Head of Communications

Are you looking to lead strategic colleague communications?

You'll be the colleague communications business partner for our Clothing & Home, International, Tech & Digital Communications Support Centre colleagues (audience of c.3,500) and working closely with the Head of Retail Communications to ensure critical messaging from these teams lands across the entire business.

This role will be key to supporting the business transformation by strategically advising the co-CEO and Managing Directors on how best to engage colleagues and tell the story of how M&S is reshaping for growth.

• Working in partnership with the external communications team, build and implement a communications plan for the co-CEO so that she has a clear cadence and purpose to engaging with colleagues and owns the story on her business areas
• Ensure the co-CEO and Managing Directors have a clear colleague communications narrative for their business areas that supports the wider business transformation story and strategy
• For colleagues within the business units, to develop a clear understanding of the departmental strategy and plan and how it relates to the overall business strategy and purpose; using all available channels e.g. townhalls, digital channels and events
• For colleagues outside the business units, to develop a storytelling plan to bring to life the key elements of the strategy for all levels of the organisation from shopfloor to senior leadership team. Ensure the BU strategies are part of the wider narrative of the business with the content and proof points to support. Areas of focus will be (i) How we deliver exceptional product and a trusted brand in Clothing & Home (ii) How we are leading in omnichannel (iii) How we are building a compelling customer ecosystem and (iv) how we are growing our global reach
• Communicate company-wide news and initiatives e.g company results and key HR programmes and moments. Ensure key cultural programmes such as Straight to Stuart and Closer to Customers are embedded and utilised
• Line Manager to a Colleague Communications Officer to implement the plan
• Deputise as required for the Head of Colleague Communications

• Strong critical thinking and planning skills to develop and implement effective internal communication campaigns and programmes
• Ability to digest information quickly and meet tight timeframes across several projects
• Excellent written and verbal skills with the ability to convey complex information in a clear and concise manner
• Proven track record to think creatively and develop innovative content that speaks to, and gains traction with, target audiences
• Strong interpersonal and relationship-building building skills, who can work effectively with colleagues at all levels
• Knowledge of a variety of internal communications channels, ideally the Microsoft platforms including Teams and Yammer
• Strong analytical and data-driven decision making skills and able to measure the effectiveness of projects and make recommendations for improvement
• A passion for ‘the colleague voice’ and two-way communication
• Comfortable drawing on a matrix of support to deliver objectives

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M&S is ready to push boundaries to lead the retail industry into a greener, speedier, more inspiring digital era. That’s why we’re revolutionising how we work and offering our most exciting opportunities yet. There’s never been a better time to be part of our team. Marks & Spencer aims to be an inclusive organisation, trusted and admired by our colleagues, customers and suppliers. Join us and make an immediate impact.

We are committed to an active Inclusion, Diversity and Equal Opportunities Policy, which starts with our recruitment and selection process, and we are happy to talk flexible working.

If you consider yourself to require reasonable adjustments to any part of our recruitment process, we invite you to share those requirements with us when completing your application. We will make every effort to ensure your needs are met to provide a fair and transparent process of assessment.