Head of Corporate Communications

Role Purpose & Context

Role Summary

The Head of Corporate Communications (at this level, we mean 'owner of key comms projects') is responsible for making sure our company's story is told clearly and consistently, both inside and out. You'll be the one drafting the words, getting them approved, and then making sure they reach the right people at the right time. This role sits right at the heart of how we present ourselves, working closely with various teams to translate complex ideas into simple, compelling messages. When you do this well, our employees feel informed, our customers understand us better, and the media tells our story accurately. If it's not done right, we risk confusing people, damaging our reputation, or missing out on important opportunities. The challenge here is balancing speed with accuracy and getting everyone on the same page. The reward? Seeing your words make a real difference and helping shape how people perceive our brand.

Reporting Structure

• Reports to: Communications Manager
• Direct reports:
• Matrix relationships: Communications Specialist, PR & Content Lead, Internal Communications Officer, Media Relations Executive,

Key Stakeholders

Internal:

• Product Marketing (to understand new features and launches)
• HR (for internal announcements and employee engagement)
• Legal (they'll review everything before it goes out, obviously)
• Sales (to make sure our external messages support their efforts)
• Leadership team (you'll be supporting comms for them, not directly advising at this level)

External:

• Media (journalists, editors, industry bloggers)
• Vendors (like our PR wire services or media monitoring tools)
• Industry Analysts (you might help prep materials for them)

Organisational Impact

Scope: Your work directly impacts our company's reputation and how effectively we communicate our strategy. Get it right, and you're building trust and clarity. Get it wrong, and you could create confusion, spark negative sentiment, or even cause a minor crisis. Honestly, you're a crucial part of making sure our company speaks with one clear, confident voice.

Performance Metrics

Quantitative Metrics

1. Metric: Media Monitoring & Reporting Accuracy
2. Desc: How accurately and promptly you deliver our daily media clips report, making sure nothing important is missed.
3. Target: 98% accuracy on relevant mentions; report delivered by 8:30 AM each weekday.
4. Freq: Daily/Weekly audit by Communications Manager.
5. Example: You spot a subtle but important piece of competitor coverage in a niche trade publication that others might have missed, and it's in the daily report before the leadership team starts their day.
6. Metric: Internal Content Publishing Volume & Quality
7. Desc: The number of internal news stories or announcements you publish, ensuring they're error-free and on-brand.
8. Target: 10-15 internal news stories/announcements published per week with zero formatting errors or typos.
9. Freq: Weekly review by Communications Manager.
10. Example: You've drafted, edited, and published 12 distinct internal updates this week, from HR policy changes to team successes, all looking sharp on our intranet.
11. Metric: Social Media Engagement Rate (Owned Channels)
12. Desc: The average engagement (likes, shares, comments) your posts receive on our corporate social media channels, particularly LinkedIn.
13. Target: Achieve a 3% average engagement rate on LinkedIn posts you manage.
14. Freq: Monthly review using social analytics tools.
15. Example: Your post about our new product feature gets a 4.2% engagement rate, beating the team's average and sparking some good conversations in the comments.
16. Metric: Press Release Distribution Accuracy & Timeliness
17. Desc: Ensuring press releases are formatted correctly and distributed on schedule through our wire services.
18. Target: Zero errors in formatting or targeting; 100% on-time distribution for all assigned press releases.
19. Freq: Per-release review by Communications Manager and wire service reports.
20. Example: You've managed the distribution of a critical earnings release, ensuring it went out exactly at 7:00 AM, perfectly formatted, with no last-minute glitches.

Qualitative Metrics

1. Metric: Message Consistency & Brand Voice
2. Desc: How well your drafted communications reflect our core messages and maintain our established brand voice across different channels.
3. Evidence: Feedback from the Communications Manager confirming your drafts consistently hit the right tone and include key messaging points. Internal clients comment on the clarity and consistency of your communications. Reduced need for major edits on tone or core message.
4. Metric: Internal Stakeholder Feedback
5. Desc: The quality of collaboration and satisfaction from internal teams you support (e.g., HR, Product Marketing).
6. Evidence: Unsolicited positive comments from internal clients about your responsiveness, helpfulness, and the quality of your work. They might start coming to you directly for input on their projects, even before your manager suggests it.
7. Metric: Proactive Problem Solving
8. Desc: Your ability to identify potential communication issues or opportunities and propose solutions before being asked.
9. Evidence: You flag a potential misinterpretation of an internal announcement and suggest a clarifying FAQ. You propose a new angle for a social media post that you think will resonate better with our audience. You spot a gap in our internal comms calendar and suggest content to fill it.
10. Metric: Learning & Development Application
11. Desc: How effectively you apply new skills, tools, or feedback into your daily work.
12. Evidence: You quickly adopt new features in our media monitoring platform after a training session. You visibly improve your writing style based on feedback from your manager. You suggest using a new AI tool for drafting after exploring its capabilities.

