Director of Communications
£91,500, plus excellent benefits
Blackfriars, London – hybrid working
We are looking for a communications leader to help us transform Nesta’s impact, reach and influence. We’re already an ambitious, award‑winning, multidisciplinary team, and now we’re looking for someone to help us elevate our work to the next level. The UK information environment is changing rapidly and our team is midway through a period of reform and transformation to adapt.
What you’ll be doing
- Lead the design and delivery of integrated campaigns with policy and advocacy objectives, using the right mix of channels, the highest standards of creative execution and the most effective messaging. Support the team to navigate the UK political and news agenda, identifying and securing the most effective moments for our work to exert influence.
- Lead the full range of policy communications across Nesta (working with and beyond the communications team with missions, units, subject specialists and senior leaders to bring coherence to our content and activity). Lead on policy‑facing products, from blogs to policy briefings, podcasts to newsletters.
- Oversee delivery of broader communications activity, working across the organisation to form project teams, set priorities and tactics. Elevate the quality of our external output so all of our communications meet a consistently high bar for excellence. Ensure that all of our activity is delivered with the right mix of creativity, professionalism and speed to maximise success.
- Distil complex policy and research into powerful narratives, ensuring our strategic messaging resonates and persuades target audiences and that is used consistently and coherently across all of our activity. Manage our suite of editorial products and ensure our content is sharp, timely, and directly aligned with our advocacy objectives.
- Provide authoritative communications strategic counsel across teams, acting as a trusted advisor to senior leaders on complex communication challenges and reputational issues.
- Provide functional (direct) leadership of our policy communications, media relations and data journalism functions.
Additional responsibilities
- Drive forward new approaches to advocacy and influencing that organisations like Nesta need to adopt in response to the changing information environment.
- Look across all activity being conducted and identify and act on opportunities for new content streams, activities or partnerships that support our strategic communications goals.
- Spot opportunities to do more with our existing channels and campaigns, finding ways to extend their value and impact.
- Troubleshoot and support where a project or campaign is at risk of failure, either because of differing views on execution, changing objectives or missed deadlines.
- Mentor and evolve a talented communications team, providing the leadership and vision necessary to take our collective impact to the next level.
What we’re looking for
- Significant leadership experience in external affairs, communications or press, specifically within an advocacy‑focused environment.
- Exceptional strategic skills, with a history of delivering multi‑channel campaigns that build genuine profile and influence.
- A deep understanding of the UK political and news agenda and wider information environment, with a demonstrated ability to navigate complex policy landscapes.
- The ability to provide high‑level strategic counsel, acting as a trusted advisor to senior leaders on complex communication challenges and reputational issues.
- A genuine love of communications, with experience of exploring new approaches to advocacy and influencing that organisations like Nesta need to adopt in response to the changing information environment.
- The ability to craft and embed strategic messaging that distills complex ideas into clear, authoritative narratives for diverse audiences.
- An accomplished writer who has successfully managed high‑level editorial functions and maintained a high bar for content.
- Sharp media instincts and creative flair, with a proven ability to spot and shape stories that capture media interest.
- A grounded leader and people manager who knows how to motivate teams and cultivate a high‑performing culture.
What we offer
Salary: £91,500 plus an array of benefits, including a generous pension scheme, private medical insurance, dental insurance, the ability to buy and sell annual leave, and more.
Location: This role is based in Blackfriars, London, hybrid working arrangement with a minimum of two days in the office.
Term: Permanent.
Hours: This is a full‑time role but we offer a range of flexible working arrangements and encourage our people to take advantage of them. Many do.
Reports to: Group Executive Director of Communications.
Diversity and Inclusion
At Nesta, we believe that a diverse workforce leads to an organisation that is more innovative, more creative and gets better results. We want our workforce to represent the diversity of the people and communities we serve. We also want our workplace to be one where different experiences, expertise and perspectives are valued, and where everyone is encouraged to grow and develop. This means that when we are recruiting, we actively seek to reach a diverse pool of candidates. It also means that we are happy to consider any reasonable adjustments that potential employees may need to in order to be successful.
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