Finance, Strategy and Corporate Services
Senior Management Team
Head of Communications
August 2014
The Student Loans Company - 2014
Our Vision
To be valued as a digital, customer-focused, centre of excellence
Our Mission
We enable our customers to invest in their futures by delivering
secure, accurate and efficient assessment, payment and
repayment services
SLC needs to focus on essential organisational change to deliver an effective and efficient student finance service to its
customers. This is a transformation during which it is vital that SLC remains stable and sustainable whilst we become a Digital,
Customer Focused, Centre of Excellence.
Alongside exemplary customer service and agile delivery, there is a longer-term strategy to deliver efficiencies and productivity
gains throughout the organisation with a view to realising these benefits as soon as possible.
To ensure that SLC can achieve its objectives in a more cohesive, customer-focused way we need to work more collaboratively
by taking accountability and, where appropriate, sharing responsibilities, in order to make effective decisions that focus on our
Vision, deliver our Mission and reflect our Values.
To achieve this we need to work in less complicated structures with clearly understood boundaries.
In order to fulfil the Mission, we are strengthening accountability and providing clarity for all roles and responsibilities, but
especially those of leadership and management.
We expect everyone working at SLC to be in a position to establish collaborative working throughout the Company ensuring a
focus on quality and value in service delivery.
To achieve our Vision we are designing new structures with the aim of increasing our customer focus with the right balance
between front-line and back-office processes but also the flexibility to continuously improve and to innovate.
As a Senior Management Team Member
You will deliver value by:
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Deliver the Business Plan to achieve corporate goals and objectives;
Sponsoring Business Transformation;
Working collaboratively across SLC portfolios;
Demonstrating “Leading the Way” behaviours and values.
Company Leadership
SMT Membership
As a recognised leader in the Company you are anticipated to
devote circa 30% of your time to the following activities:
The SMT will propose potential courses of action to the ELT for
delivering the Mission and, once decisions are made, SMT members
will co-ordinate the execution of plans where:
• Recommendations and decisions are made with cross-portfolio
dependencies in mind, ensuring impacts, risks and conflicts are
proactively addressed and resolved;
• Actively promote and support transformation to achieve the
Vision;
• Show ownership of the Mission by guiding improvements to
current operations and processes;
• Put the customer at the heart of decision-making, resource
allocation and delivery;
• Take ownership of and deliver to the Company’s Medium
Term Financial plans and drive efficiencies and cost savings
underpinning the Transformation Programme
• Empower, guide and enable staff to deliver the Mission;
• Recognise and celebrate individual and team achievements;
• Promote SLC values through your own actions; and
• Exercise your accountability to shareholders and fulfil your
responsibilities to relevant stakeholders, including colleagues
and staff.
• Authority for acting on decisions is part of your individual job role,
however you will be jointly accountable with your SMT colleagues
for achieving corporate objectives since these span SLC portfolios;
In order for everyone at SLC to understand what is required of them,
you and your SMT colleagues will hold joint responsibility for
communicating the steps that are being taken to execute Company
strategies; and
You will also be responsible for reporting to the rest of SLC how well
the company-wide processes are performing against agreed
company-wide measures and what actions are being taken to keep
SLC on track to deliver its Mission and achieve its Vision.
Head of Communications
Responsible To:
Management
Authority:
Staff
Deputy CEO
Executive Director,
Finance, Strategy
and Corporate
Services
Internal / External
Communications
10
Budgetary Authority: Circa £500,000
Salary range:
circa £62k
Purpose of the role:
To proactively lead the provision of specialist
internal communication and external affairs
services across the SLC and to the relevant
external audiences, building and
strengthening the internal and external
brand of the organisation, in line with our
Vision.