Primary Traits

• Trait: Reliable & Accountable Executor
• Manifestation: You're the person who always delivers what you say you will, when you say you will. If a press release is due by 10 AM, it's in the manager's inbox by 9:55 AM, proofread and ready. You don't make excuses; if something goes wrong, you own it, explain what happened, and suggest how to fix it. You're trusted to get the job done right, even when things are a bit chaotic.
• Benefit: In communications, deadlines are often hard and fast, especially with media or internal announcements. Our reputation, and frankly, our sanity, depends on you being someone we can count on. If you drop the ball, it can mean missed opportunities, incorrect information going public, or internal confusion. Trust is built on consistent delivery.
• Trait: Proactive Problem Solver (with a safety net)
• Manifestation: You don't just flag problems; you come with a potential solution, or at least a few ideas to discuss. If you see a draft message that's unclear, you'll rewrite it and explain why, rather than just saying 'this is bad'. When you hit a technical snag with a comms tool, you'll try to troubleshoot it yourself first, then come to your manager with 'I tried X, Y, and Z, and I think we need to do A'.
• Benefit: We're a busy team, and while we're here to support you, we don't want to be constantly unblocking basic issues. Your ability to think a step ahead and try to solve things independently means we can all focus on the bigger picture. It shows initiative and helps you grow, too.
• Trait: Obsessed with Detail & Accuracy
• Manifestation: You're the one who spots the rogue apostrophe, the inconsistent capitalisation, or the factual error in a draft that everyone else has missed. You double-check names, dates, and figures instinctively. Before hitting 'send' on an important email or 'publish' on an intranet post, you give it one last, critical read-through. You know that one small typo can undermine an entire message.
• Benefit: In communications, credibility is everything. A single mistake, whether it's a typo in a press release or an incorrect date in an internal memo, can make us look unprofessional and erode trust. You're the last line of defence against those embarrassing errors, and your sharp eye protects our reputation.

Supporting Traits

• Trait: Developing Political Acumen
• Desc: You're starting to understand the unspoken dynamics in meetings and how different teams might react to a message. You're learning to 'run the traps' (our insider term for getting approvals) effectively, figuring out who needs to see what and when, to avoid last-minute surprises.
• Trait: Empathetic Communicator
• Desc: You can put yourself in the shoes of our employees or customers. When drafting an internal announcement about a change, you instinctively think, 'How will this make people feel?' and adjust the tone accordingly. This helps us craft messages that truly resonate.
• Trait: Calm Under Minor Pressure
• Desc: When a small issue pops up—maybe a journalist calls with a tough question or an internal deadline suddenly shifts—you can stay relatively calm, focus on the task, and follow the established procedures without panicking. You're learning to handle the 'mini fire drills'.
• Trait: Intellectually Curious
• Desc: You don't just take information at face value. You ask 'why?' You want to understand the product roadmap beyond the press release, or the financial implications behind an earnings statement. This curiosity helps you write more informed and impactful communications.

Primary Motivators

1. Motivator: Seeing Your Work Published & Impactful
2. Daily: You get a real buzz from seeing a press release you drafted go live, or an internal campaign you coordinated land well with employees. You love tracking media coverage and seeing our key messages 'pull through' into articles. It's rewarding to know your words are out there, shaping perceptions.
3. Motivator: Learning & Developing New Skills
4. Daily: You're keen to soak up knowledge from your manager and the wider team. You actively seek feedback on your writing, want to learn the nuances of media relations, and are excited to get hands-on with new comms tools. Every project is a chance to get better.
5. Motivator: Contributing to the Company's Story
6. Daily: You enjoy being part of something bigger, knowing that your daily writing and coordination efforts contribute to how our company is perceived. You like being 'in the know' about company news and helping to articulate our vision and values.

