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 a flexible benefits fund of 15% which is paid on top of the base salary and is fully pensionable, as well as a range of competitive benefits.

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

About the role:

1. Delivering individual strategic communications projects that promote the benefits of the railway to B2B and B2C audiences.
2. Supporting the delivery of specialist research into HS2's operational rail-user benefits and long-term economic benefits.
3. Engaging with industry and consumer-facing external stakeholders and strategic communications partners.
4. Delivering tasks associated with the strategic communications programme, including planning and staffing events and producing content for print and digital channels.
5. Managing the evaluation and continuous improvement of strategic communications activities.
6. Collaborating across the External Affairs Directorate to ensure the delivery of strategic communications plans and projects.
7. Supporting the procurement and management of any external agencies required for strategic communications projects.
8. Promoting and embedding Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) in all work and supporting organizational 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.
• Project management ability.
• Evaluation and continuous improvement skills.
• Stakeholder engagement skills.
• External supplier management acumen.
• Collaborative skills, including the ability to work across all communications disciplines.
• Innovation and creative idea generation skills.

Knowledge:

• Understanding of best practice strategic communications.
• Political understanding with awareness of wider current affairs context.
• Knowledge of the construction, infrastructure, transport, and economic development sectors.
• Understanding of how media channels tell a coherent and consistent story.
• Knowledge of planning, delivering, and evaluating strategic communications projects.

Type of experience:

• Experience of drafting content for consumer and business audiences.
• 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 EDI in all your work and support and comply with all organizational initiatives, policies, and procedures on EDI.

As HS2 Ltd do not hold a sponsorship license from the Home Office, we cannot provide sponsorship to any applicant. Applicants must already have the Right to Work in the UK at the time of application.

Any offers made to applicants will be subject to satisfactory completion of pre-employment 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.

About Us:

High Speed 2 (HS2 Ltd) will be the UK's new high-speed rail network, improving capacity and journey times, boosting the economy, and creating thousands of jobs.

HS2 Ltd aims to be a leader in EDI practice, creating a safe & inclusive working environment for all our staff.

HS2 Ltd is also a safety-critical organization. Employees are required to ensure reasonable care of their own and others' health and safety.

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