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External Communications Manager

Location: 5000 Kansas Avenue Kansas City, KS 66106

Department: Communications & Events

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Position Summary

Associated Wholesale Grocers (AWG) is seeking a strategic, operationally minded communications professional to support external communications and member engagement programs. This role is responsible for executing communications strategies that support AWG's business objectives, strengthen relationships with member retailers and vendors, and promote consistent messaging across communication channels and regions. 

The External Communications Manager serves as a central communications partner across the organization's nine divisions, leading integrated messaging efforts that support AWG's corporate priorities, strengthen relationships with member retailers and vendors, and ensure consistency across our regions and communication channels.

This role requires a highly collaborative communications professional with excellent writing, planning and project management skills, crisis communications expertise, media relations experience, and the ability to manage complex, high-volume communications programs across a decentralized organization.

The ideal candidate is strategic but highly execution-oriented; skilled at building trust and influence across teams; organized and process-minded; adept at balancing centralized communications standards with regional flexibility; and passionate about clear, audience-centered communications that drive engagement and business impact.

Core Responsibilities

1. External Communications & Reputation Management

• Support and execute AWG's external communications strategy, including media relations, corporate storytelling, executive visibility, reputation management, and crisis communications. 

• Develop integrated communications plans that align messaging, stakeholder engagement, media outreach, and digital communications around key business priorities and organizational initiatives. 

• Partner with leadership to provide recommendations on external communications risks and opportunities, helping guide organizational response strategies during issues or crisis situations.

• Draft, edit, and distribute vendor communications and external stakeholder messaging that support organizational initiatives, programs, events, partnerships, and business priorities while ensuring consistency of messaging and brand standards. 

• Lead the development, writing, and distribution of press releases and maintain an updated media list.

• Manage the organization's media monitoring and social listening platforms, including oversight of alerts, escalation workflows, stakeholder notifications, and trend analysis.

• Provide regular communications insights and reporting for executive leadership, including analysis of media coverage, engagement trends, reputational risks, and communications performance.

1. Member Communications & Engagement

• Manage and evolve AWG's member communications strategy and governance model, ensuring member-facing communications are clear, coordinated, timely, and aligned with organizational priorities.

• Oversee high-volume recurring communications programs, including weekly member digests, promotional and deal communications, surveys and engagement campaigns, and awards and recognition communications.

• Partner closely with corporate departments, division leadership, and operational teams to improve communication effectiveness, streamline workflows, and ensure consistency across all member communications.

• Establish and maintain communications standards, editorial processes, approval workflows, and channel governance practices for member-facing communications.

• Monitor engagement and performance metrics to continuously optimize communications effectiveness and member experience.

1. Digital Channels & Content Strategy

• Oversee strategy, content governance, and performance for AWG's external communications channels, including corporate website, social media channels, and external video content.

• Collaborate with internal stakeholders to ensure digital communications support organizational priorities, campaigns, events, and member engagement efforts.

• Use analytics and audience insights to guide content strategy, channel optimization, and communications planning.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of progressive experience in corporate communications, public relations, media relations, or integrated communications.

• Demonstrated experience leading external communications and reputation management programs in a complex organization.

• Strong crisis communications and issues management experience.

• Experience developing strategic communications plans tied to business objectives and measurable outcomes.

• Exceptional writing, messaging, editing, and storytelling skills across multiple communications formats and audiences.

• Experience managing digital communications channels, social media strategy, and communications analytics.

• Ability to manage multiple stakeholders, competing priorities, and fast-moving communications needs with sound judgment and professionalism.

• Experience working across decentralized or multi-location organizations strongly preferred.

• Familiarity with media monitoring, social listening, and communications platforms such as Meltwater strongly preferred.

• Bachelor's degree in Communications, Public Relations, Journalism, Marketing, or related field.

Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. (AWG) is the nation's largest cooperative food wholesaler to independently owned supermarkets, serving 1,100 member companies and 3,500 locations throughout 33 states from 9 wholesale division support centers. Consolidated sales for AWG in 2025 were $12.2 billion. In addition to its cooperative wholesale operations, the company also operates subsidiary companies that provide certain real estate and supermarket development services, and pharmaceutical products. For more information, visit AWGinc.com.

Benefits:

• Medical, Dental, & Vision Insurance

• Health Savings Account

• Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account

• Paid Vacation, Holiday, and Sick Time

• 401(k) with 4% match along with 3 other contributions

• Tuition Reimbursement

• Basic & Supplemental Life and AD&D

• Employee Assistance Program

• Short-Term and Long-Term Disability 

• Wellness Program

• Yearly Holiday Bonus