Head of Corporate Communications
UK Visa Sponsorship Analytics
Occupation Type
Public relations and communications directors
Occupation Code Skill LevelHigher Skilled
Sponsorship Salary Threshold
£77,200
(£39.59 per hour)
Occupation rate applies
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Description
The role
Shoosmiths is entering a new phase of ambitious growth strategy, with a clear intention to position itself as the challenger brand in the upper mid-market legal sector by 2030. The Head of Corporate Communications is a new role and will be responsible for developing and delivering a dynamic, business, sector, insight-led communications strategy that brings our bold identity to life internally and externally. This role will unify our internal communications, PR, and social media functions into a single, cohesive Corporate Communications team, ensuring clarity, discipline and consistency across every channel. The postholder will help shape and articulate the firm’s narrative, redefine and communicate our tone of voice, and steward Shoosmiths’ reputation across all audiences. The role will work closely with the Main Board, divisional departmental heads, sector heads, partners and our external advisors to elevate Shoosmiths’ profile and develop a confident, well-equipped cadre of spokesperson partners capable of representing the firm to the market. It will also work seamlessly with and across the business and business services teams to ensure our communications strategy is engaging, informative and timely, reflecting our brand internally and externally.
The team
Shoosmiths is entering a new phase of ambitious growth strategy, with a clear intention to position itself as the challenger brand in the upper mid-market legal sector by 2030. The Head of Corporate Communications is a new role and will be responsible for developing and delivering a dynamic, business, sector, insight-led communications strategy that brings our bold identity to life internally and externally. This role will unify our internal communications, PR, and social media functions into a single, cohesive Corporate Communications team, ensuring clarity, discipline and consistency across every channel. The postholder will help shape and articulate the firm’s narrative, redefine and communicate our tone of voice, and steward Shoosmiths’ reputation across all audiences. The role will work closely with the Main Board, divisional departmental heads, sector heads, partners and our external advisors to elevate Shoosmiths’ profile and develop a confident, well-equipped cadre of spokesperson partners capable of representing the firm to the market. It will also work seamlessly with and across the business and business services teams to ensure our communications strategy is engaging, informative and timely, reflecting our brand internally and externally.
The team
This newly formed team consists of a Head of Internal Communications, Internal Communications Lead, PR Lead and Social Media & Digital Lead. The role reports directly to the Chief Operating Officer with a dotted line to the Chief Executive Officer.
It will work seamlessly with the Business Development & Marketing team, specifically with the marking operations team who lead website, brand and visual design.
Main Responsibilities
Corporate communications strategy & leadership
Design and implement a unified communications strategy aligned to the firm’s 2030 growth vision and brand ambition. Champion Shoosmiths’ challenger brand positioning ensuring our communications are bold, distinctive, and differentiated from competitors. Develop a clear narrative for the firm, with consistent themes and messages used across internal and external channels. Establish and maintain disciplined message control and cadence across owned, earned and social media channels. Oversee crisis and reputation management planning, working with our Main Board, Business Continuity team and external advisors to prepare, prevent and respond to reputational risk.
Team leadership & organisational design
It will work seamlessly with the Business Development & Marketing team, specifically with the marking operations team who lead website, brand and visual design.
Main Responsibilities
Corporate communications strategy & leadership
Design and implement a unified communications strategy aligned to the firm’s 2030 growth vision and brand ambition. Champion Shoosmiths’ challenger brand positioning ensuring our communications are bold, distinctive, and differentiated from competitors. Develop a clear narrative for the firm, with consistent themes and messages used across internal and external channels. Establish and maintain disciplined message control and cadence across owned, earned and social media channels. Oversee crisis and reputation management planning, working with our Main Board, Business Continuity team and external advisors to prepare, prevent and respond to reputational risk.
Team leadership & organisational design
Lead and integrate the Internal Comms, PR and Social Media teams into a single, high-performing Corporate Communications function. Define roles, responsibilities and ways of working to ensure efficiency, clarity and accountability. Build capability, confidence and expertise across the team, including social media best practice, media handling, and content quality. Establish and track KPIs for communications effectiveness, reach, engagement, and ROI. Throughout this transformation, ensure the function fully aligns with and actively embodies Shoosmiths’ values in both its culture and its outputs.
Internal communications
Ensure our people staff across the firm are aligned with the firm’s strategy, purpose, values, tone of voice and market ambition. Deliver compelling internal communications campaigns that build culture, understanding, engagement and advocacy. Support transformation, innovation and change programmes with clear, consistent messaging. Develop an internal communications platform that encourages colleague engagement and strengthens firmwide cohesion. Utilise our platforms to ensure we use the right channels, for the right communication at the right time and skill our business to utilise effectively.
PR, media & reputation
Internal communications
Ensure our people staff across the firm are aligned with the firm’s strategy, purpose, values, tone of voice and market ambition. Deliver compelling internal communications campaigns that build culture, understanding, engagement and advocacy. Support transformation, innovation and change programmes with clear, consistent messaging. Develop an internal communications platform that encourages colleague engagement and strengthens firmwide cohesion. Utilise our platforms to ensure we use the right channels, for the right communication at the right time and skill our business to utilise effectively.
PR, media & reputation
Own and drive all PR activity, including proactive storytelling, corporate announcements, campaign moments and profile-building. Develop a strong network of journalist relationships across national, sector and business media. Identify opportunities for commentary, news hijacking and profiling within Shoosmiths’ growth practices and sectors. Manage reactive communications and reputational issues with speed, judgement and discipline. Work seamless with our external advisers to ensure effort and skill is focused in the right way for the right audience to gain maximum traction and engagement.
