UK

United Kingdom · PR and communications · Mid-Level (2-5 years)

Head of Corporate Communications

Here is the whole job, in plain words. What it is, what you decide, how you're judged, how people get here and where they go next. Then the part no course gives you: twelve AI tutors who learn your work.

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  • Experience bandMid-Level (2-5 years)
  • Direct reportsNo direct reports
  • Reports toCommunications Manager
  • UK framework levelUsually a coordinator, or early in a professional job

Also advertised as Communications Specialist · PR & Content Lead · Internal Communications Officer · Media Relations Executive

Built on 43,079 real UK job descriptions we analysed · grounded in qualifications employers recognise

Two short quizzes about you

1From this job to a course

The qualifications matched to this job

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate in Digital Content Production Pearson Education Ltd · Level 3 · covers 1 of 2 standards
ATHE Level 6 Certificate in Crisis Management and Crisis Communication ATHE Ltd · Level 6 · covers 1 of 2 standards
ATHE Level ATHE Level 6 Diploma in Risk Management for Crowded Places ATHE Ltd · Level 6 · covers 1 of 2 standards

Matched from the standards this job is measured against: a suggestion, not an official ruling.

The units you would start with

Writing Copy Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate in Digital Content Production
Crisis Management and Crisis Communication ATHE Level 6 Certificate in Crisis Management and Crisis Communication

The future skills this job leans on

AI Fluency working with AI as a thinking partner
Data Fluency turning numbers into a decision
Start my Head of Corporate Communications plan, free
Your Plan Illustration

Built for Head of Corporate Communications

2 units that map to this job, from the qualifications that cover it.

  1. Writing Copy Pearson Education Ltd · covers 1 of 2 standards Level 3
  2. Crisis Management and Crisis Communication ATHE Ltd · covers 1 of 2 standards Level 6
These are the real units behind this job, in the order they rank for it. Nothing here is marked done, because this plan has not been started by anyone yet. Yours would fill in as you go.

2AI and this work

Will AI change your work as a Head of Corporate Communications?

Nobody can say exactly how. Here is what this job is being asked for next, and where to start.

The new skills this role is being asked for

  • Prompt Engineering & LLM Integration (for Comms)
  • Data Storytelling for Communications
Why each one is rising

The future skills this job leans on

We'll only ever tell you what we can actually back up. No hype, no scare tactics.

What happens when you start

Next, a free account. We build your Head of Corporate Communications plan as you set up, starting with a Future Fluency module on using AI in your job. No card.

Your first Future Fluency module is free. After that, your AI tutor is £70 a month.

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3What this role really is

This job means writing and coordinating communications, from press releases to internal memos and social posts, rather than running a whole department. Day to day work includes writing, editing and coordinating, making sure everything sounds right and lands well. It means getting hands-on with an organisation's voice and shaping how it talks to the public and its own people.

4What you'd actually use

The tools this job runs on, and how well you'd need to know each one.

Cision / Meltwater (Media Monitoring & Analysis) Intermediate

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.

PR Newswire / Business Wire (Press Release Distribution) Intermediate

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.

Simpplr / Staffbase (Internal Communications Platform) Intermediate

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.

Slack / MS Teams (Collaboration & Internal Comms) Intermediate

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.

Google Analytics (Web Traffic Analysis) Basic

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.

Microsoft Office Suite / Google Workspace Advanced

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!

5What you get to decide, and how that grows

Power in a job isn't your title. It's what you're allowed to decide. Here's how it grows as you move up.

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

6How you'll be judged

The scoreboard, and what is not on it. The hard targets, how often each is actually looked at, and the quiet signals that never reach a dashboard.

Media Monitoring & Reporting Accuracy
How accurately and promptly you deliver our daily media clips report, making sure nothing important is missed.
Target · 98% accuracy on relevant mentions; report delivered by 8:30 AM each weekday.

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.

Internal Content Publishing Volume & Quality
The number of internal news stories or announcements you publish, ensuring they're error-free and on-brand.
Target · 10-15 internal news stories/announcements published per week with zero formatting errors or typos.

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.

