• Innovating how we use our expert voice confidently as independent regulator shaping outcomes through influencing behaviour and growing confidence in in the Commission and the sector it regulates.
• Ownership of the Commission’s narrative, ensuring it supports the Commission’s strategy, remains relevant and impactful, and is consistently delivered to external audiences. Ensuring high quality speechwriting support for the Chair and Chief Executive, through the effective leadership of other experts and sometimes playing a hands-on personal role.
• Ensuring strong internal relationships are built at senior levels and engaging actively with regulatory and other colleagues to ensure collaborative approaches are agreed and reputational issues are fully considered, amplifying the Commission’s overall impact. This will involve considerable, complex negotiation and influencing skills, to effectively bridge divergent and conflicting views. Outlining, developing and coordinating engagement with key stakeholders, playing a substantive personal role, influencing at senior level.
• Acting as an influential and credible senior spokesperson for the Commission, with the media (both in print and on broadcast interviews), and with senior stakeholders (up to CEO level with charities and sector bodies, and to MP and MS, senior government official and sometimes Ministerial level).
• Overseeing expertise within the team to develop external positions, targeting priority outlets and journalists, and proactively creating, shaping and placing media stories, articles and interviews which help support the achievement of our strategy and position the Commission as a fair, balanced and independent regulator. Ensuring media activity effectively supports Commission campaigns, events, digital services and policy reports, and that the press office anticipates and plans effectively for key events and cases and is robust and proactive.
• Ensuring a strategic approach to engaging with Parliament and the Senedd and advising the Board, CEO, Executive and senior staff across the Commission on all matters relating to Parliamentary affairs, ensuring we are listening and engaging, that our role is understood and our influence maximised. Ensure relevant team members have processes in place to meet deadlines for PQs, correspondence, ministerial briefings and monitoring Parliamentary events and that our approach is continuously improved.
• Supporting the Commission’s witnesses at Parliamentary Committees with strategic advice and ensuring timely and high quality written submissions are made to relevant Committees in line with the organisation’s narrative.
• Being accountable for ensuring that stakeholder relationships across England and Wales are actively managed across the Commission, to build stronger connections and extend our influence and insight.
• Overseeing our visits and events to ensure they are well managed, effective and impactful. This includes our flagship Annual Public Meeting.
• Ensuring a collaborative and innovative approach, working closely with colleagues responsible for our campaigns and our digital channels to deliver greater impact across all our communications.
• Ensuring the team operates effectively with an ambitious, insight-led and targeted approach, and a strong approach to planning, evaluation and professional development in line with Government Communications Service best practice.

Person specification

Essential Criteria

Ability:

• Ability to explain complex information, in a variety of media, including excellent written and oral communications skills. Able to write and shape copy to capture the appropriate tone and voice.
• A demonstrable ability to work flexibly and effectively under pressure, managing teams to meet multiple targets and deadlines.

Experience:

• Proven track record of successful leadership and direct management and development of expert staff with demonstrable experience of building a high performing team with a culture of continuous improvement.
• Excellent influencing and negotiating skills and the proven ability to build trust quickly; particularly building effective personal relationships with Board, senior staff across the Commission and with key external stakeholders.
• Experience of working with Parliament and the media and a strong professional network.
• Experience of using a range of communications techniques and vehicles to achieve positive, impactful outcomes.
• Experience of acting as a press and broadcast media spokesperson and effectively supporting and briefing other spokespeople.

Technical:

• Demonstrate clear understanding of the Charity Commission’s role and strategy and the current strategic and policy context.
• Strong understanding of current practice and trends in print, online and broadcast journalism and of successful techniques to create media coverage.
• Strong understanding of Parliament and stakeholder engagement approaches. The post holder will need to be particularly politically astute with an excellent understanding of the external operating environment.
• Good understanding of effective tools and techniques for planning, evaluating and innovating communications activities.
• Good understanding of how to leverage in person or online events, and digital and social media, to achieve wider impact for an organisation.

Behaviours:

• We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
  • Making Effective Decisions
  • Communicating and Influencing
  • Delivering at Pace