Head of Internal Communications and Engagement - BBC Content

Internal Communications and Engagement (IC&E) sits at the centre of the BBC. It connects our workforce to each other, our culture, the BBC’s public purpose and mission, and the Executive Committee’s vision and strategy.

Reporting to the Director of IC&E and part of the IC&E leadership team, the role is responsible for developing and delivering our internal communications and engagement strategy for the BBC’s Content Division.

BBC Content is responsible for the BBC’s output across network radio and television*, as well as BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds. Recently brought together under the leadership of Chief Content Officer, Charlotte Moore, BBC Content teams across Television, Radio, BBC Sport and Children’s & Education commission, schedule, broadcast and produce the highest standard of content for audiences to enjoy. The division also includes four BBC orchestras and choirs, and the BBC Food and Bitesize brands.

You will play a key role in supporting senior stakeholders and team leaders across BBC Content to communicate change effectively, embed the new Content structure and promote collaboration – specifically encouraging career mobility and development. Upcoming change projects include rolling out hybrid working, BBC Children’s in-house production transferring to BBC Studios, BBC Three returning as a broadcast channel, and various team moves as a result of our Across the UK plans. Our new music studios at East Bank, Stratford are scheduled to complete in 2025.

You will be expected to develop a new and inspiring narrative and channel strategy for BBC Content with a focus on recognition and authentic, two-way communications that cut-through and raise the visibility of the Chief Content Officer and Senior Leadership Group, whilst closely aligning to the Group wide communications strategy and approach.

Through innovative comms techniques you’ll help us tell our creative story to colleagues in BBC Content and across the BBC.

• Radio 1, 1Xtra, Radio 2, Radio 3, Radio 4 and 4 Extra, 5 Live and 5 Live Sports Extra, 6 Music + BBC One, BBC Two, BBC Three, BBC Four, CBBC, CBeebies

• Lead, coach and develop a team of internal communications specialists in a way that supports their growth and brings out their best every day
• Demonstrate a solid knowledge of the BBC’s strategy, our Content strategy and our IC&E strategy – and how they’re connected - to help drive understanding across the business through the communications you create
• Support the leadership team in Content to build engagement and retention through inspirational communications drawing on a knowledge of our on-screen portfolio
• Support the Director of IC&E to develop, deliver and measure our IC&E strategy
• Bring the BBC’s strategic priorities to life for colleagues
• Be a trusted advisor to the Chief Content Officer and leadership team, giving thoughtful and timely advice to earn yourself and the wider team credibility across the division
• Demonstrate a strong ability to challenge and influence at all levels of the business in a positive and respectful way
• Be a collaborative and supportive member of the Internal Communications & Engagement leadership team, happy to muck in outside of your immediate role remit to drive the wider team’s success
• Be a great role model for our values and a pleasure to work with
• Be a champion for always putting our people’s experience first
• Actively build great relationships with key stakeholders across Content and the wider organisation to develop a strong understanding of our priorities, challenges and audiences
• Work with external comms and marketing o align activity and amplify key content moments across the BBC
• Coordinate the BBC Survey in your area, to deliver high rates of completion, engagement with the results and engaging leaders to act on the results
• Ensure your team deliver comms that are high on quality, accuracy, creativity and attention to detail
• Support the Director of IC&E to put together plans and execution for crisis comms
• Cultivate relationships and influence people at all levels
• Act as an ambassador for the BBC’s Values and behaviours
• Manage budgets as required

You must have experience with:

• Significant experience in leading internal communications in a highly complex and fast-paced organisation
• Brilliant people leadership: leading, coaching, inspiring teams
• Working in an organisation that’s often in the media spotlight
• Working under pressure and the ability to manage multiple high profile projects at any one time
• Executive board level stakeholder management
• Crisis comms and reputation management
• Leading on major change programmes
• Development and delivery of engagement campaigns
• Organising and curating engaging events / away-days for creative teams

You must be able to:

• Write (and speak) clearly, assuredly and concisely, no matter the audience
• Interpret, synthesise and summarise written information
• Have strong commercial and strategic intellect
• Manage a range of channels, including leadership events and cascades, all staff sessions, intranet, bulletins, regular comms and digital media.
• Create positive relationships with the team and with stakeholders
• Solve problems quickly and simply
• Multitask effectively and manage significant projects simultaneously
• Work effectively without supervision
• Be a good ambassador for BBC values and behaviours
• Apply creativity and external best practice to your work

We don’t focus simply on what we do – we also care how we do it. Our values and the way we behave are important to us. Please make sure you’ve read about our values and behaviours in the document attached below.

Diversity matters at the BBC. We have a working environment where we value and respect every individual’s unique contribution, enabling all of our employees to thrive and achieve their full potential.

We want to attract the broadest range of talented people to be part of the BBC – whether that’s to contribute to our programming or our wide range of non-production roles. The more diverse our workforce, the better able we are to respond to and reflect our audiences in all their diversity.

We are committed to equality of opportunity and welcome applications from individuals, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, socio-economic background, religion and/or belief. We will consider flexible working requests for all roles, unless operational requirements prevent otherwise.

To find out more about Diversity and Inclusion at the BBC, please click here

Band: F
Contract type: Permanent
Location: Salford (Media City) Birmingham (Mailbox) or London (Wogan House)

We’re happy to discuss flexible working. Please indicate your choice under the flexible working question in the application. There is no obligation to raise this at the application stage but if you wish to do so, you are welcome to. Flexible working will be part of the discussion at offer stage.

• Excellent career progression– the BBC offers great opportunities for employees to seek new challenges and work in different areas of the organisation.
• Unrivalled training and development opportunities – our in-house Academy hosts a wide range of internal and external courses and certification.
• Benefits- We offer a competitive salary package, a flexible 35-hour working week for work-life balance and 26 days (1 of which is a corporation day) with the option to buy an extra 5 days, a defined pension scheme and discounted dental, health care, gym and much more.

The situation regarding the coronavirus outbreak is developing quickly and the BBC is keen to continue to ensure the safety and wellbeing of people across the BBC, while continuing to protect our services. To reduce the risk access to BBC buildings is limited to those essential to our broadcast output. From Wednesday 18th March until further notice all assessments and interviews will be conducted remotely. For more information go to https://www.bbc.co.uk/careers/

Mae’r sefyllfa gyda’r coronafeirws yn datblygu’n gyflym, ac mae’r BBC yn awyddus i barhau i sicrhau diogelwch a lles pobl ar draws y BBC, gan barhau i warchod ein gwasanaethau hefyd. I leihau’r risg, dim ond y bobl sy’n hanfodol i’n hallbwn darlledu fydd yn cael mynediad i adeiladau’r BBC. O ddydd Mercher 18fed Mawrth ymlaen, bydd pob asesiad a chyfweliad yn cael ei gynnal o bell, nes rhoddir gwybod yn wahanol. I gael mwy o wybodaeth, ewch i https://www.bbc.co.uk/careers/