PR and Communications Manager

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PR and Communications Manager

VetPartners Limited, York (Hybrid)

Established in November 2015, VetPartners is made up of some of the UK and Europe's most respected and trusted veterinary practices and animal healthcare companies.

VetPartners has 13,000 employees working in more than 800 sites across the UK and Europe, including its headquarters in York, where its central support team is based. Following European expansion, the group has practices in Italy, France, Germany, Ireland, Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands and Switzerland.

VetPartners aims to be the veterinary group of choice for employees, clients and pet owners. It aims to deliver its vision by:

• Being a great place to work, focusing on the development and wellbeing of its people
• Providing the best possible care of patients
• Delivering an excellent service to clients
• Developing the business in an ethical, sustainable and profitable way

With our culture of warmth and belonging, our people are at the heart of everything we do, and we pride ourselves in our values of being respectful, supportive, dedicated, approachable and collaborative.

About the Role:

VetPartners has a strong reputation in the veterinary sector as a respected and trusted group of veterinary practices and animal healthcare businesses.

VetPartners is now looking to build brand awareness and visibility among clients and the general public and to highlight what makes us different to other groups.

Reporting to our Director of PR and Communications, as PR and Communications Manager you will play a pivotal role in delivering a strategic communications approach for VetPartners to raise awareness of the brand among pet owners and the general public.

The post holder will be responsible for the planning and execution of a range of external communications activity, plans and campaigns, ensuring alignment with the vision, values, and strategic priorities of VetPartners.

This is an exciting role for a PR all-rounder who will have the opportunity to showcase their strong storytelling skills and writing flair to build emotional connections and brand trust among a consumer audience.

Our ideal candidate will bring demonstrable experience of finding and developing stories for the media, delivering successful communications campaigns, and working collaboratively in a communications team.

Your primary role is to drive PR for our veterinary practices, along with our B2C PR activity for VetPartners in the UK and Ireland. You will also be expected to support the PR and Communications Director on crisis communications and sensitive issues, taking the lead in her absence and providing counsel to the senior leadership team, preparing media statements and confidently handling media enquiries to protect the reputation of VetPartners and our practices.

With hybrid working opportunities, this will be a mix of working each week at our York headquarters and from home, as well as regular scheduled travel across the UK.

This role requires a truly flexible approach, with a combination of high levels of responsibility and ability to prioritise and meet deadlines.

If you love PR, communications and people, we'd love to talk to you.

About you:

• Demonstrable experience in a consumer PR role to help us build a positive brand image and drive brand awareness by creating compelling narratives, stories and campaigns that resonate with pet owners.
• Develop and maintain strong journalist relationships across national, trade and regional media.

• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, with a can-do attitude, for effective collaboration.
• Highly organised and results-focused, with the ability to prioritise, multi-task and meet tight deadlines.

• Ability to work independently, as well as in a team, and establish excellent relationships with practice teams, colleagues and journalists.
• A demonstrable commitment to professional development and hold CIPR membership.
• Have up to date knowledge of communications channels, tactics and techniques.

An overview of what you'll do:

• Storytelling & content: Write compelling, accurate, and on-brand copy, including press releases about interesting, newsworthy cases for both our practices and VetPartners, and leveraging data, media statements, pitches, website stories and blogs.
• Media relations: Develop and maintain strong journalist and influencer relationships across national, trade, and regional media.
• Campaign leadership: Plan and execute integrated PR campaigns, aligning with social and digital content for maximum impact.
• Case study development: Source, develop, and place client stories that demonstrate how VetPartners practices provide the best possible care of patients and a great service for clients.
• Crisis communications: In Communications Director's absence, support our response to crisis and issues, providing counsel to senior leadership and deliver timely, accurate external statements.

Benefits:

• Mon - Fri, 37.5 hours per week
• Hybrid, minimum 3 days per week to be worked in central support office in York
• 25 days holiday plus Bank Holidays - with the opportunity to buy a further 10, or sell 5, days' holiday
• Health Shield - a health cash plan that can help you budget for your everyday health needs and give discounts with supermarkets and other retailers
• Enhanced Maternity, Paternity and Adoption leave

• £250 CPD allowance per annum

If this sounds like the role for you, please apply today!

**Please Apply Directly - No Agency Submissions**