Social Media Engagement Rate (Owned Channels)
The average engagement (likes, shares, comments) your posts receive on our corporate social media channels, particularly LinkedIn.
Target · Achieve a 3% average engagement rate on LinkedIn posts you manage.

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.

Press Release Distribution Accuracy & Timeliness
Ensuring press releases are formatted correctly and distributed on schedule through our wire services.
Target · Zero errors in formatting or targeting; 100% on-time distribution for all assigned press releases.

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.

Message Consistency & Brand Voice
How well your drafted communications reflect our core messages and maintain our established brand voice across different channels.
  • 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.
Internal Stakeholder Feedback
The quality of collaboration and satisfaction from internal teams you support (e.g., HR, Product Marketing).
  • 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.
Proactive Problem Solving
Your ability to identify potential communication issues or opportunities and propose solutions before being asked.
  • 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.
Learning & Development Application
How effectively you apply new skills, tools, or feedback into your daily work.
  • 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.

7Would you like it

Both sides. What people enjoy, and what grinds them down.

What people enjoy
Seeing Your Work Published & Impactful

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.

You've spent days crafting an internal story about a new employee benefit, and when it goes out, you see positive comments on the intranet and colleagues thanking you for the clear info.

Learning & Developing New Skills

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.

After a feedback session on improving your press release intros, you immediately apply the advice to your next draft, and your manager notices the improvement.

Contributing to the Company's Story

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.

You're drafting an announcement about a company milestone, and you feel a sense of pride in helping to share that success with the world and our employees.

What frustrates people
  • Getting conflicting feedback from multiple stakeholders on a single draft, making it hard to know whose input to prioritise.
  • 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.
  • Repetitive tasks like daily media monitoring or updating content calendars, which are essential but not always the most exciting.
  • 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.
  • Seeing your impactful, human-centric draft watered down into corporate jargon after rounds of review.
What this role does not give you
  • Full strategic control over the company's overall communications direction (that's for more senior folks).
  • Direct reports or significant team leadership responsibilities (you'll be an individual contributor).
  • Leading high-stakes crisis communications from the front (you'll be supporting, not owning, at this stage).
  • A quiet, predictable routine—expect some curveballs and shifting priorities.

8Who you work with

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.

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

9What you need before you start

Not a wish list. The things you would be expected to already have.

  • 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.

10What to practise next

Where the job is going, and what to do about it starting this week.

Advanced Media Analytics & Measurement

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.

Share of Voice (SOV) Analysis · Message Pull-Through Tracking · Sentiment Analysis Nuances · Attribution Modelling (Basic)

  • 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.

Quick win: 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.

Digital Employee Experience (DEX) Understanding

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.

Intranet as a Central Hub · Integration with HRIS (e.g., Workday) · Personalisation in Internal Comms · Employee Feedback Mechanisms

  • 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.

Quick win: If our intranet has a feedback mechanism, start actively soliciting comments on your internal posts and use that feedback to refine your approach.

11Staying current once you are in

What people here do to keep up
  • 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.

12The rising capability

The rising capability

Zavmo analysis

What's rising in its place

This is where the work is heading, and the higher pay with it. Get fluent here and the shift stops being a threat and starts being your edge.

Prompt Engineering & LLM Integration (for Comms)

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.

  • Context Windows & Token Limits
  • Temperature Settings for Tone
  • RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation)
  • Output Validation & Hallucination Detection

Data Storytelling for Communications

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.

  • Connecting Comms Metrics to Business Goals
  • Visualisation Best Practices
  • Narrative Structure for Data Presentations
  • Identifying Key Insights from Data

13What you’ll use

What you’ll use

Skills this role draws on

Technical

  • Crisis Communications Management (Support)
  • Narrative & Messaging Architecture (Application)
  • Executive Communications & Thought Leadership (Drafting Support)
  • Change Management Communications (Content Execution)
  • Reputation Management & Measurement (Monitoring & Reporting)

14The pathway

The pathway

How you actually get there, here

How you become one varies far more by country than what one does. This is the UK route. Most people take one of these ways in; the right one depends on where you're starting from.

