External Communications & Business Development Officer - Permanent - 19626

Our client, a well-established bi-national industry association, is seeking an engaging, creative, and relationship-oriented External Communications & Business Development Officer to join their Ottawa-based team.

This is an exciting opportunity for a communications or marketing professional who enjoys wearing multiple hats and wants to make a visible impact within a small, collaborative organization. The successful candidate will play a key role in strengthening the organization’s digital presence, supporting events and stakeholder engagement, and contributing to membership growth across Canada and the United States.

The ideal candidate is an outgoing and articulate communicator who is comfortable representing an organization publicly, building relationships, creating engaging content, and managing multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.

About The Opportunity

The External Communications & Business Development Officer will support external communications, digital presence, events, stakeholder engagement, and business development initiatives.

A key focus of the role will be growing the organization’s presence and engagement across social media and digital channels, while ensuring communications are professional, timely, and appropriate for a national and international industry audience.

This is a highly collaborative role within a small team where everyone contributes beyond their core responsibilities. The successful candidate will be someone who enjoys being involved, building relationships, and finding ways to help move the organization forward.

Duties include but are not limited to:

External Communications & Digital Marketing

• Develop and coordinate engaging content for the website, social media channels, newsletters, promotional materials, and other external communications
• Manage and grow the organization’s social media presence, with a particular focus on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook
• Develop and implement social media strategies that increase engagement, reach, and audience growth
• Establish and monitor social media KPIs and use analytics to measure performance and identify opportunities for improvement
• Schedule and manage social media content using digital scheduling tools
• Identify opportunities to expand digital reach, including emerging communication channels and content formats
• Support the development of press releases, media materials, briefing documents, industry profiles, and other external-facing communications
• As directed, respond to news media requests
• Contribute to website content management and ongoing improvements to the organization’s digital presence
• Create professional visual communications and marketing materials using graphic design tools
• Support photography, video, and other digital content initiatives
• Help maintain a consistent brand, tone, and visual identity across communications
• Build relationships with media outlets, content creators, and other communications partners
• Serve as a point of contact for media inquiries, with support and guidance as required
  
  

Events & Stakeholder Engagement

• Support the planning and execution of professional events, including industry events, networking activities, government engagement events, and other organizational activities
• Coordinate event logistics, communications, registrations, speakers, sponsors, and stakeholder engagement
• Attend industry events, conferences, and trade shows as a representative of the organization. (Position will require travel and a valid passport)
• Act as a professional and enthusiastic ambassador and build relationships with members and industry stakeholders
• Participate in public speaking and presentations as required
  
  

Business Development & Membership Growth

• Support the membership development process from initial engagement through to membership confirmation
• Respond to questions and provide information regarding the value of membership
• Follow up with prospective members and help move opportunities through to completion and invoicing
  
  

Member & Organizational Support

• Support member-facing activities and events, ensuring members feel welcomed, recognized, and valued
• Assist with membership follow-up and engagement activities
• Participate in relevant industry and social events
• Provide general administrative support to the organization as required, including office supplies, vendor coordination, courier deliveries, equipment servicing, and printing
  
  

About You

The successful candidate will have the following:

• Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Journalism, Marketing, Business, Political Science, or a related field
• Approximately 2-5 years of professional experience in communications, marketing, public relations, an advertising agency, advocacy organization, government, association, or a related environment
• Strong experience creating and managing social media content, particularly for LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook
• Demonstrated ability to develop social media strategies, establish KPIs, monitor performance, and use analytics to drive engagement and audience growth
• Experience using social media scheduling and management platforms such as Hootsuite; familiarity with Meltwater is an asset
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to adapt messaging for different audiences
• Practical graphic design and content development experience
• Experience with website content management and digital communications tools.
• Event planning or event coordination experience
• Strong relationship-building and business development skills
• Comfortable communicating with senior executives, government officials, industry stakeholders, members, media, vendors, and prospective members
• Confident and professional when representing an organization at meetings, conferences, trade shows, and industry events
• Highly organized with the ability to manage multiple projects, deadlines, and stakeholder relationships
• Strong proficiency with Microsoft 365 and the ability to quickly learn new digital platforms and systems
• Comfortable using AI tools to improve efficiency while maintaining strong judgment, accuracy, and accountability for the final work
• Bilingual English/French is considered an asset
• Experience within the marine transportation, shipping, logistics, transportation, infrastructure, trade, or related industries is considered an asset
• Must be based in Ottawa and able to work from the Ottawa office three days per week
• Must have a clean criminal record and be eligible to cross the Canada–U.S. border as required for the role
  
  

About the Job

• $70,000 to $75,000 annual salary
• 5% bonus potential
• Comprehensive benefits package
• Hybrid work environment with the current expectation of three days per week in the Ottawa office
• Approximately 30% travel and out-of-office participation for events, industry engagement, business development, and other organizational activities
• The opportunity to join a small, collaborative team where your contributions will be highly visible
• A varied role combining communications, digital marketing, events, stakeholder engagement, and business development
• The opportunity to work directly with industry leaders, government stakeholders, members, media, and organizations across Canada and the United States
  
  

If you are a creative communicator who enjoys building relationships, creating meaningful content, coordinating events, and being part of a small team where no two days are exactly the same, we would love to hear from you.

How To Apply

Please apply by clicking the “Apply Now” button below and follow the instructions to submit your résumé. You can also apply by submitting your résumé directly to executivesupportcontract@lrostaffing.com. If you are already registered with us, please contact your Senior Recruiter. Please quote job 19626.

LRO Staffing values fairness, confidentiality, and human judgment in every stage of our hiring process. We do not use automated or AI-driven screening tools to assess applications. Each submission is reviewed by an experienced recruiter to ensure a thoughtful and equitable evaluation of every candidate.

Thank you for your interest in this role. One of our Recruiters will be in touch with you if your profile meets the requirements for the role and the expectations of our clients. Please note that all candidates must be permitted to work in Canada to be considered for this opportunity.