Senior Communications & Engagement Manager

We’re looking for a Senior Communications & Engagement Manager to join Kier Construction within our Clients & Markets business unit. Within this role, you can enjoy a company car/car allowance, pension matched up to 7.5%, 26 days holidays + bank holidays and even more.

Location: Solihull, Rushden or Cambridge (we’re flexible to be based at either of these sites)

Contract: Permanent – full time, flexible hours available

Responsibilities

As Senior Communications & Engagement Manager, you will be an expert at delivering internal and external communications, and happy to switch from setting strategy to delivery and implementation in line with the needs of the business.

An exceptional communicator in every sense, you’ll be confident at managing stakeholders at all levels and an outstanding writer with the ability to craft strong narratives and stories which allow us to meet and exceed our targets.

The role will focus specifically on internal and external communications (including media relations) for our Eastern & Midlands business and Clients & Markets function as well as supporting the Head of Comms & Marketing with providing advice to the four regional Communications Managers and providing a vital point of sign off for Construction communications. It’s a busy role but a rewarding one, and you’ll be able to juggle and prioritise a demanding workload.

Working closely with the Head of Communications and Marketing, Construction duties and responsibilities will include but not be limited to:

• Deploy a wide range of communications skills and knowledge to plan, deliver and measure successful campaigns and interventions with a particular focus on Eastern & Midlands and Clients & Markets. This will include complex and sensitive programmes, including media relations, high-profile campaigns, events, change projects, crisis communications and social media.
• Build relationships with national, trade, vertical and regional media and government/commercial client press offices to deliver on the Construction business stream’s strategic communications’ priorities.
• Use excellent writing and editing skills to plan and deliver all types of internal and external communications across a diverse range of channels and audiences.
• Work with senior leaders, sector experts, bidding and preconstruction teams to identify, prioritise and formulate required communications, public relations and public affairs campaigns and engagement to support work winning and project delivery.
• Assist in the development and implementation of the Group’s communications, awards and public affairs strategy.

Who are we looking for?

Applicants will be required to have the following skills and attributes:

• Extensive experience in communications and marketing, with a proven track record in working within a UK wide or international business.
• Have a proven track record in communications and PR business partnering with clear, demonstrable experience in the delivery of both internal and external communications.
• Good organisational skills and ability to project manage multiple initiatives simultaneously & work under pressure.
• Exceptional writing, facilitation and presentation skills, with the expertise to write high-quality, engaging copy for different channels and audiences.
• A strong strategic thinker who is able to operate at all levels of the organisation.
• Possess tact and sensitivity when working with confidential data and information
• Proven experience in dealing with and influencing business leaders, and confident at networking and building strong relationships with colleagues and stakeholders at all levels.

We’re all about finding potential here at Kier, and transferable skills are always welcome! So even if you don’t tick every box, please apply and we can have a chat. We want to hear from candidates from all backgrounds and experiences, and we especially encourage those from underrepresented communities to get in touch with us.

If you require any reasonable adjustments during any part of the application process, please get in touch at InclusiveRecruitment@kier.co.uk to discuss and arrange these.

Benefits at Kier

We’re proud to be able to offer our fantastic employees a wide variety of benefits that you can tailor to your needs. Some of our favourites include:

• new and enhanced family friendly policies, including eight weeks paternity leave, 26 weeks maternity leave, pregnancy loss leave, surrogacy leave, menopause guidance and more
• Company car/car allowance
• 26 days holidays per annum + bank holidays
• Pension matched up to 7.5%

And so much more! You can read the full details of all of our benefits on our website: www.kier.co.uk/careers/rewards-benefits

Who is Kier?

We’re made up of six business units, Group Functions, Construction, Highways, Infrastructure, Utilities and Property, and as a group, our purpose is to sustainably deliver construction and infrastructure services which are vital to the UK. Take a look at our sustainability objectives: https://www.kier.co.uk/sustainability/

At the core of all our projects is technical excellence, utilising the latest building methods and innovations to ensure we offer the best value to our clients as sustainably as possible.

Our projects are those that support the local communities we work in, helping them thrive and progress. We are collaborative, trusted and focussed in all that we do, and our people are essential in helping us achieve our goals.

Diversity and inclusion

Making Kier a diverse and inclusive place to work is a huge priority for us. We’re proud of the steps we’ve taken so far, but we know we must always do more. Our employees are key in shaping Kier’s diversity and inclusion (D&I) initiatives, and our people have made a huge impact on how we work, by using their experiences to shape our policies and initiatives.

You can see more about our D&I action plan here: https://www.kier.co.uk/media/6668/di-roadmap-2021.pdf