Head of Communications
Key Responsibilities:
Drive the development and delivery of a clear, effective and engaging internal communications and external affairs strategy and plan, which will build the positive
reputation of SLC internally and externally, using appropriate channels, tools and messaging according to clear and defined audience need
•Seek to develop excellent relationships with local management teams across SLC ensuring they input to and are engaged in delivering the communications strategy,
providing support and guidance as required to develop capability;
•Deputise for Executive Director as and when required;;
•Lead and manage the Team to provide a proactive service, working with the wider organisation and external influencers to manage down the levels of reactive media
response required as far as possible;
•Positively manage SLCs reputation with media and stakeholders, working alongside colleagues in the wider organisation to ensure consistency of messaging and
coordination of delivery ;
•Establish a positive working relationship with appropriate and relevant journalists across the UK to facilitate effective management of SLC messages;
•Work closely with the BIS press office to ensure a co-ordinated approach to public statements and campaigns, influencing in the interests of the SLC as appropriate and
necessary
•Review and put in place appropriate mechanisms, e.g. media training for the SLC Chairman, other Board members as appropriate, Executive Leadership Team and other
SLC managers as appropriate to support them in representing/acting as spokesperson for SLC in a wide range of media as required. Actively maintain a current view of
external media coverage and public affairs, including anticipating and interpreting possible undercurrent, which may influence or impact SLC, through robust and
frequent mechanisms, horizon scanning and ongoing development of excellent relationships with key media influencers, and provide regular briefings to the ELT, SMT
and wider business on a timely basis
•Responsible for the production of exceptional communications through the firm’s website, email, updates, hardcopy newsletters, other publications, , media and press
relations;
•To monitor effectiveness of media coverage and PR campaigns to ensure that objectives achieved in key messages and campaign coverage;
•Operate as the custodian of the SLC brand both internally (as an employer/ employee brand) and externally, supporting the ELT to determine how this might be
strengthened to facilitate the Vision and Corporate Plan. Assess and address the internal communication needs of the organisation with a view to reaffirming and/ or
putting in place any new and appropriate frameworks, plans, forums, and tools, including consideration of if and how the intranet can be improved and IBM Connections
tool integrated into a logical suite of communication channels Establish a rhythm of appropriate and relevant business communications internally, which help to
underpin the SLC culture, build awareness and understanding of the progress of the organisation, and celebrate our achievements (corporate, team and individual)
•Lead on the planning, design and development of key corporate communications, including the Annual Report, drawing on the specialist expertise and knowledge of the
wider organisation, e.g. the Finance Director
•Oversee and provide direction on the production of firm-wide promotional pieces such as recruitment brochures, draft speeches and management briefings with
Internal Communications Executive, ensuring these represent the SLC tone of voice and brand
• Manage the engagement of 3rd party suppliers as required to support the Communication and External Affairs Strategy and oversee effective delivery of contracted
services
•Take ownership of and provide direction for the usage of the SLC website, intranet and other communication channels used to engage stakeholders and employees.
Maintain an active interest in new communications tools and techniques, and draw best practice into the SLC, encouraging the wider Communications team to do the
same, alongside sharing that experience and expertise with peers and colleagues to deliver improved communications across the organisation
•Establish an approach and plan for the management of crisis situations, and take a lead on educating the Leadership of the SLC on their responsibilities and required
actions in the event of any such situation arising.
Head of Communications
Key Outputs:
Skills, Knowledge and Experience:
•To be regarded by our customers, stakeholders and peers as
providing a high quality, strategic and collaborative
Communications service, which is aligned to the SLC Vision
and Mission, based on robust foundations, including up-todate, fit for purpose policies and processes. Our service will
be delivered through a well established, consistent and
effective Business Partnering model.
•An annually updated Internal Communication and External
Affairs strategy in line with the SLC Vision and Mission,
including input to the SLC Corporate Plan (3 year view).
•Internal communication plan, including mechanisms to
evaluate effectiveness and actions demonstrating a
continuous improvement approach.
•An appropriate and approved SLC Annual Report.
•A co-ordinated approach to public statements and
campaigns, with BIS and other governments/ stakeholder
organizations as appropriate .
•Documented evidence of effective and timely performance
management and development of the Communications Team
Tools, frameworks, plans and content which build and sustain
a widely held positive perception of SLC amongst
stakeholders.
•Evidence of strong and effective relationships with internal
SLC colleagues, BIS, appropriate journalists, PR/external affairs
influencers and 3rd party suppliers/ agencies.
• Crisis management approach, plan and training delivered to
appropriate audiences.
Essential
•Graduate calibre, or equivalent
•Significant experience of managing a media relations function
•Expert understanding of the communications mix to include press and public
relations, web/online, event management, direct mail, literature production
and database management
•The role will require experience of dealing with stakeholders external to the
organisation and have the ability to leverage the appropriate media channel to
address these requirements.
•Superior planning and organisational skills as well as strong writing and oral
communication skills, routinely producing excellent written copy and
presentations, with special emphasis on promotional writing under tight
deadlines
•Experience in media relations and proactive publicity campaigns
•Demonstrable experience of crisis management
•A proven ability to exercise good commercial judgment and diplomacy in
complex situations
•Ability to conceptualize and deliver on the creative presentation of complex
concepts
•Demonstrate the ability to work on multi-strand projects with conflicting
deadlines
Desirable
• Significant experience of working in a range of sectors
•Excellent communication skills, full understanding of the role that
communications and stakeholder management performs in the success of
business and cultural change.
•A proven ability to drive projects through. High degree of drive, selfmotivation and energy
•Committed to delivering excellent levels of service to internal and external
clients at all times
•Have an open and collaborative style when dealing with staff and managers at
all levels of the organisation