Job Description

We\'re looking for a stand-out Lead Communications Manager to join a dynamic comms team on an exciting new transformation project. Reporting to the Head of Business Comms, the successful candidate will play a pivotal role in creating and delivering the communications programme for one of our flagship new contracts.

As the Lead Communications Manager, you will be responsible for all the communications workstream activity required as part of the transition phase of this major new contract.

Our vision is: \'The world is how we shape it and we\'re shaping it for the better - harnessing the power of innovation to drive positive change in business and society.\' Known for our collaborative approach, we create innovative solutions, at scale, to deliver sustainable growth and services that make life better. Our work touches many lives in the UK. From helping the Government provide essential public and health services that offer more convenience and choice, to improving financial services to deliver fairer, customer-centric solutions.

Our business is, first and foremost, about people. Our services only matter if they work for people and, for us, if they serve a greater purpose too. Being a people-centric organisation is recognised by Great Place to Work\'s\xc2\xae (GPTW) UK Best Workplaces\xe2\x84\xa2 2023 rankings. We\'re also proud to be ranked by GPTW UK in its Best Workplaces for Wellbeing; Best Workplaces for Women; and Best Workplaces in Tech listings.

Our client is one of the UK\'s largest retail savings organisations, with 25 million customers and more than \xc2\xa3202 billion funds under management. It\'s embarking on an ambitious transformation journey to become the most trusted UK Savings provider by 2026, and in doing so, it will become fundamentally more digital, cost-effective and agile.

Your role is an exciting opportunity to shape the success of this transformation. It will suit a highly motivated individual who\'s passionate about the strategic value of communication.

What you will be doing:

• Overall responsibility for managing the development and delivery of all the internal and external communications activities required for the Transformation programme
• Lead the creation and execution of the communications plan and coordinate the dissemination of materials with relevant stakeholders:
• Producing the communications plan, covering both internal and external communication for the Programme
• Producing impactful, clear, consistent messaging
• Establishing the communication materials, activities and channels approach
• Advising other project workstream leads on the communications approach to align with their plans
• Lead the creation and execution of a stakeholder management plan
• Providing the HR workstream with comms support and counsel for the TUPE transfer activities, as well as assisting with messaging and content for other programme-related HR comms, including progress updates
• Line managing the Communications Manager who will support you with the development and delivery of the communications programme
• Proposing communications budgets and managing approved budgets
• Managing external agencies and suppliers to produce communications materials where needed
• Working with Sopra Steria\'s external communications team and our retained PR agency and to mitigate and manage any issues with the potential to impact Sopra Steria\'s reputation
• Internal Stakeholder Management: Building strong working relationships across the organisation and with internal SMEs to feed into your plans
• External Stakeholder Management: engaging and managing all relevant external stakeholders.

What you\'ll bring:

• Degree or professional communications qualification.
• Track record of delivering exceptional communications strategies and plans
• Ability to work cross-functionally in a complex, matrixed organisation
• Ability to create strategic communications plans aligned to business objectives
• Experience of people management
• Experience of leading communications for major projects
• Ability to influence and challenge senior stakeholders
• Strategic thinker, as well as willingness to roll up your sleeves to make things happen
• In depth understanding of communication measurement and evaluation techniques that clearly demonstrates business impact.

It would be great if you had:

• Post Graduate Diploma in Communications or Marketing desirable

If you are interested in this role but not sure if your skills and experience are exactly what we\'re looking for, please do apply, we\'d love to hear from you!

Employment Type: Full-time, Permanent
Location: Hemel Hempstead/London
Security Clearance Level: SC
Internal Recruiter: Alex
Salary: Dependent upon experience
Benefits: \xc2\xa36,600 car allowance, 25 days annual leave with the option to buy additional days, private medical (couple), life assurance, pension, and generous flexible benefits fund

Although this role is advertised as full-time, we support many ways of working and can offer a range of flexible working arrangements. So, if you\'re interested and need to work flexibly, we encourage you to apply and talk to us about what might be possible.

Loved reading about this job and want to know more about us?

Our business is, first and foremost, about people. And it always has been. The solutions we develop are driven by the connections they make and the problems they solve. Our services only matter if they work for people and if they serve a greater purpose. Known for our collaborative approach, we provide consulting and digital services, creating innovative solutions, at scale, to deliver sustainable growth and services that make life better.
Our work touches many lives in the UK. From helping the Government provide essential public and health services that offer more convenience and choice, to improving financial services to deliver fairer, customer-centric solutions.
Together we are building a better future by delivering real and lasting value.

We are just at the start of what we can achieve together. Come and join us!

Sopra Steria