Potential Demotivators

Honestly, this role isn't for everyone. If you need to be the sole decision-maker on strategy, or if you struggle with your carefully crafted words being changed by others, you might find it tough. You'll often be working on 'urgent' tasks that then get deprioritised or put on hold. Sometimes, you'll draft something brilliant, only for Legal to turn it into something a bit bland. You'll also be dealing with a fair bit of process and coordination, which can feel repetitive if you're not into the details.

Common Frustrations

1. Getting conflicting feedback from multiple stakeholders on a single draft, making it hard to know whose input to prioritise.
2. Waiting for approvals, especially from Legal, which can hold up critical deadlines and sometimes means your work is delayed through no fault of your own.
3. Repetitive tasks like daily media monitoring or updating content calendars, which are essential but not always the most exciting.
4. Not always having the full context behind a communication request, meaning you have to do a bit of detective work to get all the necessary information.
5. Seeing your impactful, human-centric draft watered down into corporate jargon after rounds of review.

What Role Doesn't Offer

1. Full strategic control over the company's overall communications direction (that's for more senior folks).
2. Direct reports or significant team leadership responsibilities (you'll be an individual contributor).
3. Leading high-stakes crisis communications from the front (you'll be supporting, not owning, at this stage).
4. A quiet, predictable routine—expect some curveballs and shifting priorities.

ADHD Positives

1. The varied nature of tasks (writing, research, coordination, social media) can keep things engaging and prevent boredom.
2. The need for quick responses in minor 'fire drills' can be stimulating and play to strengths in rapid problem-solving.
3. The clear, project-based structure for many tasks can help with focus and sense of accomplishment.

ADHD Challenges and Accommodations

1. Managing multiple deadlines and shifting priorities can be tricky; we can help with structured project management tools and regular check-ins to prioritise.
2. The detail-oriented nature of proofreading might require dedicated, quiet time; noise-cancelling headphones or a specific 'deep work' slot can help.
3. Long, multi-stakeholder approval processes could be frustrating; we'll work with you to break these down and manage expectations.

Dyslexia Positives

1. Strong verbal communication and creative thinking, often associated with dyslexia, are highly valued in crafting compelling messages and understanding audience reactions.
2. The ability to see the 'big picture' and connect disparate ideas can be a huge asset in narrative development.
3. AI tools for drafting and proofreading can significantly support written tasks, allowing you to focus on the core message and strategy.

Dyslexia Challenges and Accommodations

1. Extensive proofreading and attention to grammatical detail can be challenging; we encourage the use of advanced grammar checkers (like Grammarly) and peer review.
2. Reading long, dense legal documents for approval might be difficult; we can provide summaries or highlight key sections.
3. Note-taking in fast-paced meetings can be tough; digital tools or access to meeting recordings can be provided.

Autism Positives

1. The need for precision, accuracy, and adherence to brand guidelines can be a strong fit for individuals who thrive on structured tasks and clear rules.
2. Excellent analytical skills, often associated with autism, are valuable for media monitoring, sentiment analysis, and understanding data.
3. The ability to focus deeply on specific projects and details, like crafting a perfect press release, can lead to exceptional quality.

Autism Challenges and Accommodations

1. Navigating complex social dynamics and unspoken expectations in cross-functional meetings can be difficult; we can provide pre-briefs on meeting objectives and key players.
2. Unexpected changes or 'fire drills' can be disruptive; we aim for clear communication about changes and provide structured support during crises.
3. Sensory sensitivities might be a factor in an open-plan office; we offer flexible working arrangements and options for quieter workspaces.

