Hours:

The role of Corporate Communications Specialist is a permanent position working 35 hours per week. Skipton values work/life balance and our hybrid working policy means the ability to work remotely with the expectation that you would work from our Head Office in Skipton 2 days per week.

Salary:

£40,000 Per Annum

Closing Date:

Thu, 22 Aug 2024

Salary between £34,000 - £40,000 dependent on experience.

Introduction

Are you looking for your next in-house role in public relations or corporate communications? Because we might be looking for you.

We’re searching for an experienced communicator to join our multi award-winning Corporate Communications team. We need someone with experience of formulating creative tactical communications programmes; someone who’s a great communicator, who’s used to dealing with the national media; and someone who can stay calm and respond well under pressure.

Skipton has a vacancy for a Corporate Communications Specialist to join our small but mighty in-house team. You’ll be responsible for creating and delivering communications for our homes and money businesses, protecting and enhancing Skipton’s 171-year-old reputation.  Reporting into the Head of Corporate Communications, and working alongside our national strategic PR agency, you’ll develop, implement, and drive forward Skipton’s external communications.

If you have previously worked in public relations or communications roles, are a confident communicator, and have the ability to think creatively, then we’d love to hear from you.

Who Are We?

Established in 1853, Skipton Group is built on two core foundations: Homes and Money. With over 1million members, and 1,200 branches, we offer accessible financial advice, mortgages and support for savers.

We are home to the UK’s largest estate agency, which helps over one in ten individuals buy and sell their homes. That gives us unique real time insight into the UK residential market, which we use to help people into homes, help policymakers make better decisions, and help society address the needs of the hardest hit.

Our purpose

With member-ownership in our DNA, we’re driven by the desire to make every experience better, whether it’s looking for a home to rent, finding a mortgage to buy a home or understanding the way an unexpected inheritance can unlock new horizons for life ahead. With every step we take, we want to deliver value for our members alongside value for wider society, so that an investment with Skipton means a better society for all.

Our group structure

The Skipton Group is made up of Skipton Building Society; Connells Group, the largest UK estate agency and property services provider; offshore finance capability through Skipton International; Skipton Business Finance; and Jade Software Corporation.

Our colleagues say Skipton's a great place to work, and you could be one of them, bringing with you new ideas on how we can keep customers at the heart of what we do.

You’ll be joining the multi award-winning Corporate Communications team. The five-strong team handle all the Society’s media relations, corporate announcements, creative consumer campaigns, issues and crisis management, as well as coordinating wider Skipton Group communications. The team won a national CIPR 2024 Mark of Excellence Award for Best In-House PR Team of the Year. And at the 2023 CIPR Pride Awards they scooped the Corporate and Business Campaign of the year.

What’s In It For You?

The role of Corporate Communications Specialist is a permanent contract based on 35 hours per week, Monday to Friday.

Skipton values work/life balance and our hybrid working policy means the ability to work remotely with the expectation that you would work from our Head Office in Skipton 2 days a week as a minimum. We have a newly refurbished head office which offers a vibrant and collaborative working space.

We have a range of other benefits available to you including:

• 25 days standard annual leave + bank holidays + rising 1 day per year of service to a maximum of 30 days.
• Holiday trading scheme allowing the ability to buy and sell additional annual leave days.
• Matching employer pension contribution (up to 10% per annum).
• Colleague mortgage and savings accounts, as well as a host of colleague discount schemes
• A commitment to training and development.
• Private medical insurance for all our colleagues.
• Salary Sacrifice Scheme for hybrid/electric car.
• 3 paid volunteering days per year.
• Diverse and inclusive colleague networks available for you to join including our Carers and Pride Alliance groups.
• We care about your health and wellbeing – we provide a range of benefits that support this including cycle to work initiative and discounted gym membership.

What Will You Be Doing?

• Creating and delivering proactive and reactive homes and money communications that support corporate plan objectives.
• Planning and delivery of proactive ideas that are created through identifying opportunities across Skipton and linking into seasonal events and topical news; providing Skipton with an always-on media approach.
• Ensuring high quality outputs: briefing spokespeople for interview, producing statements, press releases, social media content and opinion pieces, activity evaluation and agency briefings - always ensuring messaging and objectives are clear and consistent.
• Continuous contribution to the reputational management of Skipton through issues and crisis communications preparedness.
• Contributing creative and proactive ideas as well as anticipating and planning reactive communications.
• Effective oversight of external agency campaigns, ensuring they deliver against agreed objectives and budgets.

What Do We Need From You?

• Knowledge of and interest in the UK financial services marketplace and principles of corporate communications, including media relations, digital content creation, stakeholder engagement and issues/crisis management.
• Knowledge of the media including media monitoring, reporting and standard press office system.
• Strong written and verbal communication - with the ability to listen, negotiate and influence stakeholders at all levels.

• Ability to create and deliver communications across multiple-channels.
• Ability to stay calm and focused under pressure.
• Good reputational judgement and news sense.
• Creative thinking.
• Educated to degree level in public relations, journalism or a relevant communications field or attainment of an industry standard.