Strategic Communications Manager

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Job Description

Location This role can be based in either London or Birmingham

Salary Base salary: £38,550-£45,350 Birmingham or £41,750-£49,100 London, depending on skills and experience. In addition, we offer flexible benefits fund of 15% which is paid on top base salary and is fully pensionable, as well as a range of competitive benefits - check them out in the Benefits section on our website.

HS2 Ltd endeavours to ensure everyone working for us and with us feels included, thrives and achieves their full potential. In practice, this means we are positive and inclusive about making adjustments, providing flexible working, encouraging our staff networks to flourish and providing personal and professional development opportunities.

As a Strategic Communications Manager at HS2 you will work as part of a forward-thinking and agile team that identifies strategic communications opportunities and delivers projects that promote the benefits of the railway to both b2b and b2c audiences. These activities go beyond HS2's business-as-usual communications, using partnerships and promotional activities to extend HS2's reach.

About the role:

• Delivering individual strategic communications projects that promote the benefits of the railway to b2b and b2c audiences. This includes promoting the railway experience to future rail-users, as well as promoting the economic growth benefits to businesses and investors.

• Supporting the delivery of specialist research into HS2's operational rail-user benefits and long-term economic benefits.

• Supporting engagement with both industry and consumer-facing external stakeholders and strategic communications partners, ranging from museums and local attractions to train operating companies and inward investment agencies.

• Directly delivering any individual tasks associated with the strategic communications programme spanning everything from planning and staffing events to producing content for print and digital channels.

• Managing the effective evaluation and continuous improvement of strategic communications activities.

• Working collaboratively across the External Affairs Directorate, including with the events, creative, media, digital and public affairs teams to ensure the collaborative delivery of strategic communications plans and projects

• Supporting the procurement and management of any external agencies required to deliver the strategic communications projects.

• Actively promote and embed Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in all your work and support and comply with all organisational initiatives, policies and procedures on EDI.

About You:

Skills:

• Copywriting and content production skills across digital and print media channels
• Analytical skills and attention to detail - supporting specialist research and horizon-scanning activity
• Project management ability - creating, delivering and coordinating plans for individual strategic communications projects
• Evaluation and continuous improvement skills
• Stakeholder engagement - in support of managing strategic communications partnerships
• External supplier management acumen
• Collaborative skills, inclduing the ability to work across all communications disciplines
• Innovation and creative idea generation skills

Knowledge:

• Understanding and knowledge of best practice strategic communications
• Political understanding with awareness of wider current affairs context
• Understanding of the construction, infrastructure, transport and economic development sectors
• Understanding of how print, digital and social media channels should tell a coherent and consistent story, appropriately tailored for their different audiences
• Knowledge of how to effectively plan, deliver and evaluate the effectiveness of strategic communications projects across all channels

Type of experience:

• Experience of drafting content for consumer and business audiences on complex and sensitive topics
• Experience of supporting research and insight projects
• Experience of external stakeholder engagement
• Experience of managing external suppliers

The post-holder is expected to behave at all times in a manner consistent with the HS2 values of Safety, Leadership, Integrity and Respect

It is expected that you will actively promote and embed Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in all your work and support and comply with all organisational initiatives, policies and procedures on EDI.

As HS2 Ltd do not hold a sponsorship license from the Home Office, we are not able to provide sponsorship to any applicant. Applicants must already have the Right to Work in the UK at the time of application and our process involves a Right to Work validation prior to the interview stage. Note, there are certain types of time-bound visas that we cannot accept.

Any offers made to applicants will be subject to satisfactory completion of pre-employment checks which include Nationality & Immigration Status, employment references, DBS, Financial and Education checks.

We ask for a variety of detail in your online application, however we perform the first assessment of suitability for a role based solely on the information in your CV. In a further development of our efforts to create a more diverse workforce, your CV will be anonymised and personal information will be removed during the first stage of the application review. This removes bias from the process and makes it even more important that you attach an updated word version of your CV for each new application ensuring you include evidence directly related to the criteria in the job advert. Watch this video on how we remove bias in the recruitment process: Removing bias in the recruitment process - YouTube

Any applications received after the closing date will not be considered.

About Us

High Speed 2 (HS2 Ltd) will be the UK's new high speed rail network. As well as improving capacity, the new scheme will shorten journey times between a number of Britain's major population centres, boost the economy and create thousands of jobs.

HS2 Ltd will create a skills legacy and develop a diverse range of talent. We aim to be a leader in EDI practice by creating a safe & inclusive working environment for all our staff - living our values of Safety, Respect, Integrity and Leadership.

In practice, this means we are positive and inclusive about making adjustments, providing flexible working, encouraging our staff networks to flourish and providing personal and professional development opportunities.

HS2 Ltd is also a safety-critical organisation. Employees are required to ensure reasonable care of their own and others' health and safety by taking personal responsibility for working to our 'Safe at Heart' programme principles and following safe working procedures at all times.

HS2 Ltd endeavours to ensure everyone working for us and with us feels included, thrives and achieves their full potential.