Key Responsibilities

Experience Levels Responsibilities

1. Level: Mid-Level Professional (2-5 years)
2. Responsibilities: Independently draft and edit compelling press releases, internal announcements, blog posts, and social media content, making sure they hit our brand voice and key messages.
3. Take ownership of media monitoring, using tools like Cision or Meltwater to track coverage, identify trends, and prepare daily or weekly reports for the team and leadership.
4. Manage and update our media lists, identifying relevant journalists and influencers for specific stories, and conduct initial outreach under the guidance of your manager.
5. Coordinate and execute smaller internal communications campaigns, from planning content for our intranet (Simpplr/Staffbase) to managing employee Q&As.
6. Support the wider communications team during minor crisis situations by drafting holding statements, monitoring media, and coordinating information flow (you'll be a key support, not the lead).
7. Maintain and update our communications calendar, ensuring all deadlines are met and content is scheduled appropriately across various channels.
8. Ensure all communications materials adhere strictly to brand guidelines, legal requirements, and regulatory compliance (like Reg FD for public announcements).
9. Collaborate with internal teams like Product Marketing, HR, and Legal to gather information and ensure accuracy in all outgoing communications.
10. Propose new ideas for content or communication approaches, bringing fresh perspectives to how we tell our story and engage our audiences.
11. Supervision: You'll have weekly check-ins with your Communications Manager to discuss ongoing projects, priorities, and any challenges you're facing. For routine tasks, you'll work independently, but for anything complex, sensitive, or outside established guidelines, you'll be expected to flag it and get guidance.
12. Decision: You'll have the authority to make routine decisions within established guidelines, such as approving minor social media posts, selecting appropriate media contacts from pre-approved lists for specific stories, or prioritising your daily tasks. Anything sensitive, requiring budget approval (over, say, £50), or impacting our overall strategy will need to be escalated to your Communications Manager for review and approval. You're expected to identify potential issues and propose solutions, but the final call on anything significant won't be yours yet.
13. Success: Success at this level means consistently delivering high-quality, accurate, and on-brand communications materials on time. It's about taking initiative, identifying problems before they become big, and getting positive feedback from your manager and the internal teams you support. Basically, being a reliable and proactive pair of hands who can get things done.

Decision-Making Authority

• Type: Drafting & Content Creation
• Entry: Drafts basic content (e.g., social media posts) for review; follows strict templates.
• Mid: Independently drafts press releases, internal memos, blog posts; adapts content for different audiences; manager reviews for strategic alignment and tone.
• Senior: Develops core messaging frameworks; reviews and edits junior team's drafts; makes final content decisions for specific campaigns.
• Type: Media Relations & Outreach
• Entry: Builds basic media lists; logs incoming media inquiries; no direct media contact.
• Mid: Identifies relevant journalists; conducts initial outreach for specific stories (e.g., product features); manages media monitoring and reporting; escalates sensitive inquiries.
• Senior: Serves as primary media contact for specific beats; manages proactive media campaigns; handles complex media inquiries; provides media training support.
• Type: Internal Communications Strategy
• Entry: Publishes pre-approved content to intranet; pulls basic engagement metrics.
• Mid: Plans and executes smaller internal comms campaigns (e.g., for a specific department or initiative); analyses engagement data to suggest improvements.
• Senior: Develops quarterly internal comms strategy; advises HR and leadership on sensitive internal announcements; leads change management comms for specific projects.
• Type: Crisis Communications Response
• Entry: Monitors media for crisis mentions; compiles initial reports.
• Mid: Supports crisis team by drafting holding statements, managing media lists, and coordinating information flow; escalates all critical developments immediately.
• Senior: Acts as a key member of the crisis response team; drafts and approves holding statements (with legal); manages media inquiries during a crisis; advises on internal messaging.

Competency Requirements

Foundation Skills (Transferable)

These are the bedrock skills that let you do your job well, no matter the specific task. Think of them as your core toolkit for navigating daily challenges and working effectively with others.

• Category: Communication & Storytelling
• Skills: Exceptional Written Communication: The ability to craft clear, concise, and compelling messages for various audiences (media, employees, customers) with impeccable grammar and spelling. You'll be writing a lot, so this is non-negotiable.
• Verbal Clarity: Being able to articulate ideas, explain complex topics simply, and participate effectively in meetings. You won't be leading board presentations, but you'll need to speak up clearly.
• Active Listening: Genuinely understanding what internal stakeholders need and what the media is looking for, rather than just waiting for your turn to speak. This is crucial for getting the brief right.
• Category: Problem-Solving & Initiative
• Skills: Issue Identification: Spotting potential communication problems or opportunities before they escalate. For example, seeing a potentially negative comment on social media and flagging it.
• Solution Orientation: Not just identifying problems, but thinking through potential ways to address them, even if it's just a few options to discuss with your manager.
• Troubleshooting: Being able to figure out why a comms tool isn't working as expected or why a message isn't landing as intended, and taking initial steps to fix it.
• Category: Adaptability & Organisation
• Skills: Prioritisation: Managing multiple deadlines and shifting 'urgent' requests, knowing what needs to be done first and what can wait. This is a constant balancing act.
• Learning Agility: Quickly picking up new tools, processes, and communication best practices. Our world moves fast, so you need to keep up.
• Organisational Skills: Keeping track of multiple projects, content calendars, and approval flows. A messy desk is fine, but a messy workflow isn't.
• Category: Collaboration & Relationship Building
• Skills: Teamwork: Working effectively with your immediate comms team, sharing insights, and supporting each other's work. We're a tight-knit bunch.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Building good working relationships with colleagues in other departments (HR, Marketing, Product) to gather information and get approvals smoothly.
• Stakeholder Management (Internal): Understanding the needs and perspectives of different internal teams and tailoring your approach to get their buy-in and input.

