Southbank Centre passionately believes the arts have the power to transform lives. This vision attracts over 25 million visits a year.  Its employees are at the centre of delivering the mission, which is ‘To draw everyone possible to this loved site and captivate them through a unique arts programme and warmth of welcome’.

The development of the festival approach to the artistic programming and entrepreneurial activity has dramatically increased the number of people who come to Southbank Centre and the time that they spend here. A growing proportion of Southbank’s work is free to access and is created in participation with a very diverse range of communities and groups. The festival site attracts hundreds of thousands of people who have never attended a cultural event before.

Role

Southbank is looking for an exceptional candidate to fill this newly created senior post which reports to the Director of Marketing and Communications and works closely with the Artistic Director, CEO and Board. The ideal person will have experience within a large and complex organisation, shaping and managing multiple messages through the creation and execution of impactful communications and external affairs strategies. They will be used to dealing with journalists and the media and will have the gravitas and experience to engage with a broad range of key opinion formers.

Job Objectives

• Work with the Director of Marketing and Communications to develop, refine and implement the communications and external affairs strategy.
  Be accountable for the delivery of media relations objectives.

Main Responsibilities

• Establish relationships and proactively engage with key influencers, including journalists, politicians, opinion formers and lobbyists including those with specific arts and/or political interests appropriate to the programme and corporate objectives.
  

• Advise the CEO, Artistic Director and executive team on appropriate media handling of sensitive situations.
  

• Drive actions that contribute to Southbank Centre’s executive team (especially the Artistic Director) having appropriate media profiles and being able to act effectively as spokespeople for the organisation in both proactive and reactive situations.
  

• Ensure key messages and press materials are developed to meet Southbank Centre’s needs, both at a corporate level and for individual projects.
  

• Monitor media coverage to evaluate the communication of key messages and provide the senior team with updates on progress against media objectives.
  

• Work closely with the other senior staff to ensure alignment of all strategic communications activities.
  

• Help to shape a ‘digital first’ strategy for communications, which aims to ensure digital platforms are fully exploited as key communications channels.
  

• Lead on internal communications strategy, working closely with the Director of HR and leading the Corporate Communications Manager in the execution of plans and the day to day management of Southbank Centre’s intranet.
  

• Keep abreast of political landscape and plan appropriate mitigating strategies to ensure Southbank Centre is prepared for potential changes or issues that could affect it.
  

• Prepare and regularly review a crisis communications strategy and undertake scenario planning. Lead on media training and personal communications strategies for key staff.
  

• Work with the Digital Engagement team to fully exploit social media channels and to ensure Southbank Centre rapidly improves its ability to reach out across digital platforms, build a following amongst key stakeholders and also react quickly and assuredly online to crisis situations.
  

• Monitor and report on external perceptions of Southbank Centre across all on and offline platforms.
  

Person Specification

Essential

• Successful track record of delivering proactive media campaigns, generating positive coverage and handling difficult or crisis issues in the media.
  

• Persuasive and influential ability to deal with journalists, the media and key influencers.
  

• An excellent communicator with strong presentation and drafting skills; experience of presentations and briefings in or for a comparable organisation and of ability to present advice and information in a clear and logical way.
  

• Exceptional stakeholder management skills and personal impact and gravitas to command respect from a wide range of senior internal and external stakeholders including being able to influence journalists and the media.
  

• Ability to act independently and make clear recommendations.
  

• Strong leadership skills including an ability to motivate teams to be successful.
  

• An understanding and appreciation of the arts desirable.
  

• Demonstrate an understanding of and commitment to the role that diversity and inclusion play in the activities of the Southbank Centre as a whole and in the work of this particular job.
  

Desirable

• An understanding and appreciation of the arts.