Are you a highly motivated and dedicated Communications professional looking for a role where your skills can make a real difference? The Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth is seeking a Communications Manager to lead its communications function and ensure effective, engaging, and mission-focused messaging across our Diocese. About the Diocese The Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth comprises 88 parishes, including the Channel Islands, Rooted in the teachings of the Roman Catholic Faith, our mission is to bring people closer to Jesus Christ through His Church and to highlight the inspiring work of our parish communities in sharing the Gospel and building God’s Kingdom. We have recently launched our Ten-Year Mission Plan You Will be My Witnesses which will shape the diocese over the next decade. Job Purpose The Communications Manager is responsible for developing and implementing effective professional internal and external communications strategies for the Diocese to support the Diocesan Bishop and senior leaders as part of the Mission of the Church. This includes representing the Catholic church teaching positively, optimising multi-channel communications to reach a wide constituency, supporting key departments, managing media relations, and leading on crisis communication planning and response. Providing high quality written management reports about the communications function using key performance indicators is part of the postholders responsibility. The role ensures consistency and professionalism in all communications, promoting the Diocesan vision of bringing people closer to Jesus Christ through His Church. The Postholder will work closely with the Chief Operating Officer and the Diocesan Bishop to support the delivery of the Diocesan 10-year Mission Plan “ You will be My Witnesses ” and to provide an excellent operational day to day communications function. Please note there is a travel requirement, you must be able to travel across the Diocese, including the Channel Islands. Hybrid/Flexible Working by agreement with the Line Manager. Core hours in office to be confirmed on appointment. Some out-of-office hours may be required on an ad hoc basis. Key Internal and External Relationships Bishop of Portsmouth Chief Operating Officer Bishop’s Office Clergy, Directors, and Senior Officers of the Diocesan Curia Fundraising Manager Catholic Schools and Academies office Parish Priests and Administrators Committee Chairs (e.g., Bamenda and Caritas) Catholic Media Local Media Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales Communications Main Duties and Responsibilities Communications Strategy Design, develop, and implement the Diocese’s Communications Strategy which is fully aligned with the Diocese ten-year Mission plan. Research and identify appropriate methods and channels including secular and religious media to raise the Diocese’s profile and in turn that of the Catholic church. Collaborate with partners, such as the Bishops Conference of England and Wales to help shape and influence public policy aligned with Diocesan objectives. External Communications Proactively identify opportunities for promoting positive news about the work of the diocese and enabling the Diocesan Bishop to contribute to thought leadership and public debate on relevant policies. Drafting material appropriate for publication. Arranging video to support key diocesan publications such as Bishops Pastoral Letters. Build and develop the Diocese’s links with press and media to support strategic objectives. Act as the point of contact for sensitive news, advising the Bishop and senior staff about handling. Act as the Diocesan spokesperson when required, providing a positive and supportive representation of the Catholic Church and the Diocese. Develop and implement a Crisis Communications Plan, crafting media statements and briefing senior colleagues on media lines to take. Organise media training for senior clergy and lay leaders as required. Work with Bishops Office to deliver the weekly E-News, being responsible for editorial control and compliance with relevant regulations, e.g. copyright law Work with parishes to support our stewardship journey, including developing compelling good news stories about the work of the Catholic Church. Internal Communications Work closely with HR to Oversee and improve the management of internal communications to foster transparency and engagement. Take overall responsibility for organising monthly team briefings for the department of Administration and for other ad hoc events involving parish employee’s clergy and volunteers. Manage communication channels such as the intranet, regular newsletters, and staff briefings to ensure alignment with Diocesan values and goals. Work with Bishops office on key publications such as the annual directory. Website and Digital Presence Oversee the ongoing improvements in the functionality of the Diocesan website, ensuring it is engaging, user-friendly, up to date and supports the Bishop’s vision. Introduce interactive and video content to enhance user experience. Support parishes in developing and maintaining their local websites. Support to Key Departments Collaborate with key departments to design and implement tailored communication strategies. For example, Safeguarding. Provide tools, templates, and guidance to ensure consistent and effective messaging across departments. Act as ‘brand champion’, developing, overseeing and implementing brand guidelines to professionalise and standardise all external communications output, whether it emanates from within or outside the Communications department. Build and maintain strong positive working relationships across the DSAS and wider Diocese to support the successful delivery of the communications strategy'. Meeting Attendance and Reporting Attend meetings of the Finance Audit and Risk Committee and any other meetings required, to provide briefings, regular written reports and seek approvals as needed from the Board of Trustees about Communication related matters. Support the work of Multidisciplinary meetings that may be called form time to time to deal with extraordinary events. Attend in person meetings in parishes across the Diocese where sensitive matters indicate that an in-person meeting is preferable. Professional approach to Online meetings. Team Management Provide leadership, direction, and line management to the Communications team, ensuring objectives are met. Conduct regular one-to-one meetings and annual performance appraisals. Promote collaborative working within the team and across the Diocese. Monitor and evaluate team performance against individual and collective objectives. Ad Hoc Duties Carry out additional duties as requested by the Bishop, senior clergy, or the Chief Operating Officer. Values Maintain the ethos and values of the Catholic Church, positively promoting its teachings and activities. Role model the Diocese’s core values of integrity, dignity, excellence, accountability, and stewardship. Person Specification Competence, Expertise and Knowledge Essential Bachelor’s degree in journalism, strategic communications, or equivalent. Minimum 5 years’ experience in communications at a senior level, ideally in a mission-focused, charity or public sector organisation. Demonstrate excellent levels of written and verbal communication, with the ability explain complicated issues fluently and persuasively. Capable of Analysing complex situations and provide advice to senior managers. Contributing to resolving the problem with the ability to anticipate and resolve problems before they arise. Demonstrable experience developing, managing and motivating teams/individuals to ensure success. Proven experience in developing and implementing communication strategies. Comprehensive understanding of the modern media landscape. Experience in crisis communication planning and response. Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office and CRM platforms. Numerate and Excellent writing and presentation skills. Understanding of relevant legislation including data protection and copyright. Knowledge of and commitment to the teachings of the Catholic Church, and a positive approach to work. Experience in budget management. Clean Driving Licence and own transport. Desirable Membership of relevant professional bodies such as Chartered Institute of Public Relations, Chartered Institute of Journalists. Experience in working with and managing volunteers. Experience in Charity sector communications. Want to find out more? Please refer to the attached Applicant Briefing Pack - Communications Manager for more information and contact details, if you would like to have an informal discussion regarding this role with the Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth's Chief Operating Officer.