Functional Skills (Role-Specific Technical)

These are the specific skills and knowledge you'll need to actually do the job of a comms professional. It's about knowing the 'how-to' of corporate communications.

Technical Competencies

• Skill: Crisis Communications Management (Support)
• Desc: A basic understanding of the principles of crisis communications, including the importance of rapid response, factual accuracy, and consistent messaging. You'll know what a 'holding statement' is and how to support the senior team during a crisis, rather than leading it.
• Level: Intermediate
• Skill: Narrative & Messaging Architecture (Application)
• Desc: The ability to take an existing corporate narrative or messaging framework and apply it consistently across all your drafted communications. You'll understand how to identify key messages and ensure they 'pull through' into press releases, internal comms, and social posts.
• Level: Intermediate
• Skill: Executive Communications & Thought Leadership (Drafting Support)
• Desc: You'll be able to draft speeches, presentations, or social media posts for senior leaders, capturing their voice and ensuring the content aligns with their strategic objectives. This means being able to ghostwrite effectively, even if you're not directly advising them.
• Level: Intermediate
• Skill: Change Management Communications (Content Execution)
• Desc: Understanding the basics of communicating organisational change (e.g., M&A, reorganisations). You'll be able to draft and distribute messages that inform employees, address concerns, and maintain trust, following established comms plans.
• Level: Intermediate
• Skill: Reputation Management & Measurement (Monitoring & Reporting)
• Desc: Beyond just getting media clips, you'll understand how to track sentiment, identify key themes, and contribute to basic reports on our media presence. You'll know what 'Share of Voice' means, even if you're not setting the strategy for it.
• Level: Intermediate

Digital Tools

• Tool: Cision / Meltwater (Media Monitoring & Analysis)
• Level: Intermediate
• Usage: You'll use these daily to pull media clips, build basic media lists for specific stories, track competitor coverage, and generate simple coverage reports for the team. You'll be able to set up basic search queries and understand the dashboard.
• Tool: PR Newswire / Business Wire (Press Release Distribution)
• Level: Intermediate
• Usage: You'll manage the end-to-end process of formatting and uploading pre-written press releases for distribution. This includes advising on basic targeting (e.g., industry vs. national media) and timing, and troubleshooting any minor formatting issues.
• Tool: Simpplr / Staffbase (Internal Communications Platform)
• Level: Intermediate
• Usage: You'll be publishing pre-approved content to our intranet, managing user comments on posts, and pulling basic engagement analytics (like views and likes) to see what's resonating with employees. You might also help build new pages or sections.
• Tool: Slack / MS Teams (Collaboration & Internal Comms)
• Level: Intermediate
• Usage: You'll use these platforms not just for team collaboration, but also as a primary channel for quick internal announcements, managing specific comms channels (e.g., for a project launch), and even for rapid response during minor issues. You'll be comfortable with advanced features like workflows and integrations.
• Tool: Google Analytics (Web Traffic Analysis)
• Level: Basic
• Usage: You'll be able to find referral traffic from specific media placements, understand basic metrics like page views and time on page for PR-driven content, and help set up campaign tracking URLs for our comms efforts.
• Tool: Microsoft Office Suite / Google Workspace
• Level: Advanced
• Usage: You'll be a wizard with Word/Docs for drafting, PowerPoint/Slides for presentations, and Excel/Sheets for basic data tracking and reporting. No excuses for poor formatting here!

