Head of Communications

Introducing Integrity

Integrity is an ethical consultancy and service provider working in challenging and complex environments around the globe.

We help our clients succeed in fragile and challenging environments while building trust and understanding as the basis for transformative change.

We work across all phases of the program and project cycle, delivering ten complementary services: research, evidence and analysis / monitoring, evaluation and learning / data and knowledge management / program and project management / grant and fund management / risk management / technical assistance / capability and capacity development / stakeholder engagement / communications. Our services are underpinned by the principles on which we were founded, a commitment to providing reliable information and evidence, and expert and high-quality delivery.

Headquartered in London and Washington DC, Integrity also has offices in Jordan, Kenya, and Pakistan. Our multi-national team of over 50 specialists deliver a diverse and global portfolio of projects for a range of government clients and international institutions including DFID, USAID, the FCO, US State Department and the World Bank.

We are guided by an organizational vision, mission and commitment.

Vision: Integrity sets the international standard for ethically delivered, expert services in conflict, post-conflict, and fragile contexts. We transform conflict and build stability, accountability, and prosperity.

Mission: We help clients and communities to build trust and understanding as the basis for transformative change. We do not advocate: we listen, comprehend, and recommend.

Commitment: We uphold the highest ethical standards in our service delivery, our employment of staff and our interaction with people. This ensures not only that our clients receive the best possible service but that we benefit the individuals and communities among whom we work.

Further information about Integrity can be found at www.integrityglobal.com.

How Head of Communications fits into the Integrity team

You will play a senior management role at Integrity, providing strategic and intellectual leadership and clarity on the design and delivery of Integrity’s internal and external communications services, systems and tools. You will design, adapt and execute a strategy to evolve Integrity’s own communications culture, systems and best practice.

The role includes responsibilities in company strategy and management, technical design and delivery, business and proposal development, and wider organisational learning. You will lead our internal and external communications approach by aligning our communications and engagement activities with our strategy and vision. You will work flexibly across Integrity’s different services, projects and teams and be attracted to a fast-paced working environment.

You will be based in the UK and report to the Chief Commercial Officer who has oversight of Integrity’s marketing and communications, business development, account management and consultant management. You will work closely with the Chief Performance Officer and other Heads of Services and Thematics in the design and delivery of work for our clients. You will also manage communications consultants and build relationships with key communications partners and institutions.

You will oversee a small but growing team of marketing and communications specialists and coordinate closely with a range of technical specialists in the Services team to design and deliver a range of sophisticated, impactful and evidence-based communications strategies, products and tools.

Scope of Work

Your role is focused on providing technical and management leadership to drive high quality, efficient, consistent and profitable communications services across our bids and contracted portfolio. Positioned at senior management level in the company, the role also includes strategy and management functions. You will design and implement Integrity’s communications approach and work with colleagues to develop both Integrity’s communications capability and our internal communications culture, systems and processes.

You will be responsible for designing and executing a strategy that refines our client-facing communications service offer, with a focus on both organisational communications and external communications through policy and programming. The strategy will also address and develop our internal communications culture, systems and processes to meet Integrity’s own organisational evolution.

You will play a major role in the delivery of contracted projects, including Project Director and senior technical advisory positions on high profile assignments. You will have proven technical, leadership and management expertise, including the ability to liaise effectively with senior stakeholders and team members. You will oversee the communications strategy and inform the format and style of deliverables for a growing 20+ project portfolio, including several prime, multi-year projects across the world and a range of multi-lingual and multi-platform communications platforms.

These include: a global contract to the UK Government’s Conflict, Security and Stability Fund to lead the Global Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (GMEL) Partnership and support the development of a stronger, more agile and more sustainable ‘ecosystem’ for monitoring, evaluation, learning and their application in decision-making; a major access to justice and grant management programme in the Levant; the Learning and Monitoring Programme Somalia for the FCDO; and the Independent Monitoring, Research & Evidence Facility for a major DFID migration programme across North and West Africa.

You will lead on the development of communications as a billable and high-quality technical offer. You will oversee the technical design of communications inputs to bids for clients including the FCDO, USAID and the World Bank. With an understanding of communications best practice models, you will help develop appropriate and innovative approaches and methodologies to meet the needs of our clients and assure the quality of our PM approaches, including work plans. Key thematic areas include: gender and social inclusion (GESI); health; education; fragility and violent conflict; climate, natural resources and environment; governance; and economic development.

You will drive the increased maturity and scalability of communications practice within the company, building on a range of existing digital and editorial communications systems and tools. You will have line management responsibilities and may take on wider company and team management functions over time.

This is an external facing role and you will engage and collaborate closely with a range of clients, partners and stakeholders on Integrity’s Communications offering. This includes representing Integrity and promoting our work at key events and conferences.

