Communications Manager - Press Office

At M&S, trust matters. Our Corporate Affairs team plays a critical role in protecting and enhancing our reputation, shaping the conversation about who we are today, and ensuring our voice is heard on the issues that matter most to our customers, colleagues and communities. We're looking for an experienced Communications Manager (Press office) to join our fast-paced Press Office team, supporting reactive and proactive media engagement across local, national, international and trade media. Reporting to the Head of Press Office, you'll manage a wide range of media enquiries and issues, helping to reset the conversation about M&S, protect our license to operate, and amplify our lobbying and ESG agenda. You'll work closely with teams across Corporate Affairs and the wider business, operating confidently in a high profile, issues rich, environment. This is a role for someone with strong news sense, sound judgement and the confidence to handle sensitive and complex reputational challenges.

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

Due to high interest, this role may close earlier than advertised. We recommend applying as soon as possible.

Responsibilities

• Manage press office activity and issues response, handling media enquiries at pace and delivering robust, appropriate responses to breaking and emerging news, including sensitive and complex issues such as ethical trade, labour shortages and cost of living pressures.
• Prepare and protect company spokespeople, ensuring senior leaders are fully briefed and confident ahead of media engagement through high quality briefing packs, Q&A and clear positioning; coordinate media communications during incidents under the direction of the Head of Press Office.
• Identify and manage reputational risk, representing Corporate Affairs on Business Continuity Incident Management Team meetings, maintaining core press office tracking tools (hot topics, press office logs, response trackers, media engagement tracker).
• Lead ESG and stakeholder communications, acting as the key link with the ESG Community team to proactively communicate M&S's response to emerging incidents, preparing strategic responses to NGO and stakeholder reports, bringing creativity to issues management through content and owned/social channels.
• Amplify lobbying priorities and futureproof M&S positions, supporting proactive media campaigns on key lobbying issues (e.g. taxation and regulation), horizon scanning emerging risks and opportunities with Public Affairs and External Communications colleagues, building strong relationships with third party press offices and partners, and tracking impact through message penetration, sentiment, reach and influence.

Qualifications

• Extensive external communications experience, with experience working in a busy press office or external communications roles within large, fast-paced, high profile organisations facing complex reputational challenges.
• Exceptional communication and media capability, including excellent written and verbal skills, strong news sense, and confident media handling with the ability to make complex issues simple and clear.
• Proven issues and crisis management expertise, supported by strong analytical and critical thinking skills and experience navigating sensitive, high risk situations.
• Digitally savvy communicator, with a strong understanding of how to engage effectively in a digital first world and how value is created and protected in a listed business, including knowledge of statutory disclosure requirements.
• Highly credible and influential operator, with established relationships with influential journalists, correspondents or editors, and the ability to build trust and influence with senior leaders.

Benefits

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.

People and culture

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.