Job title: External Communications Specialist
Ref: 38911
Division: Strategy & External Affairs
Location: Reading - Kemble Court - RG2 6AD
Contract type: Permanent
Full/Part-time: Full-time
Salary: Offering from £45,000 - £55,000 per annum depending on experience
Job grade: B
Closing date: 01/11/2024
We have high-priority, high-profile requirements for External Communications Specialists who will play a critical role at the forefront of ensuring all aspects of external communications are delivered to a high standard during and after incidents. It is also a key role in promoting the coordination of aftercare services and follow-up communications post incidents.
You will work and collaborate with a range of teams across our Water, Waste & Bio, Renewal & Logistics, and Operations Service & Control Centre functions to ensure customers are communicated with during and after any disruption.
What you’ll be doing as an External Communications Specialist:
1. Identification of real-time external communication needs: Understand and assess the external communication requirements arising from emerging and real-time issues.
2. Customer Communication Delivery: Write and deliver consistent external customer communications content to a high standard.
3. Non-Household Communications: Ensure NAV and NHH locations are engaged and kept informed during real-time issues.
4. Information management: Maintain a storyboard for all incidents and ensure an accessible repository is held and maintained.
5. Incident Leadership: Lead and coordinate stakeholder and press office resource, acting as Public Information Office Control Tower during daytime working hours (0600-2200).
6. Aftercare: Lead and coordinate Aftercare Cell, ensuring customer resolution of issues post-incident.
7. Continuous Improvement: Develop improvements to real-time external communications processes.
8. Professional Standards & Development: Closely integrate as part of pan-TW professional communications community, actively working to ensure real-time external communications are aligned to required standards, and driving continuous personal development.
Base Location: Kemble Court, Reading.
Working Pattern: Full Time/36 Hours on a 16-week rotating shift pattern (early/late) Monday – Sunday (06:00 – 14:45 / 13:15 – 22:00)
What you should bring to the role:
Essential to the role:
* Experience of working in external communications at a fast-moving, highly technical organisation.
* Can demonstrate an ability to take complex information from multiple sources and turn it into easily understandable language.
* A customer-first approach to communication.
* Confident in working with senior internal and external stakeholders.
* Skilled in leading a team during a high-pressured environment.
* Ability to write clearly and concisely.
* Sound judgement on when to send external communications.
* Worked in Crisis Communications.
* An understanding of the water industry.
* Knowledge of both national and local government.
* An interest in current affairs and understanding of how the news media operates.
What’s in it for you?
* Competitive salary from £45,000 to £55,000 per annum depending on experience.
* Annual Leave - 26 days holiday per year increasing to 30 with the length of service (Plus bank holidays).
* Contributory pension – Defined Contribution - Maximum of 12% -2x employee contribution.
* Personal Medical Assessments – Open to all once a year.
* Wider benefits scheme including our benefits hub, which is packed full of offers and information to save you money and support your wellbeing.
Who are we?
At Thames Water, our purpose is crystal clear - to deliver life’s essential service so our customers, communities and planet can thrive.
Water is life’s great leveller. Every living thing needs it, every single day. From people to plants, birds to bees, farms to factories, we all need it to thrive, and we’re committed to taking care of it for us all.
But keeping water flowing is becoming harder. From scorching summers to wetter winters, extreme weather affects everything from our pipes to our local rivers. We need to keep millions more kettles boiling, public services operating, washing machines spinning, showers running and more, so every drop is more precious than ever. Are you ready to play your part?
Working at Thames Water
At Thames Water we recognise that people are at the heart of our business. To help us succeed in providing life's essential service, we need a range of skills and capabilities, representative of society throughout our business.
We seek to attract and retain a cultural mix of people who can offer different but complementary attitudes, values, talents, and knowledge. We understand the importance of appreciating and harnessing the unique skills, experiences, background, and differences that each individual brings.
Our over-arching diversity and inclusion aim is to ensure Thames Water is a diverse and inclusive great place to work. We encourage applications from everyone and offer extra support for those who need it throughout the recruitment process.
When a crisis happens, we all rally around to support our customers. As part of Team Thames, you’ll have the opportunity to sign up to support our customers on the frontline as an ambassador. Full training will be given for what is undoubtedly an incredibly rewarding experience. It’s also a great opportunity to learn more about our business, meet colleagues and earn some extra money along the way.
Disclaimer: due to the high volume of applications we receive, we may close the advert earlier than the advertised date, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.
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