Senior Regional Communications Manager
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The Role
Reporting to the Communications Director and drawing on the expertise of the Group's wider Corporate
Communications team, the SRCM will develop and manage the PR, media relations and press office activity
across Gateley's key regional offices.
The SRCM will work strategically and tactically to plan, deliver and manage proactive and reactive, value-added
communications support working closely with the wider Marketing team and ensuring key regional
communications objectives are delivered.
The SRCM will provide consultancy to key regional office heads and fee earners across Gateley's network of
offices on tailored communications activity that aligns with the relevant office and business plans and
subsequently ensure the successful execution of all PR and communications within those plans as well as the
measurement of results.
The role holder will produce high quality and engaging communications content across multiple regional
business media channels for a variety of audiences including internal stakeholders. They will build and
maintain excellent contacts across the relevant regional business media, and with the relevant external and
internal stakeholders, including third party suppliers.
The SRCM will be tasked with co-ordinating activities to develop the profile of the regional offices; raise
awareness through key titles and media platforms through positioning our spokespeople to comment on key
issues in the local markets relating to the work we do and safeguard the reputation of the Gateley brand at all
times.
Responsibilities will include:
• Working closely with the regional office heads develop regional PR campaigns that link to the news
agenda and that are tailored to the relevant local market issues within the cities those offices are based.
• Setting the media relations strategy and plan and leading the press office work across the regional office
network in addition to managing commercial opportunities with local media partners that align with our
objectives.
• Managing reactive media requests and working with the Communications Director on any reputational
issues relating to the offices.
• Ensure close alignment of the regional PR profile and results with internal communications, working
closely with the Senior Internal Communications Manager to ensure regional media results and
campaigns are promoted internally across the Group.
• Proactively seeking out news agenda driven opportunities, responding to planned media forward
features and commentary opportunities and tapping into Response Source opportunities linked to the
target print and online media on a regional basis. PR, media relations and press office work will
specifically include:
• Developing and managing written content and commentary by creating press releases, articles, thought leadership pieces and white papers.
• Developing engaging social media content to sit alongside the media relations work being undertaken and build up relevant regional key journalist and external stakeholder relationships via our existing social media channels.
• Develop a close network of journalist contacts within our target media for the regional offices and build relationships with relevant editors and reporters both virtually and face to face - Conduct regional office head/senior partner/journalist press briefings on a regular basis.
• Awards - research, plan and manage media awards activity for the regional offices across all key titles working with the relevant Platform PR Managers led by the Senior External Communications Manager to develop and manages submissions.
• Work with the Corporate Communications team to develop a range of regional press photography and video content that is needed to support regional and national PR and media relations work as well as investor and internal communications activity.
• Edit fee earner insight articles where necessary and ensure the approval process within the Corporate Communications team is adhered to at all times.
• Use robust measurement and evaluation techniques to demonstrate ROI for the PR and media relations activity being generated for the regional offices and keep our Coverage Book software updated with the regional coverage.
• Work closely with the Communications Director and Responsible Business Manager to ensure proactive regional PR and media activity aligns with the Group's Responsible Business strategy.
• Adopt a proactive and consultative approach and manage the PR and media activity for the regional office heads, as well as other external and internal stakeholders, in the same way clients would be managed within a PR consultancy environment.
This job description is not an exhaustive list due to the requirements of the role. Therefore, the job holder may
be required from time to time to carry out other ad hoc tasks as requested.
The Team
With 60 people within our Marketing and Front of House teams, we support on all aspects of marketing and
business development across Gateley including internal and external communications, bids and sales, client
development, events, digital and marketing projects. Winners of the 2020 Excellence in Sales and Marketing
Award at the Greater Birmingham Chamber of Commerce Awards and shortlisted in the 2022 Best Marketing
Campaign Award at the Managing Partners Forum Awards, the Marketing team at Gateley has more than
doubled in size in five years, reflecting the investment that the business has made in attracting and retaining
exceptional marketing talent.
This role sits within the Corporate Communications team. Headed by the Communications Director the team
comprises 13 corporate communications specialists covering investor communications, public and media
relations, internal communications, social media, design and responsible business activity.
We continue to develop and evolve our proposition and are looking for individuals with a 'can do' mentality to
join the team.
The Person
This is a collaborative role which requires the following:
• 10 years + experience and having held a senior management position within the communications industry either working in a PR agency environment or within a corporate in-house communications role.
• The ability to build strong, proactive relationships with fee earners across the entire Group and positive working relationships with the wider Marketing team. The SRCM will have an excellent grasp of grammar, punctuation and the English language and will possess superb attention to detail skills.
• Excellent time management skills are required, working to deadlines and an ability to be proactive and take the initiative are all essential skills for this role.
About You
About Us
The benefits
With support, coaching and feedback from some of the most engaging colleagues around our great development and progression opportunities will reward your commitment and loyalty. We offer a competitive remuneration package where you'll be rewarded for your individual performance with an opportunity to receive an annual bonus.
In addition, we have a wide range of learning and development opportunities via our Learn platform to develop new skills and progress your career. Our My Flex comprehensive rewards package includes options covering annual leave (and the benefit of purchasing extra days), cycle to work, critical illness benefit, employee assistance programme, group personal pension, health care, season ticket loan and many more benefits (grade dependent). Finally, with Perks At Work/Home you can select a host of retail benefits that suit your needs alongside a Community Online Academy, free courses for all from fitness to coding to languages to hip hop dance.
We are Gateley
We are forward thinking and straight talking, our approach is to find solutions to the problems that our clients face. Gateley is a legal and professional services group, we are a group of formidable experts in all areas of law and business. Passionate problem solvers, we get our kicks from finding the right answers and getting our legal and business clients where they need to be. We support more than 5,700 active clients, ranging from FTSE 100 companies to private individuals, in the UK and beyond. Being part of Gateley is not just about the expertise that you bring; it's about attitude too.
The 'Gateley Story' is the story of our people and our culture. It is what has got us to where we are today as a successful business and it's the driving force behind the Gateley Team Spirit and the values that have shaped it. We have a set of shared internal values that capture what the Gateley Team Spirit is and this includes five elements that bind us all together as one Gateley: Ambitious for Success, Forward Thinking, Room to Breathe, Trusted to Do and Working Together. Every year across the group, we recognise members of our team that have gone and above and beyond and have lived these shared values. They are recognised at our annual Gateley Team Spirit awards.
Diversity, inclusion and well being
Diversity, inclusion and well-being is an important part of Gateley's culture and values. We recruit talented people from a diverse range of backgrounds and cultures, providing equal opportunities for all to join our team regardless of age, sex, race, sexual orientation, disability, or culture.
We create an exciting and rewarding place to work that aims to fulfil everyone's potential and together to achieve personal and business goals. We offer flexible working patterns to help our staff achieve a good work/ life balance and we encourage candidates seeking flexibility in their next role to apply for any of our vacancies.
We are proud to have been recognised by The Law Society as gold standard for our Diversity and Inclusion Charter and to be Stonewall Diversity Champions.
Additional Information
If you are successful in receiving an offer of a role with our company a variety of pre-employment screening checks will be completed. Our screening checks can include but are not limited to your eligibility to work, professional and academic qualifications, any criminal records, your financial stability, and references from previous employers. The screening that takes place will be relevant to your role and will vary from role to role.