As a strategic PR leader your role will be to define how we show up to the outside world. You’re someone who can shape a clear narrative, build our reputation and lead the team that brings it all to life. The Benefits Salary - up to £49,680 p.a. – depending on skills and experience. Holidays - 25 days holiday plus public holidays and the opportunity to buy and sell up to 3 days. Learning and Development opportunities - We want you to grow in your role. We’ll work together to support your personal and professional development. Hybrid Working - the tools and equipment you need to be able to work from home when you need to, depending on your role. Health and Wellbeing - a calendar of events and activities throughout the year, Mental Health & Wellbeing champions, and Cycle to Work scheme. Community Day - We offer our people an extra paid day off every year to help local charities and community organisations. The Role The role will see you own the narrative. You’ll set the agenda for how we tell our story, ensure it lands with impact, and protect the trust we’ve built over 175 years of operation. From proactive media strategy to moments that matter, you’ll be the driving force behind our external voice. This is a leadership role, not just in title, but in mindset. You’ll create clarity, set standards and coach others to deliver their best work, while staying close enough to the detail to keep quality high and momentum strong. You’ll lead our PR and external communications strategy end-to-end, connecting brand, marketing, partnerships and community into one clear, compelling narrative: Setting the direction for PR and external communications, aligned to our brand and business strategy Owning and evolving our corporate narrative, ensuring consistency, clarity and cut-through Leading our press office, acting as the senior point of contact for media and key stakeholders Managing reputational risk and crisis communications, providing calm, clear leadership when it counts Driving partnership and community storytelling, ensuring our activity delivers real brand impact Leading agency relationships, setting expectations and ensuring high-quality delivery Overseeing integrated campaign support, making sure PR amplifies wider marketing activity Identifying high-value opportunities to raise our profile locally and nationally Leading key moments, including AGM and member communications Crucially, you’ll also lead and develop the PR & External Communications team, setting them up for success, creating stretch and ensuring strong day-to-day delivery. About You You’ll have: A strong track record in PR and external communications, with experience shaping strategy as well as delivering it The ability to see the bigger picture and translate it into clear, actionable plans Exceptional judgement. You know what to say, how to say it, and when to say it Confidence operating at a senior level, influencing stakeholders and building trust quickly Experience managing media relationships, issues and reputational risk A natural leader. You’re someone who sets direction, builds capability and raises standards Strong commercial awareness, balancing creativity with impact and value We’d also love to see you take accountability for the fundamentals that underpin great delivery: Managing budgets and agency spend effectively Ensuring all activity meets regulatory, risk and governance requirements Embedding efficient, high-performing ways of working Continuously improving how the function operates and delivers value Support planning and reporting of PR activity Help manage budgets, invoices and spend tracking Ensure all activity meets regulatory and compliance standards Play your part in maintaining a strong risk-aware environment The Company We’re here to create a banking experience that’s kinder to people and planet. Unlike banks, we don’t have public or private shareholders which means we can invest 100% of our profits back into our business. As a result, our business is purpose-led, financially strong, socially responsible and always focused on our people, planet and communities. The Benefits Competitive Salary We will offer you a competitive basic salary for your role, which is reviewed every year. Learning & Development We want you to grow in your role. We’ll work together to support your personal and professional development. Holidays Flexibility to buy and sell up to two holiday days per year, plus extra holiday after 5 years. Family Friendly We pay competitive maternity, paternity and adoption leave. Flexible Working We can provide the tools and equipment you need to be able to work flexibly or from home when you need to, depending on your role. Pension Scheme If you’re eligible, we’ll enroll you into our competitive company pension scheme. Health & Wellbeing We have a calendar of events and activities throughout the year, Mental Health & Wellbeing champions and Cycle to Work scheme. Community Day We offer our people an extra paid day off every year to help out local charities and community organisations. Social We hold regular social events, from annual staples like our Christmas party and quiz, to smaller get-togethers such as walks and shopping trips. Documents