Senior Internal Communications Manager

Who are we?

South Western Railway (SWR) operates over 1,500 services each weekday across the network and employs more than 5,000 people. We provide easy and convenient mobility, connecting people and communities in South West London, southern counties of England, and the Isle of Wight.

Join our team and help us continue to bring people together to get the most out of life.

About the job

Reporting to the Internal Communications Lead, as Senior Internal Communications Manager you will have a key role to play in the day-to-day operation of the internal communications team, helping provide consistently high-quality communications to 7,500 employees across multiple locations in South Western Railway and Network Rail Wessex.

Leading a team of two Internal Communication Managers, you will help develop, deliver and coordinate content for established communications channels including a fortnightly newsletter, employee messages using the Poppulo email management system, intranet and a programme of conference calls. You will also lead on or contribute to business-wide strategic campaigns as they arise.

As a deputy within the internal comms team, you will build relationships with senior leaders, managers and frontline colleagues to effectively consider and represent their views and experiences. You will also work closely with external communications and stakeholder relations colleagues to ensure consistency of messages and to identify opportunities for collaborative working.

Your main responsibilities will be:

• Co-ordinating the day-to-day delivery of internal communications to the business unit via established channels.
• Line management of two Internal Communications Managers.
• Sourcing, developing and publishing stories that support the business's priorities and encourage colleague involvement and engagement.
• Supporting line managers by providing the content they need to communicate with their teams.
• Leading the development and delivery of internal communications campaigns.
• Working with other functions to advise on their communication needs and providing guidance on key messages and channels.
• Building strong relationships and trust with senior leaders and others to support the delivery of effective communications.
• Helping to plan and manage online and in-person events.
• Supporting the colleague engagement campaign leading up to the transfer to Great British Railways.
• Representing the team on industry-wide initiatives as necessary.
• Collating and analysing communications measurement and feedback and suggesting improvement opportunities.

You'll need to be:

• An established internal communications manager with experience of working in a large organisation with colleagues based across multiple locations.
• High standard of writing for a variety of audiences.
• Strong editing and proof-reading skills.
• Strong verbal and presentation skills.
• Experience of building strong collaborative relationships across all levels of an organisation.
• Excellent IT skills, including using email management systems.
• Able to contribute to the development of internal communications strategies.
• Experience in developing, implementing and improving communications channels.

Desirable Knowledge/Skills/Experience:

• Qualifications in communication, PR, marketing or journalism (either as main degree or additional qualification) or equivalent.
• Line management experience.
• Experience in video editing and publishing.
• Experience working in the rail industry.
• Experience working in a unionised environment.

Working pattern

Office hours.

The Reward

In return we offer a competitive salary and a variety of valuable benefits, including:

• Free duty and leisure travel on SWR services for employees
• Free leisure travel for spouse/partner and dependants (criteria dependent)
• 75% discount on many other train operating companies
• Full training and support with development
• Excellent pension scheme

We all belong at SWR. Our vision is to provide an inclusive environment for all colleagues, ensuring all candidates have an equal opportunity to access meaningful employment.

We value our differences such as age, gender, LGBTQIA+, ethnicity, religion, and disability. We maintain a zero tolerance towards any form of prejudice towards our colleagues, customers, and future talent.

We celebrate and encourage diversity of thought, progressive ways of working and seeing all our colleagues grow and thrive.

If you require additional support to complete your application due to a disability or neurodivergent condition, for example, dyslexia, dyspraxia, or autism, please follow the links below.  We encourage you to share any additional needs you may require so we can provide a fair and equal process for all who apply.

https://exceptionalindividuals.com/neurodiversity/

https://www.healthassured.org/blog/neurodiversity/