Head Of External Communications

We are looking for a Head of External Communications with a passion for storytelling, an eye for a good story, and proven experience in reputation management and crisis communications.

As Head of External Communications, you will play a pivotal role in ensuring effective media relations across the group. This is a high-profile role within Capita, placing you at the heart of our strategic thinking.

We are seeking a self-motivated communications leader who can create compelling and accurate content while managing risk, cultivating media relationships, and supporting growth.

You will be adept at giving strategic briefings for C-suite stakeholders, challenging leadership, and will lead on all external communications across the group.

This is a remote role reporting to our Chief Communication and Corporate Affairs Officer with some travel to London.

What you will do:

Media Relations:

• Cultivate and maintain strong relationships with journalists and target media outlets
• Develop and execute media strategies to promote Capita's strategy and key messages
• Advise on media engagement and PR opportunities to support growth
• Advise and help manage our external communications agency
• Handle incoming media inquiries, interviews and briefings
• Produce press releases and thought leadership campaigns and support on communications for our financial reporting calendar
• Management of a 24-7 press office

Crisis Communication:

• Lead communication efforts during crises, ensuring timely, accurate, and transparent messaging
• Collaborate with internal teams to manage reputational risks effectively
• Prepare crisis communication plans and train key stakeholders

Reputation Management:

• Monitor and assess Capita's public perception and proactively create opportunities to address negative sentiment
• Develop and implement reputation-building communications initiatives
• Lead on all reactive media handling

Stakeholder Engagement:

• Work closely with investors, clients, and industry partners to enhance Capita's reputation
• Manage external agency on Media and PR activity

Content Strategy:

• Oversee external content creation, ensuring alignment with Capita's messaging
• Manage a small team delivering content for our social media channels and other external communication platforms.

What we are looking for:

• Experience working in Corporate Communications at leadership level
• Proven experience in media relations, crisis communication, or reputation management within a complex, high-profile organisation
• Proven experience in delivering integrated proactive communications campaigns
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Understanding of the UK political landscape
• Ability to navigate complex situations and maintain composure under pressure
• Familiarity with digital communication tools and social media platforms

What's in it for you?

• A competitive basic salary
• 23 days' holiday (rising to 27) with the opportunity to buy extra leave
• Home-based/remote working
• The opportunity to take a paid day out of the office, volunteering for our charity partners or a cause of your choice
• Company matched pension, life assurance, a cycle2work scheme, 15 weeks' fully paid maternity, adoption and shared parental leave, paternity pay of two weeks...and plenty more
• Voluntary benefits designed to suit your lifestyle - from discounts on retail and socialising, to health & wellbeing, travel and technology
• Access to our Employee Network Groups, which represent every strand of diversity and allow colleagues to connect and learn from each other on an open, inclusive platform
• Private health

You'll get the chance to follow your chosen career path anywhere in Capita. You'll be joining a network of experienced, innovative and dedicated individuals across multiple disciplines and sectors. There are countless opportunities to learn new skills and develop in your career, and we'll provide the support you need to do just that. Our purpose is to create a better outcome for you.

About Capita

Capita is a modern outsourcer, helping clients across the public and private sectors run complex business processes more efficiently, creating better consumer experiences. Operating across 8 countries, Capita's 41,000 colleagues support primarily UK and European clients with people-based services underpinned by market-leading technology. We play an integral role in society - our work matters to the lives of the millions of people who rely on us every day. 

What we hope you'll do next:

Choose 'Apply now' to fill out our short application, so that we can find out more about you.

Equal Opportunities

We're an equal opportunity employer, which means we'll consider all suitably qualified applicants regardless of gender identity or expression, ethnic origin, nationality, religion or beliefs, age, sexual orientation, disability status or any other protected characteristic. We recruit and develop our people based on merit and their passion for creating better outcomes, and we're committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. During the application process, you'll be asked to share your personal characteristics and data with us. This helps us understand our audience so we can make sure we are doing everything we can to attract a diverse range of people and ensure our recruitment processes are fair and inclusive.

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