Apella Advisors seeking a Senior Communications Manager

Job Title: Senior Communications Manager

Location: London

Remuneration: Competitive

Timing: Immediate

About Apella

Apella Advisors is a reputation and strategic communications consultancy.

We were formed in 2019 by a group of experienced and passionate communications practitioners with in-house and consultancy backgrounds. We exist to help organisations achieve their long-term goals and look to the future with confidence.

Our focus is on how reputation can create measurable corporate value. We believe that a clear purpose should be the guiding principle for strategy and, in turn, can support an exceptional and sustainable reputation among stakeholders.

We provide rigorous advice based on a powerful combination of expertise, insight, and data.

Apella is now at an exciting stage in its growth. Client wins and retention over the past year mean that we are looking to continue building our team. We are facing into 2022 with a strong pipeline of new opportunities and ambitious plans for developing our offer.

We are building an inclusive firm, where everyone’s contribution is recognised and appreciated. The founding partners are committed to creating an environment that is very different to a traditional agency. We care more about the value that we provide to our clients than hours logged on a timesheet.

Employment Opportunity

As a Senior Communications Manager at Apella, you will play a critical role managing key client accounts. You will work closely with senior members of the team to ensure that activity is delivered in line with agreed scopes of work and spot opportunities for growth. You will be involved in the development of strategy and be responsible for ensuring that communications activity aligns and delivers on it. You will also have the opportunity to manage more junior members of our team and support their development.

Client support will largely depend on wins and scopes of work for 2022, but it is likely that you will support on two of our large financial services clients, among others. These clients will see you:

• Support the design of communications campaigns, including positioning and narrative development

• Work closely with clients to embed campaigns into their communications function and advise on activation

• Lead a large press office function

• Work with senior members of the Apella team to provide ad hoc corporate communications and issues support (as required)

You will also be expected to participate in new business activity and be a part of shaping the firm’s development during the early stages of its growth.

What we’re looking for

Confidence, natural curiosity, absolute discretion, an interest in advisory services and a willingness to organise and improve are all essential ingredients to making this role a success.

Background / Experience

The successful candidate will have:

• Approximately 4-6 years’ experience, either in-house or in agency

• Extensive media engagement experience, across trades and national titles

• Experience managing a reactive and proactive press office

• Experience managing or mentoring junior members of staff

• Experience working on campaign-style communications programmes

 The successful candidate might also have:

•  Experience working in the financial services sector

• Experience activating (and possibly designing) digital communications programmes

• Experience being involved in new business activity, i.e., pitching or helping to prepare new business documents

Knowledge / Skills

•  Strong writing skills across a range of briefs, from media content to client presentations

• A clear understanding of campaigning communications, and its key ingredients

• Strong media engagement skills, including knowing the ingredients of a compelling story and understanding how to pitch/secure opportunities for clients

• Strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to connect and build relationships with clients, prospects, partners, and other members of the Apella team

• An understanding of - and willingness to engage with - current affairs and the operating contexts of clients

 Key Responsibilities:

• Management of day-to-day (BAU) communications activity, in line with agreed scopes of work

• Working closely with senior members of the Apella team and clients to deliver key projects, i.e., the implementation of campaigns

• Supporting senior members of the team in the development of strategy and planning

• Managing at least one junior member of the Apella team to support the delivery of client work

• Playing an active role in new business activity

If you are interested, please send your CV to work@apellaadvisors.com stating the role you are applying for and where you saw our job advert.