Communications Manager (Hereford)

Job content

Balfour Beatty has an exciting opportunity for a Communications Manager to join our Living Places business unit to work in Hereford.

Role purpose

• Enhance and protect the reputation of Herefordshire Public Realm Contract project through the delivery of an effective communications and engagement strategy;
• Build and maintain mutually beneficial relationships with key stakeholders and have respect to act as an trusted adviser on communications matters
• Embed a ‘customer-focused’ approach and support delivery of Service

As a Communications Manager, your main responsibilities will be as follows:-

• Manage delivery of project communications and engagement strategies, ensuring appropriate and timely information is provided to all stakeholders designed to educate, inform and engage;
• Attend internal project update meetings and represent at external meetings to ensure effective communications and engagement;
• Collaborate with Management team, project managers and client stakeholders to establish and implement communication and engagement plans for campaigns, themes and specific projects;
• Coordinate resource to undertaken communications attend at community relations events;
• Put effective processes in place to manage Communications of the Service and individual projects and maintain written records;
• Develop and maintain an effective site visit programme, identifying opportunities to showcase expertise, raise profiles and build trust with all stakeholders and the local community;
• Support the delivery of industry wide initiatives such as UKCG Open Doors, National Apprenticeship Week and Armed Forces Day;
• Work closely with UK Communications team to align messaging outputs effectively, manage media activity, talk positively about project successes and ensure protection of the Balfour Beatty brand;
• Identify potential risks and issues and mitigate through proactive and reactive communication;
• Support delivery of employee engagement activities to reinforce corporate messages, operational process changes and safety focussed initiatives to drive delivery of project KPI’s;
• Implement internal training & awareness and being the advocate of the the benefits of excellent communication at all times - improving the culture of positive communications across the business;
• Undertake line management responsibilities.

The following qualities and experience are essential:

• Extensive experience in marketing, public relations, communications or a related field;
• Excellent communication, written and interpersonal skills;
• Self starter with the ability to manage conflicting deadlines;
• Strong community relations and stakeholder management experience;
• Team player with ability to influence and negotiate;
• Strong analysis and problem solving skills;
• Good understanding of the media;
• Ability to manage, engage and develop direct reports;
• Experience of delivering informative and engaging presentations to different audiences;
• Continually searches for ways to add value and take performance to the next level;
• Proactively builds knowledge through sharing ideas and expertise with others;
• A clean driving licence and willingness to travel;
• Computer literate and proficient in Microsoft Office.

The following qualities and experience are desirable:

• Experience of working on construction/civil engineering infrastructure projects;
• Member of CIPR and relevant qualification;
• Valid CSCS card;
• Good understanding of the political and regulatory environment in construction.

Why work for us

Day in, day out, our teams deliver amazing projects in challenging conditions; developing, managing and maintaining the vital infrastructure and public spaces that modern economies, societies and communities rely on.

About us

The way we live our lives is changing fast: where and how we live, work, travel, shop, relax and socialise. The evolving nature of our society means we all need to shape our environment to meet a complex array of individual and collective needs.

Living Places works in partnership with Local Authorities to consult, finance, design, build and manage the essential place infrastructure that local communities and national economies need to prosper and grow.

We are right at the heart of a dynamic ‘place shaping’ agenda that brings Local Authorities, local communities, Central Government, and the Private Sector together to create safe, sustainable, flexible and dynamic public spaces geared to community social need, economic growth and personal well-being as well as being environmentally sustainable.

The provision of maintenance services for highways is only a small part of what is really needed. Our focus has moved beyond the ‘road’ to deliver the potential of the ‘street’: a dynamic public place that connects and combines local community and business needs, encourages social interaction and helps pedestrians, motorists, bus riders, and cyclists to coexist safely. Building great public spaces with resource efficient assets enables functional, flexible and inspirational places to be at the heart of the community.

At Balfour Beatty we are committed to creating a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture where everyone can be themselves and reach their full potential, not only because this is the right thing to do, but because it makes us a better business. To ensure we deliver on this commitment, we have a UK Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan which sets out the wide range of targeted, proactive, measurable steps we are taking to make this a reality. You can read our UK Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan in full at www.balfourbeatty.com/value_everyone

To help and support us with our desired commitment to create an inclusive culture we are members of WISE, enei, Business Disability Forum and Women into Construction. In 2020, we signed the Audeliss and Involve Open Letter to demonstrate our commitment to taking key long term and sustainable actions on Black Inclusion. Balfour Beatty is also a Gold Award holder in the Ministry of Defence ’Employer Recognition Scheme’ and actively encourage applications from Armed Forces personnel, veterans and reservists.

As a Disability Confident Employer, we are committed to working with people who have disabilities and long-term health conditions to remove barriers for them in obtaining employment. We are also committed to offering applicants with a disability an interview if they meet the minimum requirements for the role.

Further information on Disability Confident can be found at: https://disabilityconfident.campaign.gov.uk/