SA Corporate Affairs Senior Director at PepsiCo

Main Purpose

• Lead, own and deliver on PepsiCo South Africa’s integrated Corporate Affairs agenda.
• Assure business continuity by maintaining our license to operate in an increasingly complex regulatory environment.
• Protect and enhance corporate reputation through an integral communication strategy to balance and shift criticism of PepsiCo (linked to health issues and other critical fronts).
• Design internal communication strategies effectively to translate our business strategy (vision, values, direction) and transformation journey into their day-to-day work.
• Lead the Digital Communications practice to ensure omni-channel alignment (website, newsletters, podcast, owned social media, executive communications) and fulfillment of critical KPIs, as well as systematize crises prevention and mitigation responses in social media.
• Provide Brand Communication services for all BUs and brands supporting engagement with key stakeholders and deploying strategies with influencer's.
• Lead Brand Protection services to all foods and beverages brands, ensuring that every content distributed or posted across platforms complies with guidelines, reinforces brand equity, and minimizes crises risks.
• Design the integral community affairs strategy, monitor and lead sustainability efforts to comply with global targets, and create public private partnerships to increase initiatives’ credibility and scope.
• Lead internal and external crisis management and represent Corporate Affairs in C-level crisis and risk committees.
• Partner with Compliance and Ethics to ensure awareness of PepsiCo’s policies and protocols and compliance with highest ethical standards.
• Lead the government affairs function, overseeing relations with government and political stakeholders at the national and local levels, and developing and implementing all legislative, regulatory, and stakeholder strategies with key partners across multiple geographies and multiple business models.
• The legislative threats in have increased significantly and this has changed the way PepsiCo needs to interact with key decisions makers in market, while protecting the PepsiCo business from political recriminations and not endangering the vital relationship with the SA administration;
• Increased pressure for greater regulation in the area of health & wellness as NGOs have become more connected across the country
• Unprecedented legislative threats for PepsiCo and peers in the areas of food labelling where PepsiCo products are sold, how the products are sold, what is put in the products and how the environment, employees and suppliers are treated

Responsibilities

External Communications Responsibilities

• Design the external communication strategy including proactive efforts to tell the PepsiCo story and communicate pep+ via influential target media.
• Prevent and timely address communication crises that can jeopardize PepsiCo’s corporate reputation.
• Editorial direction, design, production and distribution of all external and internal publications.
• Communicate through internal and external tools in coordination with PepsiCo’s corporate media bureau all local news that might increase PepsiCo’s reputation globally.
• Support PMF’s President and Executive Committee as direct staff for all external (media and NGOs) engagement and partnerships.
• Provide support to internal stakeholders in the design of external communication and marketing campaigns.
• Strengthen coordination with Corporate & Crisis Communications teams to prevent and address current and future risks from a comprehensive perspective.
• Design and creation of Corporate Social and Digital communications for the market.

Internal Communications Responsibilities

• Serve as a key enabler of cultural change and implementation of the transformation journey through an integral and phased communication strategy.
• Drive employee understanding of business priorities, develop and implement an internal communications strategy to enhance employee engagement and produce regular cadence of leadership communications.
• Provide support to internal stakeholders in the design of internal communication and marketing campaigns.
• Support President and Executive Committee in executive leadership communications (town halls, alignment sessions, etc).
• Strengthen coordination with Internal Communication Council Members to share best practices and prevent and address current and future risks from a comprehensive perspective.

Corporate Citizenship and Sustainability

• Responsible for corporate citizenship and sustainability strategies, including programs supported by the global and local foundations as well as business-owned action planks, by engaging with external institutions and by developing and deploying internal communication, community service and fund-raising strategy for all associates.
• Co-lead the Sustainability Strategy under PepsiCo’s guidelines and engage with external stakeholders, communicate externally and take sustainability as a flagship to build corporate reputation.
• Oversee and drive corporation-wide systems for measuring, reporting, and motivating sustainability efforts, so that there is uniformity and fairness in all these systems.
• Create value upon sustainability efforts and investment by communicating and supporting the corporation in its dealings with other companies and the various stakeholder communities where broad sustainability issues are concerned.
• Co-lead cultural transformation through pep+ by developing the Sustainability strategic framework, coordinating the Sustainability taskforce and communicating results internally and externally.
• Gather, analyze and interpret key trends/CSR activities to ensure we continue to be at the forefront of an alternative business model pioneering social and environmental values and delivering social returns.
• Socialize our CSR strategies before customers in partnership with sales and sales communications teams, to ensure positive perception as suppliers (i.e. Advantage Survey).

