Strategic Communications Manager in London

We don’t just talk, we do. Lead the change with us. At the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, we work with political leaders around the world to drive change. We help governments turn bold ideas into reality so they can deliver for their people. We do it by advising on strategy, policy and delivery, unlocking the power of technology across all three. And by sharing what we learn on the ground, so everyone can benefit. We do it to build more open, inclusive and prosperous countries for people everywhere.

We are a global team of over 800 changemakers, operating in more than 40 countries, across five continents. We are political strategists, policy experts, delivery practitioners, technology specialists and more. We speak more than 45 languages. We are working on over 100 projects, tackling some of the world’s biggest challenges. We’re all here at TBI to make a difference. In a world of ever more complex challenges, we believe diversity of background and perspective is a strength. We pride ourselves on a culture that values and nurtures difference. We are dedicated to unlocking potential, not only for the countries we work in but also for each of our team members. No matter where you’re from or who you are, if you’re passionate about the transformative power of progressive politics, we invite you to build a better future with us.

Role Summary

TBI comprises Policy, Politics, Advisory and Partnerships functions that all demand coherent, crisp, and politically relevant communications. In particular, we need to be pushing the debates on public policy and public services reforms, and we need to be celebrating the substantive policy work we do at TBI. To help drive this agenda we are looking to appoint a Strategic Communications Manager to our small team in London. Your number one job will be to insert TBI into the critical public policy debates where we have a unique point of view, and where the debate is decidedly antiquated or headed in the wrong direction, or even if the debate is not going far enough.

We offer radical-but-practical solutions to the world’s most pressing problems and to get noticed, we need politically-savvy communicators who understand our primary audience and the media that resonates with them. We are particularly looking for someone experienced in dealing with high-profile media stories, spotting and lifting the headline-worthy material from longer thought leadership pieces, courting media, developing producers, and inserting TBI into policy debates in media and through our social channels. We also need a communicator adept at building out a strategic message calendar, consistent and inclusive of work across TBI. A current Right to Work in the UK is essential for this London-based hybrid role.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop media strategies for policy output as part of a wider influencing strategy for the work.
• Create and lead the communications, press and media strategy for elements of our policy work, ensuring we have a clear and deliverable plan to maximise our influence.
• Maintain strong relationships with media stakeholders, finding ways to maximise exposure opportunities for TBI’s work.
• Relentless in the pursuit of media coverage for our policy work and the successes of our engagements and events worldwide, making sure there is a clear headline in mind and dedicated media plan associated with every communications plan TBI develops.
• Maximise the effectiveness of our policy work, developing strategies that surface the key headline/message and focus the authors on how to make their work resonate with wider audiences.
• Work collaboratively with colleagues in social media, email marketing and content creation teams to produce multi-channel communication strategies.
• Use analytics and reporting tools to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of communications and inform future activities.
• Act as key media advisor to TBI policy directors.

Person specification

• Have significant experience at the nexus of policy, politics, and communications, and possess an innate understanding of the political environment in which we operate.
• Have strong media handling experience, preferably at the national political level in the UK, and will have dealt directly with national press and broadcast media to secure positive coverage of a high-profile agenda.
• Have a keen understanding of policy honed over years spent working at the coalface of decision-making and communications.
• Have a good ‘nose’ for the story, the political environment in which we are operating, and the social media trends that should inform our activities.
• Be keenly interested in the policy content of the work and willing to contribute to the thinking that goes into it.
• Have excellent communication skills and be able to clearly explain complex analysis and policy proposals with persuasiveness.
• Experience working with senior stakeholders across the organisation, confidence to influence upwards and challenge thinking at all levels.
• Maintain, or be able to develop, strong links to key journalists and opinion formers in the press and broadcast media.