Senior Corporate Communications & External Affairs Manager in Norfolk, Norwich

Location: Norwich

Salary: 60,000 - 65,000

We have a network of preferred recruiting partners and are not accepting applications from agencies for this vacancy.

POSITION SUMMARY AND CANDIDATE PROFILE

Working in the TaxAssist Group, this role is a rare opportunity to shape the external voice of a leading professional services business. You will own the company's narrative on the public stage; leading media strategy, reputation, thought leadership, executive leadership visibility and a high-performing communications team to build an impactful, unified presence in the market. If you feel you can influence the conversation at the highest levels and define how a brand shows up to investors in media and the industry at large, then this is the role for you.

Our Values

• Client Focused: We care about making a difference in our clients' lives.
• Collaborative: We develop meaningful relationships with a culture of shared success.
• Progressive: We continuously evolve to stay ahead in a rapidly changing world.
• Integrity: We uphold transparent, honest, and ethical practices, taking care in everything we do.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead the organisation's corporate communications team, ensuring high-quality, aligned output across all external channels.
• Develop and maintain the company's investment narrative, ensuring consistency across media, digital content, investor materials and leadership communications.
• Lead quarterly financial communications and market updates.
• Oversee corporate communications governance, including messaging frameworks, approval processes and disciplined communication standards.
• Advise the CEO, CFO and executive leadership on communications strategy, reputation and positioning.
• Build and manage a media database, cultivating strong relationships with national journalists, trade media, analysts, and financial press.
• Shape and elevate leadership visibility, including a spokesperson strategy and external positioning.
• Drive thought leadership campaigns, ensuring a consistent expert voice across PR, content, digital and SEO channels.
• Plan and execute strategic PR and content campaigns, integrating media, digital, SEO and owned channels into a unified communications plan.
• Own the company's Confidence Index and wider survey programme, overseeing methodology, analysis and communications outputs to strengthen thought leadership and media impact.
• Manage external relationships with media and sponsorship opportunities.
• Act as guardian of the corporate brand and reputation, ensuring consistency of tone, messaging and standards across PR, content, SEO and leadership communications.
• Oversee the integrated channel strategy, ensuring PR, content, SEO, social and digital channels work together to amplify the company's narrative and drive visibility.
• Support public affairs activities, shaping the company's voice on policy, regulation and industry issues.
• Track and report communications performance, including share of voice, coverage quality, sentiment, digital performance and SEO impact.
• Oversee issues management, including crisis communications and reputation protection.

GENERAL MINIMUM JOB STANDARDS & RESPONSIBILITIES

• Stakeholder Management: Develops trusted relationships with internal and external stakeholders, providing strategic communications advice and escalating reputational risks where appropriate.
• Communication Excellence: Delivers high-quality, accurate and engaging communications, ensuring consistency of messaging, tone and corporate brand across all channels.
• Collaboration and Influence: Builds effective relationships across the business and with external stakeholders. Works collaboratively with senior leaders, marketing, digital and external partners to deliver aligned communications and support organisational objectives.
• Planning, Governance and Delivery: Effectively prioritises and manages communications activity, ensuring appropriate governance, compliance, timely delivery and attention to detail.
• Brand, Reputation and Performance: Protects and enhances the organisation's reputation, using data and insight to measure effectiveness, drive continuous improvement and support business objectives.

PERSON SPECIFICATION & SKILLS REQUIREMENTS

• Essential experience and skills required: Degree in marketing, communications, media, public relations, journalism, business or a related field, or equivalent experience is preferred.
• Significant experience in corporate communications, financial PR or external affairs, ideally within a listed or pre-IPO environment.
• Proven experience managing communications, content or digital teams.
• Understanding of SEO, digital content strategy and owned-channel optimisation.
• Demonstrated experience engaging with investors, analysts and financial media.
• Strong track record of national media relations and managing high-profile press activity.
• Experience in reputation management, crisis communications and issues response.
• Experience in franchise or professional services environments is advantageous.
• Strong spokesperson capabilities.
• Familiarity with marketing research and external research techniques advantageous.
• Proven leader who generates results and develops people.
• Experience or aptitude to thrive working in a dynamic environment as a developing business requires.

Rewards and Benefits:

TaxAssist are a Great Place to Work certified employer (2025). The following benefits form part of our reward and benefits package. Eligibility for each are subject to T&Cs and scheme eligibility and some become available after a probation period has been completed:

• Respect for your wellbeing and work-life balance. Overtime and weekend working are not part of our habit. We work a 35 hour week full time and offer part time and non-standard hours where feasible and appropriate.
• We prefer to work together at our well-equipped and appointed and ergonomically designed Norwich offices. Staff are well supported to work safely, comfortably and efficiently from these beautiful out of centre offices and also to work from home.
• Annual Leave: up to 28 days paid annual leave – plus Bank Holidays.
• Company sick pay – up to 30 days paid in any 12 months.
• Life Assurance – 2x annual salary cover.
• Employee Assistance Programme: Free 24/7 access for all staff and qualifying family members.
• Company share scheme.
• Auto-enrolled workplace pension scheme with enhanced employer contributions and a pension Salary sacrifice scheme.
• Free car parking.
• Subsidised gym membership - Bannatynes.
• An annual eye test paid plus contributions towards glasses (within policy).
• Study support.
• Discretionary bonuses for performance, referrals and recruitment.

If you wish to apply for this position, please email your CV to: [email protected]

Interviews to be held WC 21st September.