Head of Corporate Communications in City of Westminster

Shape the story. Protect the reputation. Help drive the transformation of the UK's most trusted brand.

At M&S, we're transforming for the future, and communications sits at the heart of that journey. We're looking for an exceptional Head of Corporate Communications to lead corporate storytelling for our Food, Fashion and International businesses, protect and enhance our reputation, and inspire colleagues, customers and stakeholders through compelling communications. This is a high-profile leadership role, providing strategic counsel to senior leaders across the business while leading a team responsible for corporate communications, internal communications and the M&S Press Office.

You'll play a critical role in shaping how M&S is understood by colleagues, media, government, investors and customers, ensuring every story reinforces our transformation and ambition. This is a rare opportunity to influence the narrative of one of the UK's best-known retailers during a period of significant change. You'll work alongside senior leaders, represent M&S externally, and lead a talented team delivering communications that make a real business impact.

To stay close to customers, our support teams are in the office three days a week as we believe that skills are developed through collaboration, and that spending time together makes us more creative and connected.

What you’ll do

• Lead the M&S corporate communications agenda for our businesses.
• Own and deliver the corporate communications strategy across Food, Fashion, Home & Beauty, and International, ensuring a consistent and compelling narrative that supports business priorities and strengthens reputation.
• Drive proactive storytelling.
• Create a drumbeat of impactful stories, campaigns and announcements that showcase the M&S transformation and build engagement with media, investors, colleagues, government and wider stakeholders.
• Be a trusted advisor to senior leaders.
• Provide strategic communications counsel and media guidance to leadership teams, helping them communicate with confidence and impact in both planned and high-pressure situations.
• Protect and enhance our reputation.
• Lead response to complex issues and high-profile media enquiries, oversee crisis communications activity and ensure robust processes, training and governance are in place to protect the M&S brand.
• Inspire and develop a high-performing team.
• Lead a team of communications professionals and the Press Office, creating an environment that encourages collaboration, growth, innovation and excellence.

Who you are

• Significant experience leading corporate communications within a large, complex and high-profile organisation, with a proven track record of developing and delivering strategic communications that build, strengthen and protect corporate reputation.
• Exceptional media relations expertise, including experience engaging national and business media at the highest level, alongside strong crisis and issues management capability and the confidence to lead through complex situations.
• An outstanding storyteller, writer and editor who can translate complex business priorities into compelling, engaging communications that resonate with a broad range of stakeholders.
• Experience partnering with and influencing senior leaders, providing trusted communications counsel, coaching and guidance to executive and leadership teams.
• A collaborative and inspiring people leader who builds high-performing teams, embraces innovation and is curious about the opportunities presented by AI and emerging communications technologies.

What’s in it for you?

Working at M&S means being part of something bigger – helping to deliver quality, value and service to millions of customers every day. We’re inclusive, fast-moving and always evolving, with a strong sense of purpose and a focus on doing the right thing. Here are just a few of the benefits that make working here even more rewarding:

• 20% colleague discount on all M&S products and many third-party brands for you and someone in your household, available once you’ve completed your probation.
• Competitive holiday allowance with the option to buy more.
• Discretionary bonus schemes linked to your performance and ours.
• Strong pension and life assurance to help plan for the future.
• Tailored induction and training to support your development from day one.
• Exclusive perks and savings through our M&S Choices portal.
• Market-leading family policies, including parental, adoption and neonatal leave.
• 24/7 wellbeing support, including virtual GP access and mental health services.
• One paid volunteer day a year to support a cause that matters to you.

Everyone’s welcome. We are ambitious about the future of retail. We’re disrupting, innovating and leading the industry into a more conscientious, inspiring digital era. We’re transforming how we work together and offering our most exciting opportunities yet. Marks & Spencer strives to be an inclusive organisation, trusted and admired by our colleagues, customers and suppliers. Join us and make change happen. We are committed to building diverse and representative teams, where everyone can bring their whole selves to work and be at their best. We support each other and work together to win together. If you feel you'd benefit from any support or reasonable adjustments during any stage of the recruitment process, please don’t hesitate to let us know when completing your application. This information will be picked up by our team, so we can try and put steps in place to help you be at your best through this process.