  1. 1

    Communications Coordinator (L1)

    1-2 years

    Skills to master

    • Flawless execution of basic comms tasks (media list building, content scheduling), strong foundational writing, understanding of brand guidelines, proactive learning.

    You're ready to move on when

    • Consistently delivers error-free work on time.
    • Proactively identifies and flags potential issues.
    • Takes initiative to learn new tools and processes.
    • Receives positive feedback on reliability and attention to detail.
  2. 2

    Junior PR Agency Account Executive

    2-3 years

    Skills to master

    • Client management basics, media pitching, press release drafting, media monitoring, understanding of PR campaign cycles.

    You're ready to move on when

    • Successfully managed multiple client projects simultaneously.
    • Secured media coverage for clients.
    • Developed strong client relationship skills.
    • Demonstrated ability to work under tight agency deadlines.
  3. 3

    Marketing Assistant with Comms Responsibilities

    2-4 years

    Skills to master

    • Content creation for various channels, social media management, basic campaign coordination, understanding of marketing-comms synergy.

    You're ready to move on when

    • Owned and grown specific social media channels.
    • Contributed to successful marketing campaigns with comms elements.
    • Developed strong copywriting and editing skills.
    • Showcased ability to work across marketing and comms functions.

15Where this role leads

The long view: This work can lead to managing a small communications team. From there, it can lead to a senior role setting strategy for areas like internal comms or media relations. It can also lead on to a director-level role advising senior leadership.

The ten Future Fluencies

Zavmo analysis

The credential is what you can do today. These are what keep you valuable.

A qualification proves you can do the job as it's defined today. These ten are what decide whether you're still the obvious person for it in five years. They're the capabilities employers are now writing into senior roles faster than people are learning them. Zavmo weaves them through whatever you study, so you come out with both: the credential and the fluency.

The highlighted ones are the Fluencies your role leans on hardest, from how Head of Corporate Communications is actually changing.

Where it leads

Roles this leads to

The record names a next step, but the catalogue has no page for it yet:

  • Senior Head of Corporate Communications (L3)

How you would learn this

One to one, on the work you already do

A tutor sets the task against your own job and marks the reasoning, at your pace. There is no cohort to fall behind.

A lesson from Writing Copy, worked against Head of Corporate Communications.

Writing Copy Level 3

Applied to your work in Head of Corporate Communications

This unit aims to provide learners with a thorough understanding of effective copywriting principles, enabling them to research target audiences, develop copy for various media platforms, and adapt their writing style to suit different audiences and purposes. Upon completion, learners will be able to evaluate the effectiveness of copy in achieving its intended objectives within marketing and advertising contexts.

How the thinking builds
  1. 1 Remember
  2. 2 Understand
  3. 3 Apply
  4. 4 Analyse
  5. 5 Evaluate
  6. 6 Create
An illustration of a Zavmo lesson, built from this role’s own route. The unit, its objective and every criterion above are the awarding body’s own words, not an example.

It is £70 a month, billed monthly. Your free first module is Future Fluency, and you can cancel any time.

Start my Head of Corporate Communications plan, free
See Your Progress Grow Illustration
Head of Corporate Communications
  • Crisis Communications Management (Support)
  • Narrative & Messaging Architecture (Application)
  • Executive Communications & Thought Leadership (Drafting Support)
  • Change Management Communications (Content Execution)
  • Reputation Management & Measurement (Monitoring & Reporting)
This is your Mind Palace on learn.zavmo.ai. Every skill above comes from this role's own record, not an example borrowed from another job. A node lights up when you evidence it, and what you build stays yours between jobs. That is the part a course cannot do.

16The detail, folded away

Everything else the record holds

The career branches in full, how AI is already showing up in the day-to-day, and the questions people ask about this job. Here when you want them, out of the way while you decide.

Where it leads next, rung by rung

Where it leads

The career path, and where it branches

Head of Corporate Communications is a start, not a ceiling. Each step below asks for new skills and hands back more autonomy.

  1. Senior Head of Corporate Communications (L3)

    2-3 years from this role

    You'd move from owning projects to leading entire workstreams and acting as a comms business partner to a functional group. More autonomy, more complexity, and you'd start mentoring junior team members.

