger, increasingly complex communication programs; proven achievements of large-scale communications and change programs
• Experience using a broad range of communication technologies, digital platforms, and vehicles. Experience with Microsoft 365, SharePoint or intranet platforms, email marketing, video, and internal social tools preferred.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Self-directed and responsive, with high drive and initiative. Thrives with regular leadership collaboration and minimal need for detailed direction; comfortable working in a dynamic, high-impact environment with shifting priorities.
• Strong interpersonal and consulting skills, with the ability to build relationships, influence stakeholders, and communicate effectively with members at all levels, including senior executives.
• Ability to translate technical, complex, or sensitive concepts into clear, concise, audience-appropriate communications.
• Creative skills, including concept generation, storytelling, visual representation of complex ideas, and development of content that resonates with target audiences.
• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Word and PowerPoint; proficiency with Microsoft Excel and digital communication platforms.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Copilot (or other AI tools) and Asana (or other project management tools).
• Strong project management and organizational skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities, deadlines, and stakeholder expectations.
• Analytical mindset and experience using communication metrics, engagement data, and member feedback to assess effectiveness and guide improvements.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and sound judgment when supporting sensitive projects and communications.

• 7+ years experience in marketing or communications, including communication planning, drafting, editing, and deployment through written, digital, and multimedia channels.
• Experience within WPF or a similar environment is preferred. Knowledge of culture, business priorities, and business structure will be heavily considered in lieu of specific communications experience.
• Solid project management experience; skilled at managing multiple deliverables for a variety of projects in a fast-paced environment.
• Experience consulting with others on potential communication approaches and identifying strengths and weaknesses of alternate options based on audience needs
• 3+ years of experience partnering directly with senior leaders and managers to develop and implement communication and/or project plans.
• Solid history of taking on larger, increasingly complex communication programs; proven achievements of large-scale communications and change programs
• Experience using a broad range of communication technologies, digital platforms, and vehicles. Experience with Microsoft 365, SharePoint or intranet platforms, email marketing, video, and internal social tools preferred.