Job Description

Corporate Communications Manager

Permanent Contract

\xc2\xa350,000.00 - \xc2\xa360,000.00 per annum + Bonus + Pension + BUPA + ShareSave + 6.6 weeks holiday + Hybrid Working

Southampton, Store Support Office

We believe anyone can improve their home to make life better. From our Southampton Store Support office (SSO) we equip our stores, our people, and our whole business with everything it takes to help our millions of customers create a home they\xe2\x80\x99ll love. Join us as a Corporate Communications Manager and you\xe2\x80\x99ll be a big part of this.

What\'s the job?

As Corporate Comms PR Manager you\xe2\x80\x99ll know everything there is to know about B&Q brand. Working within the broader Customer & Digital team, you\xe2\x80\x99ll help develop Brand Reputation campaigns to make us stand out from the crowd and be recognised as a leader. You\xe2\x80\x99ll provide senior counsel, engage with our external stakeholders, manage our Reputation press office and play a big part in our content-led activities too.

Responsibilities for this role include:

• Networking and collaborating with key internal stakeholders (across all business functions, including responsible business leads and programme owners), to identify corporate comms opportunities and risks (business requirements, initiatives and developments); manages issues or promote stories, as agreed within the corporate comms calendar, to ensure coherent and accurate articulation of the B&Q story.
• Working with the PR agency, manages Brand Reputation campaign content, including drafting assets, for delivery through appropriate and timely execution of PR tactics (Spokespeople media interviews, external speaker engagements, press releases, reactive statements, features, awards entries, LinkedIn and other external social media platforms) for smaller campaigns, selling-in direct to media, as appropriate.
• Forming effective relationships with key external stakeholders and influencers (including Kingfisher Corp and Public affairs teams, BRC comms team, corporate and Responsible Business specialist media and influencers, NGOs, government) to represent and promote B&Qs reputation across a variety of issues.
• Defending B&Q\xe2\x80\x99s reputation when necessary by representing the team on crisis issues, and preparing crisis comms and Q&As. Advising senior colleagues in the absence of the Senior Lead, PR & Social Media on reputational management situations
• Working with comms colleagues (including KF Corp and Public affairs) and B&Qs marketing agencies, plans and drives delivery of content-led Brand Reputation campaigns across a fully integrated channel mix, with diy.com/corporate pages at the centre.
• Managing the content for the B&Q corporate pages at diy.com, including the Build a Life Project content; drafts copy and briefs in new assets (video, infographics etc) as required to keep the site up to date.
• Managing corporate content on LinkedIn \xe2\x80\x93 for Board and senior leadership pages, for B&Q brand page (but not recruitment content), and for B&Q Foundation page.
• Ensuring comms stakeholders across B&Q are regularly updated with the most recent content (copy, assets):

• External: Press Office, Social media; Recruitment (LI), and other channels via GTM as appropriate.
• Internal: IC, KF Corp & Public affairs teams
• Ensuring Best in Class at all times and that new opportunities are assessed and tested

• Managing a budget of \xc2\xa3150,000 to ensure that B&Qs brand reputation amongst media and key external stakeholders, is upheld and enhanced, driving B&Q brand KPIs.
• Making key decisions and recommendations on brand positioning on issues management and on statements given to media and other external stakeholders

What we need:

• Exceptional creative writing capability
• Personal integrity and deep experience of managing sensitive and confidential information and its development
• Strong networking and influencing skills with internal and external stakeholders from the most senior levels to the shop floor
• Ability to thrive within an environment of relentless pressure and rapid change, with organisational skills and the ability to prioritise
• At least 5 years\xe2\x80\x99 media relations/issues management experience
• Experience of working within a PR role as part of an integrated comms approach

What\'s in it for me?

As well as a competitive salary, our benefits package includes an award-winning pension scheme, ShareSave options, 6.6 weeks holiday, payroll giving, an Employee Assistance Programme, shopping discounts, colleague wellbeing benefits and lots more!

As part of a great team, you\xe2\x80\x99ll be supported to grow and encouraged to explore new career directions within the business and the wider group. And, because you\xe2\x80\x99ll be inspiring great things for our customers and the whole business, you\xe2\x80\x99ll do work worth caring about.

We want to ensure that all employees, future employees and applicants to all Kingfisher companies are treated equally regardless of age, gender, marital or civil partnership status, colour, ethnic or national origin, culture, religious belief, philosophical belief, political opinion, disability, gender identity, gender expression or sexual orientation.

If you require any additional support or adjustments to help you make an application, please contact us at recruitment@b-and-q.co.uk

B&Q