Head of Marketing & Communications- UK Defence

Job Title:            Head of Marketing and Communications, UK Defence

Global Grade:    GG15

Location:            Farnborough, Portsmouth, Boscombe Down or Bristol with UK travel

Role Type:         Permanent – Full Time

Job Ref:             18793

Role Purpose:

This role will lead Marketing and Communications for QinetiQ’s UK Defence (UKD) Sector and is accountable for delivering integrated marketing and communications strategies that support the company’s strategic goals and business growth.

The role holder will act as a trusted advisor to the UKD Chief Executive and the UKD Sector Leadership Team ensuring clear alignment between the Sector priorities and the Marketing and Communications function. The individual will be responsible for developing proactive and reactive communications plans that promote the Sector’s capabilities and its role as a key partner to defence customers.

Working with stakeholders in UKD and the wider Group MarComms function, the role holder will be responsible for strategic communications using internal and external channels to target key audiences, including employees, customers and shareholders. The individual will provide Marketing and Communications leadership across all of UKD’s markets – in the UK, Germany and Canada.

They will also be accountable for advising the Leadership Team on the identification, approach and handling of issues that could give rise to reputational risk, leading the communications response at a Sector level.

The role holder will line manage three people and will be required to lead the team to manage pressures, work to deadlines and prioritise work to ensure effective and timely delivery and impactful measurement of outcomes. In addition, they will be responsible for fostering productive relationships with communications teams in our customer community and with industry partners.

Key Accountabilities:

• Provide strategic communications advice to UKD Chief Executive and UKD Sector Leadership Team
• Lead in the development, management and execution of integrated marketing and communications plans for UKD that support key business activity and/or captures
• Lead the UKD MarComms team and work with the wider Group function to identify opportunities to tell UKD’s story to internal and external audiences (including employees, customers, media, investors)
• Take a leading role in the MarComms function and Marketing and Communications Council to provide leadership and deliver strategic communications that align to business objectives
• Be responsible for development of content and assets for use across internal and external channels
• Develop a strategic, costed communications plan that supports the Sector’s future ambitions
• Responsible for ensuring any budget allocated for communications activity undertaken for UKD delivers value for money and return on investment
• Responsible for evaluation of output against pre-defined KPIs
• Ensure the team develops and delivers integrated marketing & communications plans for Maritime and Land; Air; Science and Technology.
• Ensure organisations that work with QQ to deliver large framework contracts (eg: Engineering Delivery Partnership (EDP) and Long Term Partnering Agreement (LTPA)) are aligned on messaging and branding where appropriate

Key Capabilities/Knowledge:

• Excellent communicator with outstanding written skills
• Experience of delivering integrated marketing and communications campaigns
• Knowledge of how to use audience understanding and data to shape/influence/amend/optimise communications activity
• Experience of leading issues and crisis communications
• Excellent organisational and time management skills and ability to work at pace – challenging norms and accelerating progress
• Experience of complex stakeholder management and ability to influence at a senior level and have difficult conversations to push back
• Ability to multitask to prioritise work and deliver to challenging deadlines, with high levels of accuracy and attention to detail
• Team player who can demonstrate collaboration

Experience & Qualifications:

• Strong communications expertise with demonstrable track record of delivery integrated plans
• Experience of delivering strategic communications that support business objectives
• Deep experience of working with senior leaders in a strategic advisory role
• Knowledge of using data and insights to shape / influence / amend / optimise communications activity

Why Join Qinetiq?

As we continue to grow into new markets around the world, there’s never been a more exciting time to join QinetiQ. The formula for success is our appetite for innovation and having the courage to take on a wide variety of complex challenges.

As a QinetiQ employee, you’ll experience a unique working environment where teams from different backgrounds, disciplines and experience enjoy collaborating widely and openly as we undertake this exciting and rewarding journey. Through effective teamwork, and pulling together, you’ll get to experience what happens when we all share different perspectives, blend disciplines, and link technologies; constantly discovering new ways of solving complex problems in a diverse and inclusive environment where you can be authentic, feel valued and realise your full potential. Visit our website to read more about our diverse and inclusive workplace culture.  www.qinetiq.com/en/careers/life-at-qinetiq

Our Benefits

• Matched contribution pension scheme, with life assurance
• Competitive holiday allowance, with the option to purchase additional days
• Compressed working option with Friday afternoons or alternative Fridays off
• Health Cash Plan, Private Medical Insurance and Dental Insurance
• Employee discount portal: Personal Accident Insurance, Travel Insurance, Restaurants, Cinema Tickets and much more
• We are proud to support the Armed Forces community by honouring the Armed Forces Covenant
• Volunteering Opportunities - helping charities and local community

Our Recruitment Process:

We want to make sure that our recruitment process is as inclusive as possible and we aspire to bring out the best in our candidates by creating an environment where everyone feels value, heard and supported.  If you have a disability or health condition that may affect your performance in certain assessment types, please speak to your Recruiter about potential reasonable adjustments.

Many roles in QinetiQ are subject to national security vetting being completed, applicants who already hold the appropriate level of vetting may be able to transfer it upon appointment. A number of roles are also subject to additional restrictions, which mean factors such as nationality or previous nationalities may affect the roles that you can be employed in.

Please note that all applicants for this role must be eligible for SC clearance, as a minimum.

UKSV National Security Vetting Solution: guidance for applicants - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)