Head of Internal Communications in Liverpool

Business Area: Corporate Affairs

Place of Work: Liverpool

Contract Type: Permanent

When you join USS, the size and scale of our pension scheme means you will have numerous opportunities to learn and develop your career. Given our size you'll have real autonomy and influence as you collaborate closely with a wide-ranging team of experts. Our office is a vibrant place to work, and we offer flexibility of office/homeworking due to our hybrid model.

About the role

In your role as Head of Internal Communications, you will make a meaningful and valued contribution from the outset. This role will provide a great opportunity to play a critical role within USS to support our colleagues in their work towards delivering the scheme’s long-term objectives. As we begin to evolve our Internal Communications approach to reflect the scale and sophistication of USS as an organisation, this role has responsibility for leading Internal Communications at USS. This includes driving the strategy and planning processes, being a trusted adviser to both the USSL and USSIM CEOs and the wider Group Executive team on colleague communications, and delivering and coordinating ongoing activities.

The role will involve independently driving forward the Internal Communications output, while working closely with leads across relevant business functions, including HR, IT, and the Group CEO office, as well as advising our Group Executive Team and EDI leads.

• Lead and develop the USS internal and people communications capability, including setting strategy, and building, managing and leading an annual programme of activity across both London and Liverpool.
• Plan and oversee leadership communications – be a strategic adviser to senior leadership on internal messaging to support the scheme’s three-year strategy, change communications, and employee engagement initiatives. This includes working closely with the Group CEO to support her communication objectives, delivering suitable activity.
• Oversee the delivery of internal activity within the annual programme – including (but not exclusive to): internal events (e.g. Town Halls, employee education events, annual senior management forum), day-to-day employee communications, weekly internal bulletin, campaign activity.
• Lead the planning and delivery of internal campaigns, ensuring consistent messaging across all channels and audiences. This includes working alongside colleagues in the Corporate Affairs team to ensure consistency in messaging and execution of external and internal communications.
• Build awareness of the purpose of Internal Communications among colleagues in both our London and Liverpool offices, actively educating on the strategy and long-term objectives of the function.
• Measure and analyse communication effectiveness, using insights to continuously improve strategy and execution. This includes feeding into the ongoing measurement reports for our Corporate Affairs team.
• In collaboration with our IT team and adjacent functions, design and deliver new approach to the delivery of news and information through our main internal platform, applying best practice to delivering a modern approach to internal communications.
• Take a leading role in establishing internal and external relationships to generate understanding, share ideas and best practice on internal communications strategies.

We know that sometimes people can be put off applying for a job if they don't tick every box, if you're excited about working for us and have most of the skills or experience we're looking for, then please apply, regardless of whether you meet all the requirements outlined in this profile.

To be successful in the role you will have:

• Proven strong experience of operating at a strategic level with, and advising, senior colleagues. This includes advising senior management around sensitive issues.
• Ability to drive an internal communications strategy.
• Strong capability in supporting organisational change through clear, empathetic, and timely communication.
• Experienced in leading internal messaging during sensitive or high-pressure situations.
• Experience of working within a large team, and balancing multiple different stakeholders within a fast-paced environment.
• Experience in managing junior team members and upskilling non-comms colleagues in effective communication.
• Proficient in managing digital communication platforms (e.g., SharePoint, Microsoft Teams, intranet systems).
• Experienced in developing content for diverse formats including newsletters, leadership messaging, video content, and presentations.
• Strong events management experience.

At USS, every individual contributes to building a secure financial future for our members and their families. We strive to create a work environment where everyone can thrive professionally while making a meaningful impact on the lives of others. We're also committed to helping you build your career by providing opportunities for development. We put a focus on recognising and supporting each individual's unique career path, driving this forward with the support of an engaged and proactive management team.

Here at USS, we want you to thrive in and out of work with a friendly team, flexible culture and excellent range of benefits!

How we will reward you

• Great starting salary
• Generous annual leave package
• Access to a high quality pension scheme provided through Universities Superannuation Scheme
• Supportive people policies (including enhanced occupational sickness pay and family friendly pay)
• Financial contributions towards your personal development to help you maintain your physical and mental wellbeing
• Access to a range of health and wellbeing services i.e., private healthcare, discounted gym membership
• Learning and development opportunities to develop your skills, knowledge and talent
• Employee Volunteer Day’s to support the communities where you work and live
• Cycle to Work Scheme

Our culture and values

Our people are what makes us different. We work together to create a diverse and inclusive culture that embraces individuality, where people are welcomed and feel comfortable in the knowledge that they can be themselves. Our purpose firmly states the importance of members, putting them ‘front and centre’ of what we do. This is embedded through our values:

• Integrity
• Collaboration
• Excellence

Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) was established in 1974 as the principal pension scheme for universities and other higher education institutions in the UK. We work with around 330 employers to help build a secure financial future for almost 577,000 members and their families. We are one of the largest private defined benefit pension schemes in the UK, with total assets of around £76.8bn (at 31 March 2025).

USSL is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We strive to ensure our recruitment process is as flexible and inclusive as possible so we can attract diverse candidates and recruit the best talent. We want all candidates to perform at their best during the recruitment process, so if you need any reasonable adjustments or if there is anything we can do to help support you through your recruitment journey please let us know by contacting resourcing@uss.co.uk.