Industry Knowledge

• Area: Media Landscape & Relations
• Desc: A good understanding of how the media works, who the key journalists are in our sector, and how to build positive relationships with them. You'll know the difference between 'on background' and 'on the record'.
• Area: PR Ethics & Best Practices
• Desc: A solid grasp of ethical guidelines in public relations, ensuring all our communications are truthful, transparent, and responsible. You'll know what 'Reg FD' is and why it matters, even if you're not a lawyer.
• Area: Internal Communications Best Practices
• Desc: Knowledge of effective strategies for engaging employees, fostering a positive company culture, and ensuring internal messages are clear, timely, and impactful. You'll understand why internal comms isn't just 'HR comms'.

Regulatory Compliance Regulations

• Reg: GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation)
• Usage: You'll understand the basics of data privacy and how it impacts our communications, especially when collecting or using personal data for media lists, internal surveys, or marketing campaigns. You'll know when to flag something for Legal review.
• Reg: Reg FD (Fair Disclosure - for public companies)
• Usage: You'll have a good working knowledge of Reg FD and the concept of 'quiet periods' around earnings. You'll know what information can and cannot be shared publicly and will always 'run the traps' with Legal and Investor Relations before any material news goes out.
• Reg: Media Law & Defamation
• Usage: You'll have a basic awareness of legal considerations around publishing content, including defamation and copyright. You'll know when to consult Legal on potentially sensitive statements or images.

Essential Prerequisites

• 2-5 years of hands-on experience in a corporate communications, public relations, or internal communications role, where you've owned specific projects from start to finish.
• A proven track record of drafting high-quality, error-free written communications for various channels (e.g., press releases, internal memos, social media posts).
• Experience using media monitoring tools (like Cision or Meltwater) to track coverage and generate reports.
• Demonstrable ability to manage multiple tasks and deadlines in a fast-paced environment, often with shifting priorities.
• Strong collaborative skills, with experience working effectively with cross-functional teams to gather information and secure approvals.

Career Pathway Context

These aren't just a wish list; they're the foundational skills you'll need to hit the ground running and make an impact from day one. We're looking for someone who's already comfortable with the day-to-day grind of comms and is ready to take on more ownership, not someone who needs to be taught the basics.

Qualifications & Credentials

Emerging Foundation Skills

• Skill: Prompt Engineering & LLM Integration (for Comms)
• Why: Frankly, competitors are already using AI to draft reports, analyse sentiment, and generate content in minutes what used to take hours. Comms professionals who master this will outproduce their peers significantly. It's not about being replaced by AI, but about using AI to be better at your job.
• Concepts: [{'concept_name': 'Context Windows & Token Limits', 'description': "Understanding how much information an AI model can 'remember' and process in a single interaction, and how to work within those limits for longer documents."}, {'concept_name': 'Temperature Settings for Tone', 'description': 'Learning how to adjust AI settings to get more creative (higher temperature) or more factual and conservative (lower temperature) outputs for different comms needs.'}, {'concept_name': 'RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation)', 'description': "Knowing how to feed AI models our proprietary company information (e.g., style guides, past press releases) so it can generate content that's accurate and on-brand, rather than just generic."}, {'concept_name': 'Output Validation & Hallucination Detection', 'description': "Developing a critical eye to verify AI-generated facts and identify when the model is 'making things up'. Your human judgment becomes even more important here."}]
• Prepare: This week: Start experimenting with ChatGPT or Claude to draft simple internal announcements or social media posts. Don't publish, just practice.
• This month: Explore how to use AI to summarise long articles or research papers, saving you time on background reading for briefings.
• Month 2: Try to build one automated report (e.g., a weekly media summary) using an LLM API or a no-code AI tool, even if it's just for personal use.
• Month 3: Document your productivity gains and share your learnings with the team. What worked? What didn't? What saved you time?
• QuickWin: Start using AI tools to draft email summaries, brainstorm headlines, or generate different versions of a message for various audiences today. Most of these tools have free tiers, so there's no barrier to entry.
• Skill: Data Storytelling for Communications
• Why: CFOs and leadership teams are increasingly asking for the ROI of communications. Just showing media clips isn't enough anymore. You'll need to connect comms efforts to business outcomes and present that data in a compelling, easy-to-understand way.
• Concepts: [{'concept_name': 'Connecting Comms Metrics to Business Goals', 'description': 'Understanding how media coverage or internal engagement can ultimately impact things like lead generation, employee retention, or brand perception, and how to articulate that link.'}, {'concept_name': 'Visualisation Best Practices', 'description': 'Learning how to create clear, impactful charts and graphs (using tools like Tableau or even just Excel) that tell a story with data, rather than just presenting numbers.'}, {'concept_name': 'Narrative Structure for Data Presentations', 'description': 'Applying storytelling principles (e.g., setting the scene, presenting the challenge, showing the solution/impact) to data-driven presentations to make them more persuasive.'}, {'concept_name': 'Identifying Key Insights from Data', 'description': "Moving beyond surface-level numbers to find the 'so what?'—what does this data actually tell us about our comms effectiveness and what should we do next?"}]
• Prepare: This week: Take one of your existing media coverage reports and try to identify one key trend or insight that goes beyond just 'we got X mentions'.
• This month: Attend a webinar or online course on data visualisation or storytelling. There are plenty of free resources out there.
• Month 2: Try to build a simple dashboard (even in Excel) that connects a comms metric (e.g., website traffic from a press release) to a business outcome (e.g., sign-ups).
• Month 3: Present your data-driven insights to your manager, focusing on the story the numbers tell and what actions we could take.
• QuickWin: When you prepare your next media report, add a short paragraph at the top summarising the 'top 3 insights' and what they mean for us, rather than just listing the coverage.

