We're looking for a Senior Communications Manager to join our Corporate & Internal Communications team, leading the internal communications team and activity across Wickes and making sure colleagues stay informed, engaged and aligned to business priorities.
You'll work closely with the Director of Corporate & Internal Communications, and as part of the team, leading communication planning and delivery across key business initiatives, supporting corporate communications activity, and providing strategic communications counsel to senior stakeholders. You'll also help ensure communications are clear and coordinated across change programmes, and work with our employer brand and events teams to help deliver engaging colleague and brand experiences.
What you'll be doing:
- Leading Internal Communications: You'll lead the planning and delivery of internal communications across Wickes, keeping messaging clear, consistent and aligned to business priorities and colleague needs.
- Supporting Corporate Communications: Working with the Director of Corporate & Internal Communications on external and corporate communications activity, including leadership messaging, announcements and reputational communications.
- Building Stakeholder Relationships: Building and maintaining strong relationships with senior leaders, ensuring alignment of messaging and effective communication planning across the business.
- Driving Change Communications: Developing and delivering communications plans for business change programmes, ensuring colleagues are informed, engaged and supported through change.
- Partnering on Employer Brand & Events: Working closely with the employer brand and events teams to provide communications counsel, content development and messaging support for key colleague and brand initiatives.
- Creating Content: Producing high quality, engaging content across written, digital and visual formats, tailored to different audiences.
- Managing the Comms Calendar: Maintaining an integrated communications calendar so activity is coordinated, timely and aligned across the organisation.
- Leading the Team: Providing day to day leadership and coaching to an Internal Communications team, supporting them to prioritise workload and ensure high-quality delivery.
What we're looking for:
- To succeed in this role, you'll have significant experience in internal communications, with some exposure to corporate communications and executive messaging.
- You'll bring excellent stakeholder management skills and be confident in influencing senior leaders, along with strong planning and organisational skills in a fast-paced environment.
You'll also be:
- A strong writer, editor and storyteller
- Commercially aware, with a good understanding of business priorities
- Comfortable working both strategically and hands-on
- Experienced in supporting or managing team members within a communications function
- Ideally, someone with experience in retail, multi-site or customer-facing organisations, and exposure to employer brand or employee engagement campaigns
What Can we Offer you?
You’ll be supported with fantastic learning and development and have the opportunity to grow and develop your career with us. We also have an early careers network to support you if you’re in your first few years of your career.
We’ll also equip you with a benefits package that includes:
- Competitive bonus
- Save-as-you-earn scheme
- Private Medical and Life Assurance
- Enhanced contributory pension scheme
- Colleague discount
- Discount platform including savings and cash back at numerous retailers, savings on gym membership, cycle to work scheme
Our widely recognised wellbeing strategy is something we’re proud of at Wickes. As part of this, we offer a range of health and wellbeing benefits and support, including an Employee Assistance Programme, financial education & loans, and access to parental, menopause and fertility support.
By giving you the support you need to do well at work, and the flexibility to make life work for you. We are giving you a career that doesn’t put your life on hold. Where you can be yourself, do your best work, and make a positive difference every day.
About Us:
Wickes is a multi-channel retailer operating in the home improvement market. With 40 years in industry, Wickes now generates revenue in excess of £1.6Bn across 230 stores delivered by 8,000+ colleagues.
But it is the Wickes’ culture that is considered its best kept secret; it’s a collaborative, down to earth, fun and inclusive environment where people feel part of a winning team. All our colleagues come from different backgrounds, but what we all have in common is a determination to succeed and a passion for being the best we can be. If that sounds like you, we’ll make you feel right at home.
We aim to create an inclusive workplace with colleagues’ wellbeing at the heart of everything we do.
We’re a Disability Confident Employer and committed to building a diverse workforce that reflects the communities we serve. We welcome applications from disabled people and are committed to providing an accessible recruitment process and workplace for everyone. If you require any support or reasonable adjustments, please let us know here. 
