Manager, Communications

Organization:  Distress Centre of Ottawa and Region

Location:

Ottawa and Region, Ontario | Hybrid (remote and in-office)

Employment Type:

Full-time, Permanent

Schedule:

37.5 hours per week, Monday–Friday, with flexibility required

About the Distress Centre of Ottawa and Region
For more than 55 years, the Distress Centre of Ottawa and Region (DCOR) has been a source of connection, hope, and empathy for those experiencing stress, distress, and crisis across and well beyond the City of Ottawa. Operating 24 hours a day, every day of the year, DCOR provides accessible, confidential, and non-judgmental support and referrals in both English and French.

Through our phone lines, community partnerships, training, and volunteer-driven programs, we ensure that no one in our community faces their most difficult moments alone.

About the Position
Reporting to the Director, Partnerships and Development, the Manager, Communications leads how DCOR presents itself in words and design. The Manager is DCOR’s lead writer and editor, the owner of its website content and layout, the steward of its visual identity, and the producer of its key organizational materials including reports and educational resources. The Manager sets DCOR's standards for safe, accurate, and accessible communications.

As a bilingual organization, the Manager ensures that DCOR materials are translated in English and French with consistency and accuracy.

As a member of the Communications and Development team, the Manager supports fundraising and events efforts by producing campaign, stewardship, and promotional materials, overseeing event promotion and delivery through the Coordinator, and ensuring that DCOR’s messaging consistently advances both its mission and its fundraising goals.

The Manager, Communications supervises:

Coordinator, Digital Media and Events

Key Responsibilities
Writing and Resource Management:
Approximately 40%

Serve as DCOR’s lead writer and editor across reports, educational materials, key communications, and web copy, with sensitivity to the mental health and crisis-support context.

Set and uphold a consistent editorial voice, and edit or review others’ writing for quality and tone.

Work across teams to produce polished organizational materials, such as reports, educational resources, presentations, one-pagers, and other collateral.

Produce campaign, stewardship, and promotional materials in support of the Director’s fundraising and partnership work.

Support media and public-relations materials (e.g., talking points, backgrounders, releases) as required.

Manage DCOR’s materials inventory and ensure the ordering and delivery of printed materials and supplies to partners.

Website and Digital Presence Management:
Approximately 25%

Own DCOR’s website content, structure, and layout, keeping it accurate, accessible, bilingual, current, and easy to use.

Oversee external technical/web consultants for coding and development, translating DCOR’s needs into clear requirements.

Provide direction and quality oversight to the Coordinator’s social media and email execution, ensuring alignment with DCOR’s messaging.

Monitor DCOR's general inboxes and other online accounts and portals, and triage or respond to public queries according to DCOR protocols.

Branding and Marketing:
Approximately 20%

Own DCOR’s visual identity and brand standards and guidelines.

Ensure all internal and external materials present a consistent, professional, mission-aligned identity, and support staff in applying brand standards.

Work with consultants to oversee design work using tools such as Canva (or similar).

Represent DCOR in relevant spaces such as community working groups or partner coordination meetings focused on communications.

Ensure French-language content is…