Advancing Technical Skills

• Skill: Advanced Media Analytics & Measurement
• Why: Simply counting media clips is a thing of the past. We need to understand the true impact of our media efforts. This means moving beyond basic reporting to more sophisticated analysis.
• Concepts: [{'concept_name': 'Share of Voice (SOV) Analysis', 'description': "Quantifying our company's media presence as a percentage of the total conversation compared to our key competitors, and understanding how to improve it."}, {'concept_name': 'Message Pull-Through Tracking', 'description': "Measuring whether the core messages from our briefing documents actually appeared in the final media coverage, and why they did or didn't."}, {'concept_name': 'Sentiment Analysis Nuances', 'description': 'Moving beyond simple positive/negative/neutral to understanding the context and nuances of sentiment, especially with AI-powered tools.'}, {'concept_name': 'Attribution Modelling (Basic)', 'description': "Beginning to understand how to attribute specific business outcomes (e.g., website visits, lead generation) directly to PR activities, even if it's not a perfect science."}]
• Prepare: This week: Dive deeper into Cision/Meltwater's advanced analytics features. Watch their tutorials on SOV or sentiment analysis.
• This month: Work with your manager to identify one key competitor and start tracking our SOV against them on a weekly basis.
• Month 2: For your next press release, create a 'message pull-through' tracker to see how well our key points landed in the resulting coverage.
• Month 3: Explore how Google Analytics can help you connect media coverage to website traffic, even if it's just a simple correlation.
• QuickWin: When you next pull a media report, don't just list the articles; add a sentence about the overall sentiment and whether our key messages were included.
• Skill: Digital Employee Experience (DEX) Understanding
• Why: Internal communications is increasingly digital, and it's not just about sending emails. Understanding how our internal comms platforms (like Simpplr/Staffbase) integrate with other HR and workplace tools is becoming crucial for a seamless employee experience.
• Concepts: [{'concept_name': 'Intranet as a Central Hub', 'description': 'Understanding how the intranet can serve as the primary source of truth for employees, integrating news, documents, and other tools.'}, {'concept_name': 'Integration with HRIS (e.g., Workday)', 'description': 'Basic awareness of how internal comms platforms can pull employee data or push content to HR systems for a more personalised experience.'}, {'concept_name': 'Personalisation in Internal Comms', 'description': 'Exploring how to tailor internal messages to different employee groups (e.g., by department, location) for greater relevance and impact.'}, {'concept_name': 'Employee Feedback Mechanisms', 'description': 'Understanding and implementing tools (e.g., surveys, comment sections) to gather employee feedback on internal communications and act on it.'}]
• Prepare: This week: Spend some time exploring all the features of our internal comms platform. What else can it do that we're not using?
• This month: Talk to someone in HR about how they use Workday or similar tools. Where are the overlaps with comms?
• Month 2: Propose one small improvement to our internal comms platform or content strategy based on your research (e.g., a new content series, a better way to organise information).
• Month 3: Lead a small project to implement a new feature or content type on the intranet, measuring its impact on employee engagement.
• QuickWin: If our intranet has a feedback mechanism, start actively soliciting comments on your internal posts and use that feedback to refine your approach.

