External Communications Manager - LONDON - £250-£350 - 3 months

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External Communications Manager - LONDON - £250-£350 - 3 monthsExternal Communications Manager - LONDON - £250-£350 - 3 months The work location is in Paddington, LONDON and is a 3 months contract.The pay rate on offer is between £250 - £350 per day.The role is working for a well established, multi-national retailer and specialises in clothing, home and luxury product.BUSINESS AREA: CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONSKey accountabilities of the role include:Build a good understanding of the issues, challenges and priorities for the client and how the leadership teams are transforming the business, and establish a network of contacts to ensure information and knowledge is kept up to dateSupport the Head of External Communications and External Communication Managers (Clothing & Home, Property and Retail) and (Finance, Business, International & Functions)tooperationalise the external communications and media relations strategy and plan for the above areas of the business as an integrated part of our overall external communications strategy: Researching news angles and story leads; leveraging insights and data to inform ideas and targetingDrafting and fact checking media materialsMonitoring the media to identify opportunities for the business to comment and place storiesArranging spokespeople to speak to the mediaDrafting briefing notes and Q&As for media spokespeopleResearching information, generating ideas and drafting content for presentations and speaker platformsManaging the day-to-day media outreach for cross BU campaigns key campaigns in the trading calendar (e.g. Easter and Christmas) and key campaign launches; supporting the External Communications Managers and cross functional planning teamSupporting the store estate reshape programme - with store opening and closure activity. The role will focus more heavily on the aspect following the arrivalMonitor the Press Office inbox and answer the Press Office phone line; logging calls, responding to Clothing & Home, Property and Retail information requests and queries, redirecting enquires and escalating issues when neededResearch and fact check responses related to media enquiries / issues liaising with subject matter experts and drafting key messages, statements and Q&As for approval and sign offKeep our positions and Q&As for media handling up to dateAct as key point of contact for Customer Services Team to provide counsel and support on complaints and issues that may generate media interest and impact the brand reputation.Provide the Customer Services Team - inc social with statements and Q&As related to media coverage or emerging stories that may generate customer enquiriesIn the event of a crisis related the Head of External Communications as directedAs part of the External Communications Team, this role is required to work out of office hours as part of the duty rotaKey measures & KPIsMedia relations experience working in a busy and demanding Press Office for a large, fast-paced FMCG organisation, or a relevant agency role. Retail experience preferred.Excellent written and verbal communication skillsDigitally savvy with a good news sense and effective media handling skillsProven ability to think creatively and develop innovative content that speaks to, and gains traction with, target audiencesExperience of using insights and data to inform ideas and activitiesExperience of issues and crisis managementExperience of working on insights-led campaigns and programmesExisting media contacts and relationshipsAbility to digest information quickly and meet tight deadlines across several projects Highly organised, strong project manager with excellent attention to detailUnderstands disclosure requirements for a listed business