Social media & digital presence
Oversee all social media activity to ensure Shoosmiths presents a confident, modern and consistent digital presence. Lead development of compelling digital content and proactive campaigns that support sector priorities and firmwide goals. Enable and train partners and leaders to become confident spokespeople on social channels. Work seamlessly with the website and Business Development & Marketing teams to guide and develop consistency, impact and maximum engagement. Utilise all relevant media channels to drive our market and brand message capturing existing people and client audiences as well as developing new and engaged cohorts.
Leadership engagement & tone of voice
Social media & digital presence
Oversee all social media activity to ensure Shoosmiths presents a confident, modern and consistent digital presence. Lead development of compelling digital content and proactive campaigns that support sector priorities and firmwide goals. Enable and train partners and leaders to become confident spokespeople on social channels. Work seamlessly with the website and Business Development & Marketing teams to guide and develop consistency, impact and maximum engagement. Utilise all relevant media channels to drive our market and brand message capturing existing people and client audiences as well as developing new and engaged cohorts.
Leadership engagement & tone of voice
Work closely with the Main Board and our external advisors to refine firmwide tone of voice and embed it across all communications. Provide coaching and support to partners, spokespeople and senior leaders. Ensure consistent application of narrative, language and message discipline across all functions, sectors and offices. Develop a fluence in tone of voice with our people and drive effective engagement and usage across all parts of our business
Skills & Qualifications
Skills & Qualifications
- Strategic communications expertise
- Proven ability to design and deliver a firmwide communications strategy aligned to long-term organisational goals.
- Strong capability in developing narrative, messaging frameworks, and tone of voice for complex organisations.
- Experience positioning a business as a distinctive, challenger brand in a competitive market.
- Demonstrated experience leading multidisciplinary comms functions (Internal Comms, PR, Social Media).
- Ability to unify teams, define roles, build capability, and create high-performance cultures.
- Skilled in setting and tracking KPIs for reach, engagement, communications effectiveness, and ROI.
Internal communications
- Ability to translate strategy, culture, and organisational priorities into engaging internal campaigns.
- Experience delivering communications to support change, transformation, innovation, and cultural alignment.
- Skilled in selecting and optimising internal platforms/channels for timely, relevant messaging.
- Strong background in media relations, including national, business, and sector journalists.
- Expertise in proactive storytelling, news management, campaign moments, and corporate announcements.
- Confident handling reactive and crisis communications with judgement, speed and discipline.
- Ability to work effectively with external advisors to maximise media impact.
- Deep understanding of modern digital communications, social media strategy, and content creation.
- Ability to ensure a coherent, modern, confident digital presence across all channels.
- Experience training senior leaders and partners to become credible digital spokespeople.
- Skilled in coaching and supporting senior leaders, partners, and spokespeople.
- Ability to embed tone of voice and messaging discipline across a complex, multi-office business.
- Comfortable working closely with executive leadership to align communications with business strategy.
- Confident operating with the Main Board, divisional heads, sector heads, partners, and business services.
- Strong cross-functional collaborator, comfortable integrating with Business Development & Marketing (including brand, website, and design teams).
- Senior-level experience in corporate communications within complex, multi-stakeholder environments.
- Professional experience within professional services, corporate, consultancy, or out-of-sector challenger brands is advantageous.
Shoosmiths is the law firm clients choose for excellent service, incisive thinking and above all for our ability to focus on what matters. From offices across the UK and Brussels, we support some of the world’s most exciting and ambitious businesses; amazing clients making an impact. We empower our people to b
e their authentic selves and deliver together in supportive teams committed to excellence and innovation. The first top 50 law firm to achieve ‘Platinum Standard’ Investors in People, our values and culture are not just words on our website but are the heartbeat of the firm.
We have an outstanding benefits package to complement our competitive remuneration system. In addition to the competitive salaries, great working environment and high-quality work, we believe that all staff should be rewarded for their commitment to the continued success of the firm through a comprehensive and flexible range of benefits.
To discover more about our benefits, please visit: Benefits Package
Equal opportunities
Our approach to our people is underpinned by our approach to diversity, inclusion and well-being. Our ambition is to build a diverse and ambitious workforce that reflects all backgrounds and talents, and a workplace that is supportive and inclusive, recognises and nurtures talent, and has a strong sense of community between colleagues.
This means that everyone who either applies to or works for the firm is treated equally, whatever their gender, age, ethnic origin, nationality, marital status, disability, sexual orientation or religious beliefs.
We have an outstanding benefits package to complement our competitive remuneration system. In addition to the competitive salaries, great working environment and high-quality work, we believe that all staff should be rewarded for their commitment to the continued success of the firm through a comprehensive and flexible range of benefits.
To discover more about our benefits, please visit: Benefits Package
Equal opportunities
Our approach to our people is underpinned by our approach to diversity, inclusion and well-being. Our ambition is to build a diverse and ambitious workforce that reflects all backgrounds and talents, and a workplace that is supportive and inclusive, recognises and nurtures talent, and has a strong sense of community between colleagues.
This means that everyone who either applies to or works for the firm is treated equally, whatever their gender, age, ethnic origin, nationality, marital status, disability, sexual orientation or religious beliefs.