Terms of ReferenceStrategy (10%)

• Lead strategies that enhance the influence and reach of Integrity – this should be in line with the next phase of company strategy (2022 – 2026).

• Oversee and evolve Integrity’s Communications offering through a Communications Strategy and Action Plan that sets out our approach, linkages to our other services and thematics, and how our communications capability should grow sustainably over the next five years.

• Promote a learning and knowledge sharing culture and environment with both internal and external colleagues.

• Engage with emerging communications concepts and best practice and ensure the Communications Strategy and Plan is responsive to market requirements. Lead internal and external communication of Integrity’s Communications service and offer.

Thought Leadership, Marketing and Brand (20%)

• Enhance Integrity’s communications approaches and methodologies – including with our other established services – with a view to promoting innovative practices and positioning the organisation as a practice/thought leader.

• Work closely with project teams to identify commercially viable opportunities to drive thought leadership work in line with overall company strategy and priorities.

• Drive Integrity’s overall marketing approach, developing a clear and consistent external facing image across all platforms which positions Integrity as a thought leader in key areas.

• Develop a strategy and coordinate the company’s participation in external events, fora and relevant communities of practice that support our thought leadership, account management and market position priorities.

Design and Business Development (20%)

• Drive the consistency and quality of Communications approaches, methods and work plans in our proposals.

• Work across the Business and Services teams to develop market leading approaches and to capture new business.

• Develop and sustain strong working relationships with key government clients and other relevant accounts.

• Contribute to and lead on the technical and commercial design of new opportunities, from identification and pre-positioning to developing proposals, including work plans.

• Work with relevant colleagues to provide constructive quality assurance of technical and commercial offers on selected new programmes and/or bids.

Delivery (40%)

• Drive improvements in communications processes, products, and tools across the portfolio. Lead the development of impactful, sustainable, and evidence-based communications and uptake strategies for clients.

• Work closely with relevant teams and colleagues to ensure alignment and efficiencies between organisational and project-specific communications processes.

• Sponsor flagship communications and other relevant projects as Project Director and/or as a member of the governance board.

• Negotiate successful proposals to contract, ensuring effective coordination with relevant parties across Integrity.

• Effectively, empathetically, and diligently manage relationships with clients, consortium partners and stakeholders more broadly.

• Ensure projects are delivered on time, on budget, to high levels of quality and in keeping with Integrity’s ethics and ethos.

• Share knowledge gained through project delivery and wider experiences with the internal team, including informal training/coaching attached to best practice models of evidence-based communications and uptake strategies.

• Engage closely with the Chief Performance Officer and other service and thematic heads to drive opportunities for collaboration and cross-selling between services and thematics.

Staff Management (10%)

• Line manage select Integrity staff and/or corporate consultants at lower grade levels.
• Mentor and support colleagues.
• Work with colleagues under line management to develop their careers, contributing to professional advancement, job satisfaction and personnel retention.
• Work with colleagues not under line management to support their professional development in areas of specific expertise or companies, including supporting the development of in-house training materials and delivery of training.
• The position is eligible to sit on company management committees, including Executive Management Committee (on request of C-Suite).

Your Experience and Expertise

The successful candidate will have:

• 12+ years’ experience working within journalism, research, international development and/or the consultancy sector.
• Proven expertise in the design and delivery of complex multi-lingual, multi-platform communications programmes and projects, including stakeholder engagement processes, a wide spectrum of media, uptake strategies, workflow planning and management, budget management and contract management.
• Excellent knowledge of marketing and brand management gained in a global context.
• Strong people skills evidenced by client and team management experience.
• Experience of developing and running effective and efficient communications systems.
• Staff management and mentoring experience.
• Written and oral fluency in English, with outstanding communication skills.

It is desirable that H/Comms will also:

• Journalistic and/or editorial experience.
• Have thematic experience in at least one of the following areas: GESI, health, education, fragility and violent conflict, economic development, and climate, natural resources and the environment.
• Have experience of designing and delivering communications that support the uptake of evidence by different audiences, including government.
• Has experience of the use of monitoring and evaluation tools and techniques to support communications for impact.
• Have experience working in the international development sector.
• Proven ability to see the wider strategic picture in a practical context.

Core Competencies

You should also demonstrate the following core competencies:

• Ethics
• Leadership
• Planning and Organising
• Development and Continual Learning
• Results Focus and Initiative
• Teamwork
• Customer Orientation
• Communication
• Managing Change
• Analytical and Flexible Thinking
• Achievement Focus
• Managing Resources
• Teamwork and Team Leadership
• Customer Orientation
• Influencing
• Organisational Knowledge
• Organisational Alignment
• Strategic Thinking
• Accountability
• Developing Talent