Senior Corporate Media Relations Manager in London

As Senior Corporate Media Relations Manager, you will play a pivotal role in protecting and enhancing the reputation of the world’s largest building society. You will shape and deliver a high‑impact corporate media strategy that positions Nationwide as a leading, purpose‑driven financial institution with a distinctive mutual difference.

Operating at a senior level, you will advise executives, lead major media moments, and ensure our voice is clear, authoritative, and aligned with our long‑term strategic ambitions. You will lead proactive and reactive corporate media activity across UK business and financial media, developing compelling narratives, anticipating issues and risks, identifying opportunities to strengthen Nationwide’s profile, and guiding senior leaders through complex or high‑pressure situations.

You will champion editorial excellence, ensure communications are insight‑driven, and maintain a calm, solutions‑focused approach when the external environment moves quickly. Working closely with colleagues across Corporate Affairs, Customer & Communications and the wider leadership team, you will ensure our media engagement is rigorous, well‑governed and reflective of Nationwide’s role in society.

You will help shape how the organisation explains its purpose, its performance, and its commitment to members, and support the development of Nationwide’s reputation as a Modern Mutual delivering a fairer, more rewarding banking experience. This role sits within Customer & Communications, the team responsible for strengthening Nationwide’s brand and reputation with customers, colleagues and society.

Its purpose is to ensure Nationwide’s voice is trusted and firmly anchored in member interests, directly enhancing public trust and bolstering Nationwide’s standing as a major UK financial institution with a unique mutual mission. Nationwide offers hybrid working wherever possible. You will spend at least two days per week in our London office, with the remainder of your time working remotely. We value time in the office for collaboration, learning and connection.

Nationwide is committed to the redeployment of employees impacted by change, prioritising applications from redeployment candidates in this recruitment process.

Benefits

• Access to private medical insurance
• A highly competitive pension to help you build a strong foundation for retirement
• Access to an annual performance‑related bonus
• Training and development to help you progress your career
• A great selection of additional benefits through our salary sacrifice scheme
• Life assurance to provide peace of mind for you and your loved ones in the event of your death
• Wellhub – access to a range of free and paid options for health and wellness
• Up to 2 days of paid volunteering a year

Responsibilities

• Work with senior leaders to agree communications strategies, stories and messages for the financial and business media, providing clear and confident advice.
• Use your existing media network to reach out to new contacts in financial and business media, creating storytelling opportunities for Nationwide.
• Plan and deliver communications activity for key moments in the corporate calendar such as financial results, helping opinion formers and the public understand the business’s purpose, value and future direction as a Modern Mutual.
• Stay close to news agenda and member‑impacting issues, ensuring Nationwide’s perspective is heard and understood.
• Respond quickly to new developments, helping teams stay focused while removing obstacles so work can progress effectively.

Qualifications

• Proven experience leading large‑scale corporate communications programmes with measurable impact.
• Financially literate, with strong familiarity and confidence in interpreting and communicating financial and results reporting information.
• News‑savvy, with a strong instinct for what resonates with business and financial journalists and the ability to shape stories that will land effectively.
• Strong ability to interpret data, identify trends and turn insights into clear actions.
• Exceptional influencing skills, with the confidence to challenge constructively and secure senior‑leader alignment.
• Strong network across business and finance editors and journalists.
• Outstanding editorial judgement and writing skills for senior audiences.
• Experience managing complex, cross‑functional work at pace and balancing competing priorities.
• The ability to partner effectively with Finance, Strategy, Investor Relations, Secretariat, Legal, HR, Colleague Engagement, CEO Office and other key functions.
• Demonstrated commitment to customer‑first behaviours: empathy for customers, direct and honest communication, continuous improvement, and prioritising impactful outcomes.