Head of Communications and Influencing (Maternity cover)
Job title: Head of Communications and Influencing
12-month fixed-term contract / maternity cover (Please note that the contract may end earlier if the substantive post‑holder returns sooner than expected)
Reports to: Director of External Affairs
Responsible for: Senior Media Officer, Policy Lead, Public Affairs and Policy Officer
Based at: Hybrid (predominantly home working, with some travel to external meetings and to London or Birmingham office, as required) Travel expense eligibility will vary depending on your location.
Salary: circa£60kper annum
Job Purpose
The Head of Communications and Influencing is responsible for shaping and leading the delivery of the Money Advice Trust’s external communications/PR strategies and the influencing strategy.
You will lead the communications and influencing function to:
* Plan and deliver effective PR activity, to raise awareness of our debt advice services and to further our influencing campaigns. This includes a particular focus on increasing high-impact consumer-facing media coverage for our National Debtline and Business Debtline services.
* Develop and deliver effective stakeholder messaging and engagement strategies.
* Devise and oversee the delivery of public affairs and policy interventions across our influencing priorities.
The role is a key external representative for the organisation, both in the media and with external stakeholders, including politicians and government.
You will also help ensure that the voice of our clients is at the heart of our influencing and communications work, using frontline insight, data and research. You will be responsible for measuring and evaluating the impact of our influencing and external communications work, to ensure it is as effective as possible.
The role will also contribute to the development of the charity’s wider organisational strategy as a member of the Leadership Group.
Key Responsibilities
Communications
Lead on the development and delivery of the Money Advice Trust’s external communications/PR strategy, across both media and stakeholder engagement.
Act as a media spokesperson for the Money Advice Trust – including on TV and radio.
Develop and oversee the delivery of consumer-facing earned media and PR campaigns that secure high-volume, high-impact media coverage for our National Debtline and Business Debtline services.
Oversee the effective running of the press office function, ensuring timely and effective responses to media queries and the development of strong long-term relationships with key journalist and outlets.
Develop and deliver effective stakeholder engagement activity and messaging to support the positioning of the Money Advice Trust as a trusted and expert debt advice charity, working with teams across the organisation to ensure consistent and effective external messaging.
Take responsibility for the active management of the Money Advice Trust’s reputation, including ensuring effective media, social media and stakeholder monitoring and developing reputation management and crisis communications plans as required.
Provide trusted and expert advice to the Chief Executive and other senior colleagues on a broad range of communications, PR and reputation management issues.
Collaborate closely with the Brand & Marketing function to integrate earned media campaigns and PR campaigns into wider marketing campaigns to promote our services.
Lead on the development and delivery of the Money Advice Trust’s influencing strategy.
Develop and oversee the delivery of policy and public affairs campaigns that further our influencing priorities (currently safety nets for life events, council tax and bailiff reform, insolvency reform and energy debt).
Oversee our safety nets for life events project, including the conclusion and launch of new, commissioned research and the development of a new campaign on resulting policy recommendations, utilising theory of change to identify and deliver effective campaign interventions.
Act as the charity’s senior expert on a broad range of debt policy issues.
Work with the team to develop policy recommendations and messaging, reviewing and signing-off policy outputs, reports and briefings.
Engage and negotiate with external stakeholders on relevant policy issues, including regulators, think tanks, industry bodies, advice sector partners and the wider third sector.
Manage effective partnerships with our partner organisations, including managing funded research projects.
Commission external and internal research to help build support for our campaign asks and to ensure our policy and influencing work is evidence-based.
Act as an ambassador for the Money Advice Trust and represent the charity at external meetings, roundtables, conferences and events – including at very senior level.
Ensure the Trust engages with senior civil servants, advisers, Ministers, Shadow Ministers and Parliamentarians to advance our influencing priorities.
Provide trusted and expert advice to the Chief Executive and other senior colleagues on a broad range of policy, public affairs and campaigning issues.
Ensure the voice of people in debt is at the heart of our influencing and campaigning work, utilising qualitative and quantitative insight from our frontline services.
Other responsibilities
Build and lead a high-performing Communications and Influencing department, line managing three direct reports, and supporting their professional development.
Contribute to the development of the charity’s wider strategy as a member of the Leadership Group.
Develop and manage the Communications and Influencing department’s budget.
Foster a collaborative and creative working environment that encourages innovation.
Deputise for the Director of External Affairs and senior colleagues as required and undertake any other duties commensurate with the role.
Person Specification
·Educated to degree level or with equivalent experience
* Professional qualification in public affairs, PR or communications (e.g. CIPR, PRCA)
Knowledge and experience - essential
* A minimum of 5-10 years’ experience in communications and influencing roles.
* Proven ability to lead a communications and influencing department in an organisation with a national scope.
* Experience of owning and developing external stakeholder engagement messaging and strategies.
* Strong experience of overseeing the delivery of earned media and PR campaigns, including in consumer-facing media.
* Ability to develop campaigning and influencing strategies and messaging, utilising the full range of policy, public affairs and communications tactics.
* Ability to use data, evidence and frontline insight to inform policy recommendations and refine influencing and communications strategies.
Significant experience of acting as a media spokesperson on national and regional TV/radio.
Knowledge and experience – desirable
·Experience in the charity and/or financial services sectors.
·Knowledge of debt or related policy issues (e.g. welfare, finances, housing).
·Experience of supporting people to share their experiences through media and communications work
Skills and competencies – essential
* Strong leadership, line management and motivational skills to lead a high-performing team and set the right tone and organisational culture.
* Ability to manage external partners, including research organisations and public affairs, media/PR agencies.
* Strong budget management ability.
* Ability to work autonomously to drive forward the Department’s objectives.
* Ability to undertake some work out of hours and provide on-call cover as required.
* A demonstrable commitment to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in the workplace.
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