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External Affairs Manager

Employer
West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA)
Location
156 Great Charles Street
Salary
£46,333 - £52,148
Closing date
26 Jun 2022
Reference
WMCA00691

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Sector
Local Councils
Job Type
Communications / Marketing / PR, Management
Contract Type
Permanent
Working Pattern
Standard
Hours
Full-Time

Job Details

Midlands Connect is looking for an External Affairs Manager to join its established and busy team. This is a varied role that will allow the successful candidate to work on a multitude of different projects, run the organisation’s press office and engage with Government agencies and MPs.

Managing all aspects of media relations and working across multiple communication disciplines, you will support the Head of Communications in engaging with internal and external stakeholders, communicating Midlands Connects activities and policy positions through the drafting of reports, press releases, thought leadership articles, briefings and newsletters, as well as organising events and managing Midlands Connect’s presence on  social media channels.

You will be responsible for the day to day running of press output and deal with proactive and reactive media. Relationship building is a key part of this role and you will be expected to develop quality relationships with local, regional, national and trade media contacts. You will also oversee and manage relationships with external creative agencies, including graphic and web design, public affairs and video content producers.

What will you be doing?

  • Lead the external affairs team in the ongoing development, maintenance and editing of Midlands Connect publication materials
  • Develop and foster a regular dialogue and act as the primary point of contact for external affairs
  • Attend and support relevant internal and external meetings to give external affairs-related advice and act as a point of contact for media, in attendance at meetings
  • Ensure all external affairs activities adhere to Midlands Connects governance processes
  • Manage media mentions and contacts using the Midlands Connect Stakeholder Relationship Management system
  • Write and issue media releases, briefings and audio-visual content
  • Generate media statements
  • Act as spokesperson for the organisation either in the media or at stakeholder events
  • Implement and manage Midlands Connect PR crisis procedures alongside the Head of Communications and Public Relations
  • Develop the skills and support the long-term career aspirations of direct and indirect reports within the External Affairs team

Midlands Connect is the transport partner of the Midlands Engine, a coalition of Councils, Combined Authorities, Local Enterprise Partnerships, Universities, and businesses across the region, actively working with Government to add value for the whole of the Midlands and its communities. The team research, develop and recommend long-term transport projects which will provide the biggest possible economic, social and environmental benefits for the Midlands and the rest of the UK.

WMCA acts as the accountable body for the Midlands Connect partnership and is a core pillar of the Midlands Engine ‘Vision for Growth’. 

 

About you

Innovative, creative, ambitious and imaginative are a few words that would describe our ideal candidate.

Ideally you will be a driven and forward-thinking individual, with a strong focus on developing and maintaining quality relationships.

To be successful in this role you will need experience of working with a wide range of media types and an understanding of wider communication practices.

You will be a strong influencer who has great communication and interpersonal skills who is able to create engaging content.

Being able to work to tight deadlines and having strong organisation skills is key for this role.

A communications/journalism degree and good analytical and problem-solving skills would be desirable for this role.

About us

WMCA is committed to a better connected, more prosperous, fairer, greener and healthier region. This is our vision. We will achieve our vision through living our values which are central to how we work and interact with our wider partners and stakeholders.

We’re a partnership organisation. Our people feel valued and respected, have a can-do attitude and are innovators. We try new ways of doing things, we aren’t afraid to fail, learn from what went wrong and try again. Our people are empowered to be creative and explore and innovate.

We are a “Leaders in Diversity” accredited organisation, are in the Inclusive Top 50 Employers List and are one of The Times Top 50 Employers for Women. As a Disability Confident Employer, we have made a positive commitment to interviewing all applicants with a disability who meet the essential role criteria. We are committed to building a team of people with varied backgrounds and experiences as we recognise that this will only benefit us as an employer, the more inclusive we are the better our work will be.

As an organisation, we will continue to adapt and develop to the opportunities and challenges ahead. We will continue to transform ourselves and our organisation into the best we can be, underpinned by our values and behaviours and everyone contributes towards achieving our vision.

Furthermore, wherever possible we will offer flexible working options which assist work-life balance. We are very happy to discuss a flexible working pattern that suits your needs, so please do not let that be a barrier to applying. If your values align with ours and you’re committed to working towards creating a future we can all be proud of, we want to hear from you.

About your application

If you would like to discuss alternative methods to the online application as a reasonable adjustment please contact the Resourcing Team by email (careers@wmca.org.uk).

Location

156 Great Charles Street, Queensway, Birmingham, B3 3HN. Hybrid working conditions are currently in place which means working remotely and coming to the office when required.

Supporting documents
Job Profile - External Affairs Manager.docx

Company

From Monday 11th December 2023 an exciting change happened for us as an organisation - we have implemented a new system which will improve your candidate experience! To access your candidate portal for our new system, head to https://wmca.wm-jobs.co.uk/members/

If you already had an application in progress with us before the new year, don’t worry, this will continue as it normally would and there will be no impact on your application or the process. More information on our new and improved system can be found on the WMJobs help pages

West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) was set up in 2016. We're made up of 18 local councils and 3 local enterprise partnerships (LEPs). Our goal is to make the West Midlands a happy, healthy, place to live. We do this by:

  • making it easier and safer to travel in and around the region
  • using derelict land to build homes
  • protecting our green spaces
  • making sure young people have the education and employment opportunities to make a great start in life
  • working together to support our communities and build a fairer, healthier and more inclusive West Midlands
  • tackling climate change 

Our role in the West Midlands has never been more important and in these extraordinary times we’ve shown we can step forward, speak up for our region and bring people together. Everything we do is focused on making life better for people in the West Midlands – that’s our reason for being here and it drives every move we make. We lead and support others to deliver our shared future vision for the region – a happier, healthier, better connected place to live and work.

We fully believe that we are only as great as the people who work for us and are committed to providing a positive, healthy and inclusive working environment where our people feel valued and respected. We’re ambitious, forward thinking and determined to find better ways of working, always leading the way in what we do. We trust and support each other to get the job done, and encourage creativity, originality and curiosity from those who work with us.

We’re committed to creating an accessible and diverse workplace, one that nurtures an inclusive environment where our people can be themselves. We are a “Leaders in Diversity” accredited organisation, are in the Inclusive Top 50 Employers List and are one of The Times Top 50 Employers for Women. 

If your values align with ours and you’re committed to working towards creating a future we can all be proud of, we want to hear from you.

Company info
Website
Telephone
0121 200 2787
Location
16 Summer Lane
Birmingham
West Midlands
B19 3SD
United Kingdom

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