Head of Media & Corporate Affairs
Full-time, Competitive

Head of Media & Corporate Affairs

Location: We welcome applications from those looking to work remotely but please note that our Support Offices are based in Handforth (Cheshire) and Swindon. There will be a requirement to travel to these offices, along with other UK wide travel on an ad hoc basis. 

About the Pets at Home Group

Pets at Home Group Plc is the UK’s leading pet care business; our commitment is to make sure pets and their owners get the very best advice, products and care. We have over 450 stores, over 310 Groom Rooms and 440 First Opinion Vet Practices. Our business is fast-paced, innovative and fun and it's our people that make the real difference. This is a fantastic opportunity to come and work for an award winning company who put people at the very heart of everything they do.

About the role

This role will provide communications expertise to meet the wider communications objectives of the business, to include business and financial media, relations with Government and crisis communications / reputational matters.

As Head of Media and Corporate Affairs, you will play an important role as part of the team responsible for managing the Group’s reputation with key stakeholders.  You will be responsible for the effective delivery of the Group’s corporate communications activities and Government relations, and lead on any crisis responses required.

This role will lead on building and shaping external communications strategy, working with agency partners and as part of the leadership team.  Key areas of focus for this role will be media relations management, public affairs, CSR and crisis management.

Key responsibilities (will include but not limited to):

• Maintaining key media relationships and acting as a spokesperson on media issues
• Supporting social media teams
• Undertaking preparation work for Board / Exec interviews, meetings etc. including key message development, Q&A, feedback.
• Building and maintaining relationships with key decision makers in government, reflecting the Group’s strategy and priorities. 
• Providing timely feedback on public policy developments in Westminster and the devolved administrations that may impact the Group’s ability to deliver its strategy. 
• Building relationships with relevant external agencies & internal CSR teams
• Work in partnership with the CSR team around the external impact of various actions and initiatives
• Crisis Management – working with a range of internal stakeholders to develop and coordinate responses.
• Maintain the “Responses” document for common media / customer queries and plan ahead for issues that could become more pressing for the business
• Budget management for corporate communications

About your experience

This role would suit a leader within media relations management and crisis management, who can demonstrate a track record of working in Corporate and/or Government Affairs, with experience of working in a complex, sizeable organisation (10,000+ colleagues).  You will offer strong capability within working as part of a leadership team within a PLC environment, and thrive on working cross functionally and collaboratively with a wide range of partners and stakeholders.

You will have proven experience of being able to actively manage results day associated activity, and have confidence in dealing with the media. You will be able to think calmly, clearly and quickly under pressure.

Specific experience of working within the retail and/or veterinary sector (marketing or communications) would be advantageous, alongside any previous experience within journalism. CSR and internal communications experience, whilst not essential, would also be beneficial.

You will have highly developed relationship management skills, coupled with strong planning and organisational abilities, with a desire to manage and develop media relations and corporate communications in a transforming organisation.