Senior Communications Manager

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Sector: Marketing, Advertising and PR
Role: Senior Executive
Contract Type: Permanent
Hours: Full Time

About Network Rail
At Network Rail, we're part of a large family serving millions of passengers and freight users throughout the UK every day. Our service impacts millions of people and we strive to become more efficient as we enhance, maintain, and operate our network.
Our passengers and freight users are at the heart of everything we do. We help connect people to their friends and families and get goods to their destination safely and efficiently. We're an organisation where people matter. When you're part of our team, you matter to us, and you matter to millions.
The Wales & Western region includes more than 2,700 miles of railway and we serve communities and businesses of Wales, the Thames Valley, West of England, and the Southwest Peninsula.
Our ambition to be responsive to passengers and freight users drives us every day and we're empowered to do the right thing for those who use the rail network.

About the role (External)
Your Main Responsibilities will be to:

1. Develop, drive and implement communications plans for key projects, working collaboratively with stakeholders to create content, campaigns and events, to support the delivery of business objectives and drive performance.
2. Establish and maintain strong and trusting relationships with key stakeholders, working collaboratively in order to support the identification, development and delivery of their internal communications goals.
3. Lead communications activities which present reputational risk or opportunities for the business.
4. Establish an effective network of internal and external contacts and provide direction/influence to senior managers and external industry parties where appropriate.
5. Identify and supply content for internal communications channels and act as a conduit for material/information across communications teams.
6. Provide advice/guidance on communications activity undertaken by key personnel including directors, project managers and sponsors, delivering consistency with the national communications strategy and in accordance with Network Rail's corporate policies.
7. Check all branding used complies with Network Rail's policy on branding, visual identity and image.
8. Evaluate communications activities on the project, from effectiveness to budget spend, so that improvements can be identified during and after the project.
9. Create and lead a team including carrying out regular 121s, appraisals, objective setting and performance monitoring and onboarding contractors as appropriate.
10. Implement the major incident communications plan as required.

You will ideally have:
Educated to degree level or a professional communications qualification (e.g. IoIC, CIPR, PRCA) or demonstrable equivalent experience.
Substantial experience in corporate communications.
High standards of written and spoken communication.
The experience and personal credibility to work effectively with senior managers.
Strong influencing skills.
Proven ability to grasp, understand and promote complex and sensitive issues in a persuasive and sensible way.
Ability to develop and maintain a wide network of stakeholder contacts.
Evidence of good planning and financial skills, with the ability to deliver projects and activities on time and within budget.

Desirable:
Experience of directing and managing agency support.
Relevant professional qualifications.
Evidence of continuing professional development.

Company

Every day, 4.8 million people use our network. Keeping Britain moving and building a better railway for the future is full of challenges - but also tremendous opportunities.

Your health, wellbeing and benefits

We provide access to support services such as our employee assistance program to help you with finances, family, health and wellbeing. In addition to this, we offer excellent benefits, are sensitive to work-life balance and encourage our employees to use their 5 volunteer days for their favourite causes.

We have a range of benefits including:

• 28 days annual leave entitlement.
• My benefits - Our discounted online shopping site.
• A range of discounted offers including, childcare vouchers, Healthcare offers - cycle to work, healthcare club discounted membership and other benefits.
• Subsidies of up to 75% on rail and underground season tickets.
• A range of pension schemes.
• 2 weeks paid reserve leave for our Armed Forces community.

What Diversity and Inclusion means to us

'Diversity' means recognising differences between people while valuing the contribution they make. 'Inclusion' means creating safe and welcoming workplaces with fair cultures that encourage innovative and fresh ways of thinking.

Disability Confident Leader

Network Rail is an accredited Disability Confident Leader. This means, where a disabled applicant meets the essential criteria for any of our vacancies, they will receive an interview.