Education Requirements

• Level: Minimum
• Req: A Bachelor's degree in Communications, Public Relations, Journalism, Marketing, or a closely related field.
• Alts: We're pragmatic. If you've got equivalent professional experience (say, 5+ years in a relevant comms role without a degree) that clearly demonstrates the skills and knowledge, we're absolutely open to considering that. Show us what you can do, not just your parchment.

Experience Requirements

You'll need 2-5 years of dedicated experience in a corporate communications or public relations role. This isn't an entry-level position; we're looking for someone who's already comfortable owning projects, managing deadlines, and has a solid portfolio of written communications. Experience in a fast-paced environment, either in-house or at an agency, is a big plus. What 'counts' as equivalent? Think about roles where you've been responsible for drafting press releases, managing internal comms channels, handling media monitoring, and coordinating communication campaigns from start to finish.

Preferred Certifications

• Cert: CIPR Professional PR Diploma
• Prod: Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR)
• Usage: Shows a commitment to professional development and a deeper understanding of PR theory and best practices. It's a good signal, but not a deal-breaker.
• Cert: PRCA Diploma in PR
• Prod: Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA)
• Usage: Similar to CIPR, it demonstrates a solid foundation in PR principles and a desire to stay current with industry standards.
• Cert: Specific Media Monitoring Tool Certifications (e.g., Cision, Meltwater)
• Prod: Tool Vendors
• Usage: If you've got formal training on the tools we use daily, that's a definite advantage. It means less ramp-up time for us and more immediate impact from you.

Recommended Activities

• Regularly reading industry publications (e.g., PRWeek, CommsPlanner, The Drum) to stay on top of trends and best practices.
• Attending relevant webinars or online courses on topics like AI for communications, data storytelling, or advanced media relations tactics.
• Joining professional networking groups (like CIPR or PRCA local chapters) to learn from peers and expand your professional circle.
• Seeking out feedback on your writing and communication strategies, and actively working to incorporate that feedback into your next projects.

Career Progression Pathways

Entry Paths to This Role

• Path: Communications Coordinator (L1)
• Time: 1-2 years
• Path: Junior PR Agency Account Executive
• Time: 2-3 years
• Path: Marketing Assistant with Comms Responsibilities
• Time: 2-4 years

Career Progression From This Role

• Pathway: Senior Head of Corporate Communications (L3)
• Time: 2-3 years from this role

Long Term Vision Potential Roles

• Title: Communications Manager (L4)
• Time: 4-6 years from this role
• Title: Senior Manager, Corporate Communications (L5)
• Time: 6-9 years from this role
• Title: Director of Corporate Communications (L6)
• Time: 10-14 years from this role

How Zavmo Delivers This Role's Development

DISCOVER Phase: Skills Gap Analysis

Zavmo maps your current competencies against all requirements in this job description through conversational assessment. We evaluate your foundation skills (communication, strategic thinking), functional skills (CRM expertise, negotiation), and readiness for career progression.

Output: Personalised skills gap heat map showing strengths and priorities, estimated time to competency, neurodiversity accommodations.

DISCUSS Phase: Personalised Learning Pathway

Based on your DISCOVER results, Zavmo creates a personalised learning plan prioritised by impact: foundation skills first, then functional skills. We adapt to your learning style, pace, and neurodiversity needs (ADHD, dyslexia, autism).

Output: Week-by-week schedule, each module linked to specific job responsibilities, checkpoints and milestones.

DELIVER Phase: Conversational Learning

Learn through conversation, not boring modules. Zavmo uses 10 conversation types (Socratic dialogue, role-play, coaching, case studies) to build competence. Practice difficult QBR presentations, negotiate tough renewals, and handle churn conversations in a safe AI environment before facing real clients.

Example: "For 'Stakeholder Mapping', Zavmo will guide you through analysing a complex enterprise account, identifying key decision-makers, and building an engagement strategy."

DEMONSTRATE Phase: Competency Assessment

Zavmo automatically builds your evidence portfolio as you learn. Every conversation, practice scenario, and application example is captured and mapped to NOS performance criteria. When ready, your portfolio supports OFQUAL qualification claims and demonstrates competence to employers.

Output: Competency matrix, evidence portfolio (downloadable), qualification readiness, career progression score.