    • Developing and executing multi-channel comms plans for major product launches or initiatives.
    • Acting as a primary media contact for specific beats, handling more complex inquiries.
    • Leading specific internal comms programmes (e.g., employee advocacy, leadership comms).
    • More in-depth data analysis to prove comms impact.
Working with AI on the job

Working with AI

Where AI is starting to help

Let's be real, a big chunk of communications work involves drafting, researching, and analysing. What if you could get a significant head start on those tasks, freeing you up for the more strategic, human-centric parts of your job? That's exactly what AI can do for you here.

We're not talking about replacing your creativity or judgment. Instead, imagine AI as your super-efficient assistant, handling the tedious bits of drafting, digging through data, and adapting messages. It means less time staring at a blank page and more time refining our story, building relationships, and making a real impact.

First Draft Automation

Use AI to generate initial drafts of press releases, internal memos, social media posts, or even blog outlines from a few bullet points. It'll handle the basic structure, tone, and boilerplate language, giving you a solid starting point so you can focus on adding the nuance, strategic messaging, and human touch that only you can provide. Think of it as getting 70% of the draft done in minutes.

Real-Time Narrative Intelligence

Leverage AI-powered monitoring tools (like Cision or Meltwater's AI features) to quickly scan thousands of media articles, social posts, and forum discussions. The AI can highlight emerging negative themes, identify key sentiment shifts, or flag competitor messaging changes hours before you'd find them manually. This means you're always ahead of the curve, not just reacting.

Executive Briefing Synthesis

Need to brief your manager or a senior leader on a specific topic or journalist? Feed an AI model a handful of recent articles, relevant internal docs, and the journalist's past work. Ask it to generate a concise, 1-page summary, including potential questions and suggested talking points. It's like having a research assistant who never sleeps and always delivers on time.

Audience-Specific Tone Adaptation

Take a core message you've drafted and use AI to instantly adapt it for different audiences or channels. For example, 'Rewrite this for an internal all-hands meeting, make it more inspirational,' or 'Adapt this for a financial analyst Q&A, make it more data-driven and formal.' This saves you loads of time on re-writes and ensures consistent messaging with appropriate tone across the board.

Common questions

Common questions

How do you become a Head of Corporate Communications?

Common routes in include Communications Coordinator (1-2 years), Junior PR Agency Account Executive (2-3 years) and Marketing Assistant with Comms Responsibilities (2-4 years). Times vary with prior experience.

Where can a Head of Corporate Communications progress to?

This role can lead on to Senior Head of Corporate Communications (2-3 years from this role), depending on the skills you build.

What new skills matter most for a Head of Corporate Communications?

Increasingly, Prompt Engineering & LLM Integration (for Comms) and Data Storytelling for Communications. These are the skills our record of this role lists as growing.

Free tools

Want a read on where you stand?

Three free tools, no account needed. Each one ends with a role, a level and a way in.

Read the Zavmo manifesto to understand how you will be taught Meet your tutors

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17Where to go from here

Other roles at Level 3

Same depth of qualification, different job. Useful if the work appeals but this particular role does not.

 More jobs in PR and communications

Stay in the field you know and move sideways rather than up.
If you leave this industry

Skills in corporate communications transfer well across industries. This can lead to a larger in-house team in a different sector such as finance or healthcare. It can also lead to a role at a specialist PR agency, or a move into broader marketing or public affairs. The ability to tell a clear story and manage reputation is useful in most sectors.

This role profile is © 2026 Growth Engineering Technologies Ltd. Built from UK occupational standards and regulated qualification data, and written for Zavmo.

You're not behind. You're right on time. The shift is only just beginning. Your role won't look the same in two years. Be the one who leads the change, not the one it happens to. Start my Head of Corporate Communications plan, free What happens next: a free account, then we build your plan as you set up. No card. Build your plan, see your roadmap and meet the twelve tutors matched to you. All free. When you're ready to start learning, it's £70 a month, billed monthly. Cancel any time and billing stops.