Director, Internal Communications (REMOTE)

Translate strategy into understanding, alignment, and action.

At Cengage, our employees have a direct impact in helping students around the world discover the power and joy of learning. We are bonded by our shared purpose – driving innovation that helps millions of learners improve their lives and achieve their dreams through education.

Cengage's portfolio of businesses supports student choice by providing a range of pathways that help learners achieve their goals and lead a choice-filled life.

What You’ll Do Here

Reporting to the VP, Corporate Communications, the Director, Corporate Communications will serve as a strategic communications partner to business leaders, helping translate strategy into understanding, alignment, and action across assigned functions and business areas.

This role partners with leaders to connect employees to business priorities, navigate organizational change, improve leadership communication effectiveness, and strengthen employee understanding of where the company is headed and how their work contributes to success.

The Director will help leaders communicate with clarity, consistency, and transparency while ensuring communications support business outcomes, organizational effectiveness, and a culture of ownership.

Business Partnership & Strategic Communications

Partner with executive and senior leaders to develop and execute communications strategies that support business priorities, organizational change, employee engagement, and enterprise alignment.

Responsibilities include:

• Serve as the primary communications advisor for assigned leaders and business areas.
• Translate business strategy, priorities, organizational changes, and transformation initiatives into clear, actionable communications.
• Help leaders connect team objectives and day-to-day work to broader enterprise priorities.
• Provide strategic counsel on communication approaches, employee engagement, leadership visibility, and organizational effectiveness.
• Support leaders in communicating difficult or complex topics with clarity, transparency, and empathy.
• Identify communication risks, employee concerns, or areas of confusion and recommending solutions.

Strategy Translation & Change Enablement

Partner with leaders to ensure employees understand what is changing, why it matters, how it aligns to business priorities, and what actions are expected.

Responsibilities include:

• Develop and execute communications and change enablement plans that help employees understand what is changing, why it matters, and what actions are expected.
• Create leader and manager communications resources—including toolkits, talking points, presentations, FAQs, and discussion guides—to support consistent communication and adoption.
• Assess employee sentiment, readiness, and change risks, recommending strategies that improve understanding, engagement, and accountability.

Internal Communications Programs

Lead and continuously evolve communications programs that educate, engage, and support employees across assigned business areas.

Responsibilities include:

• Develop audience-focused communication strategies based on employee needs, motivations, and ways of working.
• Lead communications programs that strengthen employee understanding of business priorities, growth ambitions, culture, and how their work contributes to company success.
• Ensure a consistent cadence of leadership visibility and communication that reinforces strategic direction and organizational priorities.
• Partner with HR and business leaders to support employee engagement, recognition, culture, and talent initiatives.

Leadership Communications & Employee Engagement

Support senior leaders with internal communications, employee meetings, leadership events, and team engagement opportunities.

Responsibilities include:

• Develop executive communications and engagement materials, including presentations, talking points, videos, and written communications.
• Prepare leaders for team meetings, organizational updates, enterprise initiatives, and critical employee conversations.
• Help leaders build trust and reinforce strategy through authentic, transparent, and audience-focused communication.

Drive Alignment & Collaboration

Help create a coordinated and consistent employee experience by aligning communications across enterprise, business segment, and team levels.

Responsibilities include:

• Partner with HR, Strategy, Finance, Legal, Transformation, and other stakeholders to align messaging, priorities, and communication efforts across the organization.
• Improve coordination across initiatives and channels to deliver a consistent employee experience while supporting business-specific needs.

Integrated Communications Approach

While this role is focused primarily on internal communications, the Director will seek opportunities to improve information flow, storytelling, and message consistency across internal and external audiences when appropriate.

Measurement & Insights

Develop measurable objectives and use data-driven insights to evaluate communications effectiveness and business impact.

Responsibilities include:

• Define success measures and evaluation approaches for communications programs and key initiatives.
• Establish metrics and feedback mechanisms to assess employee understanding, engagement, adoption, and readiness.
• Evaluate leader communication effectiveness and identify emerging risks and opportunities through employee listening and qualitative feedback.
• Use insights to continuously improve communication strategies and demonstrate impact on organizational alignment and business outcomes.

Skills You’ll Need

• Bachelor’s degree required; graduate degree or equivalent experience preferred.
• Minimum of 10 years of communications experience, including internal communications, executive communications, change communications, or related disciplines.
• Experience translating business strategy into communications, engagement, and organizational action.
• Experience supporting organizational change, transformation initiatives, or large-scale business programs.
• Strong executive and leadership communications capabilities.
• Proven success building relationships and collaborating across complex, matrixed organizations.
• Demonstrated ability to influence senior leaders and serve as a trusted advisor.
• Experience developing communications strategies that drive understanding, alignment, engagement, and behavior change.
• Strong business acumen and the ability to connect communications efforts to organizational outcomes.
• Experience integrating communications programs across channels and audiences to amplify impact.
• Experience with Prosci/change management.
• Excellent writing, editing, storytelling, and presentation development skills, with the ability to adapt content to various leadership voices and business priorities.
• Data-driven mindset with experience using employee feedback, engagement, and adoption metrics to evaluate effectiveness.
• Ability to work effectively with employees and leaders at all levels of the organization.
• Client-service mentality with a collaborative, solutions-oriented approach and a willingness to challenge conventional thinking when necessary to achieve stronger outcomes.
• Expertise in Microsoft Office applications, including PowerPoint and Excel.

Compensation

At Cengage Group, we take great pride in our commitment to providing a comprehensive and rewarding Total Rewards package designed to support and empower our employees. Click here to learn more about our Total Rewards Philosophy.

The full base pay range has been provided for this position. Individual base pay will vary based on work schedule, qualifications, experience, internal equity, and geographic location.  Sales roles often incorporate a significant incentive compensation program beyond this base pay range.

In this position,  you will be eligible to participate in the company’s discretionary incentive bonus program.  This position's bonus target amount, which is not guaranteed and is dependent on individual performance and overall company results among other factors, is provided below.