External Communications Manager

London, England, United Kingdom

12/20/2024

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External Communications Manager

This vital role will help us develop effective communications strategies which raise the profile of the Ombudsman Service, positioning us as a credible voice in the finance sector, and building people’s trust and understanding in our work. As well as developing and delivering communications strategies, you will have responsibility for strategic planning and co-managing the organisation’s horizon scanning process.

Contract: 12 month FTC

Working hours: 35 hours per week is full time. Where possible, we are open to considering part time/flexible working patterns. Please let us know in your application your desired working pattern.

Salary: Circa £62,000

Reporting to: Head of External Communications

London docklands

Our permanent hybrid policy sees us all working at least four days across a fortnight in the office.

You will play a key role in supporting the Senior Management Team by helping shape and deliver the Communications and Engagement Strategy. You’ll bring the individual communications teams together, leading weekly planning meetings to ensure planning aligns with our strategy, effectively scheduling and coordinating activities. You’ll regularly brief the senior leadership team on our proactive plans as well as on how we’re handling high-profile reputational issues.

You’ll partner with the strategy team to manage horizon scanning for the organisation, leading on intel gathering and ensuring strategic plans take into account the full external landscape.

The role combines elements of proactive and reactive media. You will build strong relationships with the media and relevant stakeholders, have great awareness of the external landscape and conceive creative, innovative campaigns to land our messaging.

Key responsibilities:

• Leading on forward planning across the team ensuring comms activity aligns with the organisation’s overarching strategy and objectives
• Effectively scheduling activities and maintaining the upkeep of our strategic comms grid, chairing meetings and reporting to seniors on our plans and approach.
• Ensuring key messaging is aligned across all comms teams – including content, digital and internal comms – and that media enquires are handled with professionalism and an understanding of key content including financial trends, legal and regulatory developments, and data-led stories.
• Partnering with the Strategy team to deliver the quarterly horizon scanning cycle, acting as committee coordinator and leading the communications team’s intel gathering process.
• Helping implement the communications strategy by building our relationship with the media and stakeholders, ensuring we respond promptly to journalist enquiries, and help lead and co-ordinate our proactive engagement.
• Understanding the strategic priorities of the Financial Ombudsman Service.
• Identifying risks and opportunities through our work and externally.
• Ensuring senior colleagues are briefed on our proactive planning as our handling on significant media coverage and enquiries.
• Devising creative and innovative campaigns based on clear insight, targeted at relevant audiences, and in partnership with key stakeholders.
• Utilising the latest techniques and a range of comms channels to reach a broad spectrum of audiences
• Playing a key role in managing the communications grid, both by using horizon scanning tools and working with colleagues to capture and co-ordinate the delivery of upcoming events and announcements.
• Helping devise and deliver the Comms and Engagement Strategy, using your understanding of the comms infrastructure to deliver it including the corporate narrative, brand and style guide and key messages.
• Raising the profile of the External Comms Team internally, whilst providing comms and reputation management advice to colleagues up to the most senior levels of the organisation.
• As a manager, embedding an inclusive culture by creating a sense of respect, belonging and values.
• Actively creating an environment where all people feel supported to give their best and flourish.
  
  

To be considered for this role, you’ll need to show us that you’ve got the skills and capabilities. You’ll have to meet the following minimum criteria:

Minimum Criteria:

• Having excellent organisation and time management skills – able to prioritise delivery of work based on our strategic objectives and flex plans to adapt to a quick changing landscape
• Having demonstrable experience of media relations, crisis communications, creative campaigns and strategic planning in a complex environment (either in-house or within an agency setting) is a must.
• Experience in designing and delivering targeted communications plans and campaigns, and measuring their success
• The ability to understand and operate in a complex, data-driven environment where you have crafted comms campaigns built around audience insight and changing behaviours.
• Experience influencing and persuading across a range of stakeholders and at a senior level – understanding how best to engage with a variety of audiences.
  
  

Desirable Criteria:

We would also like you to have the following skills:

• Experience of working on personal finance issues would be beneficial but is not an absolute requirement if you can demonstrate an ability to grasp complex issues quickly, and have experience dealing with data, insight and trends.
• Communicating complex or sensitive messaging in writing – being clear, engaging and accurate.
• Providing media training and advice to senior colleagues, devising key messaging and accompanying spokespeople to interviews.
• Being a self-starter – able to work to tight deadlines and manage projects independently to time and budget.
• Having demonstrable success in executing communications and engagement plans that use a variety of methods and channels and which employ best practice.
  
  

Why Financial Ombudsman Service?

We are a values led organisation. Our values define our culture, influence our decisions, and underpin our vision and strategy. They set out how we play our PART through Purpose, Ambition, Respect and Trust. You can learn more about our values here: https://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/who-we-are/aims-values

We also offer an attractive, competitive salary and flexible benefits to suit our people. Here’s a list of some of the many benefits and perks you can get for working with us:

• 25 days holiday entitlement, with the option to buy extra or sell days
• Generous pension
• Various Family Friendly Policies, including enhanced maternity pay, carers and dependants leave
• Employer provided benefits such as Private medical insurance, virtual GP, Critical illness cover, Life assurance cover, to name a few
• Choice of voluntary benefits including Technology scheme, Cycle to work scheme, Will-writing service amongst others
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Extensive opportunities for personal and career development
• Nationwide gym membership discounts, and a fully equipped on-site gym open 24/7 in London
• Extensive Well-being resources including on-site therapists (London office only)
• Beautiful and bright London office looking over the Thames and near to mainline stations
• Our Coventry office is 2 minutes’ walk from the main station
• Our employee led networks (a couple of examples being our Women's Network, Carers network, and Neurodiverse Network) do fantastic work in educating and raising awareness across a range of experiences and support us in being an inclusive employer and a great place to work. You can get involved, too!
  
  

How do I apply?

• Please apply by uploading a single document containing your current CV, and a supporting statement (no more than 500 words) of how you feel you meet the minimum criteria
  
  

Applications need to be submitted by on 23:59 Friday 10th January 2025

Please note, we will come back to you week commencing 13th January with an update on your application.

Due to high application numbers this advert may end earlier than the date specified, so please don't delay and apply now!

A full job profile is available on request and will be provided to candidates shortlisted to the first stage of the assessment process.

We’re proud to be an inclusive employer

We view diversity as fundamental to our success and welcome applications from underrepresented groups across all communities.

We’re committed to being a great place to work– attracting and developing people from the widest possible range of backgrounds. We want everyone to perform at their best and feel able to be themselves. We understand that if we’re diverse and inclusive, we’ll better understand different perspectives, which is fundamental to our job resolving financial complaints.

We welcome applications from Black and other ethnic minority candidates, and female candidates, for all positions and particularly so for senior leader positions as they are under-represented within the Financial Ombudsman Service at this level.

We are proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. This means that we will put disabled candidates entering under the scheme through to the next stage of the recruitment process should they meet the minimum criteria for a role. A minimum criterion needs to be measurable from reviewing a candidate’s CV/supporting statement. Exceptions may apply if due to the volume of applications we are not able to interview all eligible candidates who qualify under the scheme. If you would like to speak to a member of our team about any reasonable adjustments you need, please email hrsupport@financial-ombudsman.org.uk and let us know your preferred method of contact.

Find out more

Check out below channels to find out more about everyday life at the Financial Ombudsman Service – and don’t forget to follow us while you’re there!

• LinkedIn: Financial Ombudsman Service
• Our careers page: https://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/who-we-are/join-us
  
  

Good luck with your application!