Senior External Communications Manager - Corporate Reputation

Location: London, 3 days a week on site

Company

hirify.global is a UK communications group and the holding company for BT, EE, Openreach, and Plusnet, serving consumers, businesses, public-sector organisations, and communications providers.

What you will do

• Lead or support external communications responses to high-level reputational and agenda-setting issues.
• Advise senior stakeholders on strategic external communications, issues management, and media engagement.
• Develop external positions, narratives, reactive lines, Q&As, briefings, and stakeholder handling plans.
• Draft media statements, senior leader talking points, stakeholder notes, and other communications materials at short notice.
• Coordinate with Corporate Affairs, Brand, Investor Relations, Legal, Regulatory, Strategy, Policy, and business teams.
• Monitor emerging issues, reputational risks, and stakeholder sensitivities, turning insight into practical recommendations.

Requirements

• Significant external communications experience in a complex regulated industry of a similar scale to BT.
• Significant corporate, financial, regulatory, or issues communications experience in a listed company, major regulated business, or equivalent advisory environment.
• Strong understanding of the UK media landscape across national, business, trade, political, and investor audiences.
• Ability to translate complex regulatory, commercial, legal, or financial issues into clear external messages and practical handling plans.
• Strong writing, judgement, and media-handling skills, including the ability to work with confidential and market-sensitive information.

Nice to have

• Experience working directly with senior leaders and specialist functions such as Legal, Regulatory, Policy & Public Affairs, and Investor Relations.
• Calm, collaborative, detail-oriented, and resilient approach to pressure and ambiguity.

Culture & Benefits

• Fixed-term interim role ending 31 December 2026.
• Part-time schedule of 2 or 3 days per week.
• Company car scheme or cash alternative.
• 15% on-target annual bonus, private healthcare, pension contributions, and holiday purchase scheme.
• Paid carers leave, enhanced maternity, paternity, and adoption leave, plus discounted BT and EE products.