Head of Communications - Irish Cancer Society

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Key Responsibilities

Communications

• Responsibility for the operations management of the day to day activities of the Communications Department.
• Develop and implement a communications strategy in line with the organisational goals of the Irish Cancer Society.
• Provide strategic communications advice to the CEO, senior management team and, where appropriate, the Board.
• Support the CEO as the Society’s lead spokesperson, arranging media opportunities and coordinating briefing materials for interviews and events.  
• Identify, develop and support other Society spokespeople.
• Lead the implementation of strategic projects within your remit. 
• Represent the Society in dealing with corporate partners and delivering on specific commercial KPI’s.
• Liaise with and encourage participation and support from well-known personalities to help spread the messaging of the Society.
• Oversee policies and procedures to ensure the effective running of the Society’s Communications Office and digital channels including the ICS website and social media channels.
• Roster and oversee media queries and be the principal point of contact for any significant media requests or placement of any senior staff on media opportunities. Project manage the full range of communications and public relations campaigns of the Society in support of the strategic objectives.
• Ensure that these campaigns are managed efficiently, on target and within budget.

Marketing

• Maintain the Irish Cancer Society brand positioning and ensure consistent use of materials and tone of voice across all platforms.
• Manage and brief agencies to ensure media and creative spend is optimised and in the best interest of the organisation.
• Ensure all activity is measurable and impactful and deliver regular updates for board and senior manager level.
• Working in partnership with other departments to ensure the Irish Cancer Society remains a top of mind health charity.
• Remain up to date on digital marketing trends and how to optimise these channels for the Irish Cancer Society’s overall mission.

Leadership

• Recruit, develop and manage the Communications team including performance management, training requirements and application of the Society’s annual appraisal process.
• Assess training needs of new and existing staff and organise training as appropriate.
• Lead the research, creation and production of all major Irish Cancer Society communications campaigns across advocacy, research and fundraising.
• Lead the cancer information development team to ensure timely and accurate production of cancer information for website, booklets and social media.
• Build and maintain excellent working relationships with all other teams across the Society.

KEY COMPETENCIES REQUIRED:

Your qualifications and experience

• Third level qualification in communications, marketing, journalism or a related field; or demonstrable equivalent on-the-job experience.
• Experience in managerial role(s) in a relevant busy environment.
• Experience in leading out on large campaigns and audience engagement.
• A strong strategic and business mind-set.
• Excellent networking and influencing skills.
• The Society measures experience based on the quality of the experience obtained, rather than in time passed and welcomes applicants at all stages of their career.

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