Job Description
Group Corporate Communications Manager
Reports to: Group Head of Global Communications and Marketing
Direct reports: PR Manager (UK based)
Location: Hybrid (1-2 days per week in our Wimbledon office)
Contract: Permanent / full-time
About the role
The Group Corporate Communications Manager leads the development and delivery of ISP’s internal communications approach across a large, multi-country and multilingual organisation. This includes establishing and managing effective communications channels, editorial standards, content planning and engagement approaches for diverse audiences – from central and regional teams to school leadership, teaching and support colleagues.
Alongside this, the role plays a key part in strengthening ISP’s external reputation and visibility. You will help establish a distinctive and credible voice for ISP on learning, education and innovation; build the visibility of senior leaders; and work with and through the PR Manager to develop strong media relationships and opportunities. You will also collaborate with regional teams and their agencies to amplify priority stories and strengthen ISP’s reputation across markets.
Transformation is a significant and recurring part of this role. ISP is an organisation that continues to grow and evolve, and effective communication is critical to bringing people with us. You will lead communications for major change programmes, shaping the communications approach, creating clear and compelling narratives, explaining the rationale for change and establishing meaningful opportunities for two-way engagement.
This is both a strategic and hands-on role. You will contribute to shaping communications strategy through stakeholder dialogue, insight and data, while taking ownership of delivery from concept through to execution and measurement. It requires strong judgement, excellent writing and editorial skills, confidence working with senior stakeholders, and the ability to turn complex organisational priorities into communications that are clear, relevant and engaging.
Key responsibilities:
Internal communications and colleague engagement
Own ISP's internal channel strategy: what each channel is for, who it reaches, what belongs on it, and how we encourage belief and engagement.
Enforce editorial governance: standards, tone of voice, approval routes, and clear rules on who communicates what to whom, reducing message congestion and protecting the attention of colleagues in schools.
Develop an integrated communications calendar in collaboration with the Learning & Innovation Comms lead covering campaigns, programmes, EVP and external moments, sequenced against the rhythm of the school year so competing messages don't stack.
Create high-quality content across formats and channels: intranet, video, leadership messages, toolkits, FAQs, presentations and short-form content.
Bring colleagues along the journey: communicate strategy, progress and decisions in language people recognise, connect central activity to local meaning, and run genuine two-way listening that visibly closes the loop.
External reputation, media and thought leadership
Establish ISP as a credible media voice on learning innovation, translating what happens in our schools into stories and arguments that earn attention.
Line manage and develop the PR Manager; guide your team to set the media strategy and quality standards, and manage agency relationships including scope, budget and performance.
Build leadership visibility through authored content, op-eds, commentary, speaking engagements and briefings.
Apply SEO principles to owned content to improve discoverability and demand generation
Equip regions to build ISP's reputation in their own markets with adaptable toolkits, messaging frameworks and localisation guidance, acting as adviser and quality partner helping to articulate evidentially the value ISP offers its schools.
Monitor and respond to reputational risk
Report monthly on key metrics and audit internal and external narrative for alignment.
Transformation
Lead communications for ISP's major change and transformation programmes,
Equip divisions and regions to carry the message locally through toolkits, talking points, FAQs, briefing packs and train-the-communicator sessions; track adoption and sentiment, and adjust on the evidence.
Lead the launch and embedding of ISP's EVP, partnering with other functions so the proposition shows up consistently from recruitment and onboarding through to everyday employee experience.
Crisis and issues management
Maintain ISP's crisis communications framework: protocols, escalation routes, holding statements and out-of-hours arrangements.
Partner with the Head of Global Communications and Marketing to run preparedness training and scenario exercises for regional and school leadership, as well as live issue management keeping internal and external messaging aligned.
About you
Essential
Substantial experience in corporate communications spanning both internal communications and external reputation or media relations.
Excellent copywriting skills across formats and audiences eg leadership op-ed to explainer videos
Demonstrable experience communicating change and transformation to internal audiences.
Experience line managing or developing at least one team member and managing agency relationships and budgets.
Strong stakeholder engagement skills, with the confidence to advise and challenge senior leaders constructively.
Sound judgement on sensitive and confidential matters.
Experience of crisis or issues communications, including preparedness planning.
Working knowledge of SEO principles as they apply to written content.
Strong project management: multiple concurrent workstreams, delivered independently and on time.
Comfortable with project management tools (e.g. monday.com), PR distribution platforms and reputation/media monitoring tools.
A data-informed mindset to inform strategy and interpret performance
Desirable
Experience in a large, complex, multi-site or matrixed organisation: education, healthcare, government or multinational.
Experience communicating across multiple countries, languages and time zones, including working with translation and localisation.
Experience of employer brand or EVP work.
Familiarity with internal communications platforms, intranet analytics and employee listening tools.
Additional languages.
ISP Principles
Begin with our children and students. Our children and students are at the heart of what we do. Simply, their success is our success. Wellbeing and safety are both essential for learners and learning. Therefore, we are consistent in identifying potential safeguarding
and Health & Safety issues and acting and following up on all concerns appropriately.
Treat everyone with care and respect. We look after one another, embrace similarities and differences and promote the well-being of self and others.
Operate effectively. We focus relentlessly on the things that are most important and will make the most difference. We apply school policies and procedures and embody the shared ideas of our community.
Are financially responsible. We make financial choices carefully based on the needs of the children, students and our schools.
Learn continuously. Getting better is what drives us. We positively engage with personal and professional development and school improvement.
ISP Commitment to Safeguarding Principles
ISP is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All post holders are subject to appropriate vetting procedures, including an online due diligence search, references and satisfactory Criminal Background Checks or equivalent covering the previous 10 years’ employment history.
ISP Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging
ISP is committed to strengthening our inclusive culture by identifying, hiring, developing, and retaining high-performing teammates regardless of gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation and gender expression, age, disability status, neurodivergence, socio-economic background or other demographic characteristics. Candidates who share our vision and principles and are interested in contributing to the success of ISP through this role are strongly encouraged to apply.
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