Government Affairs

• Avoid or minimize adverse, arbitrary or non-science based legislation, regulation and other policy actions including: discriminatory taxes, bans or restrictions on products, ingredients or marketing, unjustified food safety actions (e.g., warning labels, bans, advisories), duties, quotas & tariffs that impede the free flow of goods, Labor-related actions, restrictive competition policies and M&A challenges
• Support PepsiCo in being part of the solution to nutrition, agro, health & wellness and environmental challenges: a) Champion responsible marketing to children, internally & externally, b) Advocate for product labeling that helps consumers make informed choices, c) Advance policies and programs that promote healthy lifestyles and address malnutrition issues, and d) Forge partnerships that increase credibility and promote collaborative solutions in the realm of packaging and other environmental issues.
• Support operational needs of the business by leading interactions with Government entities, such as licenses, permits, plant and fleet related issues, productivity & SCT initiatives, trade and customs issues, and others.
• Manage long-term policy risks and opportunities to promote business growth by, a) Partner with government, business and thought leaders for public policy decisions favorable to sustainable, responsible business growth, such as: Corporate tax policy, Commodity prices, Open markets and free and fair trade, Litigation environment, Security environment for our operations. b) Identify and control for mid and long-term political risks.
• Provide support to internal stakeholders through expertise on public affairs, key policies as well as present and future risks: a) Issue recommendations, assessments and policy memos, b) promote and support the engagement of senior management with government officials and other stakeholders, c) protect and enhance corporate reputation and d) Guarantee, awareness of the external environment on key internal stakeholders.
• Represent PepsiCo in trade associations and external forums deploying a leadership role and having an incidence on industry-wide policies and positions.
• Develop a solid PPGA team, securing the empowerment and growth of its members.

Qualifications

Key Skills/Experience Required:

• Master’s Degree: Communications, Journalism, Development, Politics, International Relations
• 15 years in communications areas, government affairs, public relations, public affairs, journalism, social responsibility and corporate image. 
• Strong negotiation and influencing skills with internal and external audiences.
• Deep understanding of the regional and local political, social and economic environment.
• Exceptional communication, presentation and writing skills.
• Able to interface will multiple levels of management and different functions and roles in the business.
• Strong knowledge and understanding of sustainability related issues and public affairs.
• Full written and oral communication and presentation skills to individuals and groups, both formally and informally and through annual reports, media press releases and other public statements.
• Capable of working under pressure within demanding and challenging situations demonstrating both diplomacy and tact, interacting regularly at the highest levels with senior government, civil society, and private sector leaders.
• A demonstrable commitment to diversity and inclusion and its practical application and integration in the work environment.
• The strategic thinking and intellectual capability to manage and contribute to complexity of open critical fronts such as H&W, environmental and political issues.
• Ability to analyze and interpret complex information with excellent communication skills; the capability, confidence and assertiveness to be a key company spokesperson, communicate complex messages effectively and present & translate messages appropriately for different stakeholders/audiences.
• A natural networker, likely to bring an existing well-developed network of contacts among the relevant stakeholder and key opinion-former communities.
• Strong drive; innovative and goal oriented; pro-active and responsive with strong leadership.
• A strong team player with inter-personal and inter-cultural sensitivity, able to work well across functions, reporting lines & geographies.

Different Competencies Required:

• Good knowledge of the industry and the competitors.
• Knowledge of branding, image and reputation management.
• Profound knowledge of key stakeholders.
• Skilled in solving problems with different variables which may affect the relationship of associates and the company with the internal and external public.
• Validates and prioritizes the resources plan and spending to achieve maximum performance.
• Capable of provide strategies to constrain media crisis.
• Flexibility and dealing with ambiguity.
• Apply now and our recruitment team will be in contact!Our Commitment is to deliver Sustained Growth through Empowered People acting with Responsibility and Trust.