Head of Public Relations

Royal British Legion

Hours
35 hours per week

Salary
£65,614 - £70,711 per year

About the Organisation

Royal British Legion (RBL) is the UK's largest Armed Forces charity, providing lifelong support to serving and ex-service personnel and their families, including expert advice, recovery services, and assistance transitioning to civilian life. Established in 1921 by amalgamating four ex-servicemen's organisations, the RBL champions the interests of the Armed Forces community through advocacy and the annual Poppy Appeal to fund its vital work.

About the role

The Head of Public Relations role exists to enhance and protect the reputation of the Royal British Legion by providing strategic leadership on positioning the charity for external audiences through earned media. The role provides strategic and tactical advice and guidance on public perception of the organisation’s activities; influences decision-making to mitigate reputational risk in external communications, and provides crisis communications management.

The role holder will promote the work of the charity proactively through earned media in line with marketing and communications and wider organisational objectives, develop and deliver strategic PR objectives, and execute integrated campaigns to ensure that RBL maintains a year-round profile.

Responsibilities

Communications Strategy and Campaigns:

• Lead the delivery of RBL’s public relations, earned media campaigns, and publicity efforts.
• Build strategies for promoting the RBL, maximising communications opportunities, and ensuring consistency in overall messaging.
• Develop and deliver PR strategy in line with marketing and communications and organisational objectives, establish clear strategic goals for the PR department, and ensure results are measured and deliver actionable insights.
• Prioritise opportunities that will meet the requirements of the overall marketing and communications strategy, create maximum impact, and reach our target audiences.
• Effectively communicate the PR strategy and plan to key and senior stakeholders across the organisation and ensure they are regularly updated. Provide advice to the Senior Leadership
• Team on external communications strategy, and issues that may impact the charity’s reputation.
• Maintain a working knowledge of activity and policies across the whole organisation to develop positioning statements, messaging, and lines to take, and a deep understanding and knowledge of external factors, including current affairs, the news agenda, and industry trends.

Press Office Management:

• Design and manage media facilities at large-scale events and campaign launches.
• Lead crisis communications on behalf of the organisation, develop and maintain the crisis communications plan, and ensure PR team readiness. The role contributes to the organisation’s
• incident management group and liaises with legal counsel as necessary.
• Manage external suppliers across all PR requirements, from media monitoring to creative
• agencies. Lead on the procurement of suppliers, contract agreements, and supervision of their work.
• Provide an out-of-hours on-call service for journalist enquiries on behalf of the organisation, make decisions on appropriate responses, and inform or engage the duty director and senior leadership team as necessary.
• Use analytics and reporting tools to measure and evaluate the effectiveness of RBL’s earned activity and provide insights for the development of future strategy and campaigns.

Stakeholder Relations:

• Maintain valuable, professional relationships with senior news and communications executives to facilitate advantageous placement of RBL editorial on a routine basis in national and regional media. Influence and negotiate with journalists at all levels to ensure accurate and fair reporting of Legion activities.
• Work creatively with a range of stakeholders to promote the work of the charity, ensure the continued development of RBL case studies, and manage press opportunities with the Royal
• Household, celebrity, and third-party advocate engagement.
• Build productive relations with counterparts and key stakeholders at partner organisations, Government departments, other charities, corporate partners, and suppliers.

Budget Management:

• Manage the PR budget and lead PR planning over the annual budget cycle, demonstrating cost effectiveness, targets, and KPIs with projected costs, resources, and timing implications.
• Identify and manage shortfalls in resources, provide long-term budget forecasting, and motivate the PR team to make optimal use of the organisational financial and physical resources when making decisions.

People Management:

• Coach and mentor members of the PR team in communications expertise, management skills, and the RBL’s values.
• Create a sense of purpose, assist team members in realising their potential through continued career development, and identify relevant training opportunities.
• Manage performance issues and hold the team accountable for the delivery of strategic aims and objectives.

Skills, Competencies & Experience

Knowledge & Experience:

• Experience in creating and implementing communications strategies within a national organisation
• Significant knowledge, conceptual understanding, and proven experience in delivering PR strategies
• Demonstrable experience in a fast-moving press office for a large, diverse organisation
• In-depth knowledge of the UK’s media landscape, communications principles and techniques, and industry trends
• Demonstrable leadership experience of line managing staff within a complex organisation
• Significant experience in communication – written and verbal – and the ability to write targeted copy 
• Experience in commissioning and managing suppliers
• Demonstrable experience of managing media at large-scale events
• Demonstrable experience of senior-level stakeholder management and representing a national organisation
• Significant experience in managing direct reports, suppliers, and working within budgets in excess of £500k
• Sound judgement, and the experience, resilience, and confidence to earn the respect of the organisation’s senior leadership
• Experience in crisis communications and issues management
• Experience in creating and implementing communications strategies within a national organisation

Skills & Attributes:

• Effective interpersonal skills are able to engage effectively with a range of audiences
• Strong team player and leader, able to work effectively with diverse groups
• Excellent analytical skills
• Sound judgement
• Strong IT skills, competent user of MS Office
• Excellent attention to detail
• Able to lead by example when faced with ambiguity, complexity, and uncertainty 
• Ability to negotiate at a senior level and use persuasive skills to influence journalists and stakeholders
• The skills to set clear roles and responsibilities, delegate authority and accountability appropriately, and empower others to deliver on objectives.

Required Qualifications

• Degree level qualification or equivalent practical experience. A recognised qualification in communications, public relations, marketing, or journalism

Compensation & Benefits

• 28 days paid holiday per year (plus bank holidays), increasing to 29 days after 2 years and 30 days after 5 years. Plus the ability to buy up to 1 working week of additional leave
• Contributory pension scheme 2%
• Employee contribution 6%
• Employer contribution up to a maximum of 10%
• Employee contribution 5 years’ service 14% employer contribution achievable)
• Death-in-service Life Assurance, with a benefit of 3x annual salary
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Season Ticket and Rental Deposit Loan Schemes / Cycle to Work Scheme
• Reward Hub online benefits platform with extensive offers and discounts

Working locations

• Hybrid model, working in the London office and remotely

How to apply

• Apply online

Interviews

• First stage – W/C 13th October Second Stage – W/C 20th October Final Stage- TBC

Policies

RBL is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive organisation, reflecting the diversity of the armed forces community and of wider society. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and personal characteristics.

Return to listing