Director, Corporate Communications & Issues Management

Director, Corporate Communications & Issues Management

The Director, Corporate Communications & Issues Management, plays a critical role leading global corporate crisis management communications and media strategies on the Global Communications & Public Affairs (GCPA) team. Charged with advancing corporate communications objectives and mitigating reputational risk, this role is responsible for providing counsel and insight on external sentiment and emerging issues to GCPA leadership and Continent Communicators, developing messaging and materials to manage global or reputational issues, overseeing crisis response efforts, and fostering relationships with media and key partners to advance public relations objectives. This leader collaborates across continents and disciplines for a unified, enterprise-wide approach to crises and issues management.

Candidate Profile

Education and Experience Required :

Bachelor's degree in communications, Journalism, Public Relations, or a related field.

8+ years of experience in strategic communications, with a strong emphasis on crisis management, reputation protection, and rapid-response media relations.

Demonstrated success in navigating high-stakes situations for consumer-facing brands, including issue mitigation, stakeholder messaging, and media strategy under pressure.

Deep understanding of the crisis communications landscape, including regulatory, reputational, and operational risk factors across premium consumer brands.

Preferred :

Experience managing crisis communications for global consumer brands, ideally within the hospitality, travel, or service sectors.

Proven leadership in guiding internal teams and external agencies through complex communications challenges, including legal, operational, and reputational scenarios.

Established relationships with key media contacts in national news, business, and industry-specific outlets, with the ability to influence coverage and shape narratives during critical moments.

Core Work Activities

Lead the development and execution of a unified global crisis communications and issues management strategy, ensuring enterprise-wide alignment.

Establish global processes, escalation protocols, and complementary communications resources for issues management, coordinating with continent communications teams and cross-functional disciplines.

Serve as the central global liaison for continent crisis communications leads and above-property stakeholders to ensure consistent messaging and coordinated efforts.

Work cross-functionally with internal disciplines and departments (including legal, IT, security, continent communications, etc.) to develop, coordinate approvals, and disseminate communications materials to support response efforts, including media statements, FAQs, executive messaging, and communications toolkits that can be leveraged by other communications stakeholders for both internal and external use.

Develop and execute external communications and media strategies, including acting as a media spokesperson for enterprise-level or reputational issues, ensuring timely, accurate, and aligned external communications, with the goal of minimizing reputational risk.

Advise on potential internal and external communications needs for key stakeholders, including associates, executives, owner / franchise partners, and investors.

Monitor global media and social channels for emerging reputational risks and sensitive issues. Conduct research and benchmarking of other consumer-facing brands to guide recommendations.

Provide proactive counsel to senior leadership and continent teams, advising on external sentiment and emerging issues.

Design and deliver training programs and resources for continent communications teams and above-property disciplines to support external issues management efforts.

Lead post-crisis reviews, trend analysis, and reporting to refine protocols and improve stakeholder support.

Corporate Communications :

Contribute to the development and implementation of annual public relations and strategic communications plans for priority corporate efforts and narratives.

Foster media relationships with industry and business journalists to support corporate communications priorities and support broad corporate communications needs, including drafting of various communications.

Support corporate media moments for key outlets and trade / business journalists to further PR objectives, collaborating on events with target media invited (ie, press events, etc.). Utilize integrated public relations tools to enhance storytelling and measure results.

At Marriott International, we are dedicated to being an equal opportunity employer, welcoming all and providing access to opportunity. We actively foster an environment where the unique backgrounds of our associates are valued and celebrated. Our greatest strength lies in the rich blend of culture, talent, and experiences of our associates. We are committed to non-discrimination on any protected basis, including disability, veteran status, or other basis protected by applicable law.

All positions offer a 401(k) plan, stock purchase plan, discounts at Marriott properties, commuter benefits, employee assistance plan, and childcare discounts. Benefits are subject to terms and conditions, which may include rules regarding eligibility, enrollment, waiting period, contribution, benefit limits, election changes, benefit exclusions, and others. Click here to learn more. Full-time positions also offer coverage for medical, dental, vision, health care flexible spending account, dependent care flexible spending account, life insurance, disability insurance, accident insurance, adoption expense reimbursements, paid parental leave and educational assistance. Washington Applicants Only : Employees will accrue paid sick leave, 0.077 PTO balance for every hour worked and be eligible to receive a minimum of 9 holidays annually. Marriott HQ is committed to a hybrid work environment that enables associates to Be connected. Headquarters-based positions are considered hybrid, for candidates within a commuting distance to Bethesda, MD; candidates outside of commuting distance to Bethesda, MD will be considered for Remote positions.