Corporate Communications Manager

Team / Directorate: Communications and External Affairs / Communications, Customer and Commercial

Starting salary:  £52,268 rising to £57,726 per annum through annual increments being paid each year (pro rata for part time applicants)

Contract type: Permanent

Work pattern: Full time, 37 hours per week (Part time, annualised hours, compressed hours or term time working considered - discussions at interview stage welcome)

Post number: 201781

The role

This role will lead and manage a specialist communications team providing a fully integrated end-to-end communications service across the whole of NRW, focused on delivering a continuously improving service as part of a wider suite of enabling services. Working in close partnership with senior leadership across the business, you will develop and drive delivery of our communications strategy, including developing our strategic approaches for: media relations; social media; stakeholder engagement; campaigns; public relations; and internal communications. You will be a senior communications expert in the business, advising on: crisis communications; incident communications; reputation management; and behaviour change; as well as the disciplines above.

As an organisation we support flexible working. You will be contracted to the nearest NRW office to your home and a suitable hybrid working pattern will be agreed on appointment. Any regular face to face meetings or training will be planned in advance.

To make an informal enquiry about this role, please contact Lynette Bowley at lynette.bowley@cyfoethnaturiolcymru.gov.uk

Interviews will be conducted via Microsoft Teams.

Successful external applicants will be subject to a satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service Check (DBS) check. We aim to make offers of appointment within 4 to 8 weeks of the closing date.

About us

You will be part of the corporate communications team, and work closely with colleagues working across a range of communications and external affairs disciplines. You will lead a team of around 7 individuals who work with colleagues across the organisation

 

What you will do

• Drive delivery of organisational communications strategy through effective proactive and reactive internal and external communications, to build and protect our reputation and brand.
• Manage an effective incidents communications service, ensuring that the organisation is prepared and adequately trained for communicating during a large-scale environmental incident.
• Manage the organisation's communications budget and external contracts related to communications work. Manage bids for additional resource when the opportunities arise.
• Advise senior management on issues, crisis and risk management, in particular reputational risk and work across the business to transform how the organisation communicates with its many audiences.
• Develop annual communications prioritisation in conjunction with Head of Communications and Heads of Business/Service, securing additional resource where required.
• Manage in-year prioritisation and work planning for the team, allocating resource accordingly and reporting progress on a regular basis to Executive Team and the Board.
• Build strong external networks with partner organisations in order to increase collaboration around shared objectives.
• Manage NRW's media spokespeople, ensuring that everyone required to represent NRW in broadcast interviews are trained, well briefed and prepared.
• Develop annual communications campaign and workplans to deliver the most effective proactive external communications campaigns and activity possible, to build brand and reputation and ensure that our campaigns are making a significant contribution to delivering our corporate objectives
• Undertake health and safety duties and responsibilities appropriate to the post
• Be committed to Natural Resources Wales Equal Opportunities and Diversity Policy, together with an understanding of how it operates within the responsibilities of the post
• Be committed to your own development and that of your staff through the effective use of your personal development plan (known as Sgwrs).
• Any other reasonable duties requested commensurate with the grade of this role.

Your qualifications, experience, knowledge and skills

In your application and interview you will be asked to demonstrate the following skills and experience using the STAR method.

You will have:

1. Experience of leading/managing an integrated communications approach, including campaign and work planning and prioritisation.
2. Significant experience across public relations (media, stakeholder, public affairs, crisis, reputation management, incidents); marketing (campaigns, advertising, research, strategic narrative, design and print, events); and staff engagement, with a particular specialism in at least two of the three.
3. Member of relevant professional body and a visible commitment to your own Continuous Professional Development (CPD).
4. Detailed understanding and knowledge of NRW's remit, roles, policies and priorities in order to be able to drive effective communications campaigns in support of these. 
5. Ability to make sound judgement calls, in particular regarding protecting reputation and during incidents. 
6. Experience of being public and/or media spokesperson, able to represent the organisation confidently, often in difficult circumstances

Welsh language level requirements

• Essential: B2 - Upper intermediate level (able to discuss work matters) previous Level 3

Benefits 

This role will offer a range of benefits, including:

• Civil Service Pension Scheme offering employer contributions of 28.97% (successful internal staff will remain in their current pension scheme)
• 28 days annual leave, rising to 33 days
• generous leave entitlements for all your life needs
• commitment to professional development
• health and wellbeing benefits and support
• weekly wellbeing hour to use as you choose

See full details for all the employee benefits you will receive.

Please keep reading

We’re passionate about creating a diverse workforce and positively encourage applications from under-represented communities. We embrace equality of opportunity irrespective of disability, neurodivergence, ethnic origin, colour, nationality, gender expression and gender identity, marital status, sexual orientation, culture, or religion.   We put the principles of human rights, equality, fairness, dignity and respect at the heart of our values.

We are committed to equal opportunities and we guarantee interviews for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

We want to attract and retain talented and highly skilled staff, so we make sure that our pay scales remain competitive. We advertise the full pay scale on our job descriptions. Appointed candidates start at the first point of the pay scale and annual increments are paid each year.

We want our staff to grow professionally and personally. From leadership development to access to further and higher education courses, our staff have opportunities to expand their knowledge on variety of topics, stay current in their field and continue to learn as their career progresses.  

We are a Bilingual organisation which complies with the Welsh Language Standards.  Welsh language skills are considered an asset to NRW, and we encourage and support staff to learn, develop and use their Welsh language skills. 

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