Head of PR

**You are only a few clicks away from helping millions of buyers and sellers make ‘Good Finds Happen’ on one of the UK’s most loved marketplaces - with over 14 million visitors every month That’s right, we’re proud to be Gumtree.**

A career at Gumtree is joining a mission to make buying and selling safer, simpler and more enjoyable. We’re powered by over 100 ambitious individuals, each bringing our strengths to create the marketplace you know and love today. With newfound independence after being sold in 2021, we’re paving our own path and finding new ways to make Gumtree a great place to work - keeping scrolling to find out more

**About the role**:
We are looking for a highly skilled PR & Comms leader to lead Gumtree’s PR and communications function. Act as brand reputation guardian, raising the profile of Gumtree as the home of Good Finds and a key part of a sustainable retail ecosystem through our vision to help everything find new purpose.

**This** is a Hybrid role (UK) position**

**Reports to: Chief Marketing Officer**

**Contract Type: Permanent**

**What you will be doing**

**Corporate Communications**
- Build, develop and deliver an integrated strategic corporate communications plan, with ultimate responsibility of enhancing and protecting the reputation of the business with internal and external audiences, as well as highlighting our purpose, vision and mission.
- Ensure a consistent narrative across our audiences, e.g. internal, stakeholders, consumer, media.
- Lead the company’s sustainability agenda, with ownership of the company ESG framework.
- Proactively manage brand reputational risk and opportunity by identifying critical themes across the business on an ongoing basis.
- Lead all crisis communications and provide expert comms and reputation counsel to senior partners.
- Working closely with the B2B team, deliver impactful trade communications strategy.
- Partner with marketing to safeguard and enable their brand-building activities across channels.
- Support and empower the broader marketing team, work with them to promote key initiatives, customers wins, product innovations, social impact programs, and the brand platform.
- Manage external agency relationships including across trade communications and public affairs.
- Maintain and build relationships with stakeholder groups.
- Work with the leadership team to develop and execute executive visibility programs that incorporate speaking engagements, thought-leadership awards and social content.
- Regular reporting on news, plus media intelligence and monitoring.

**PR and Brand Comms**
- Work with external agencies to build, develop, and own the company’s consumer and brand PR strategy and processes.
- Manage the press office, including proactive and reactive opportunities, as well as handling press and media inquiries.
- Use trends data and insights to build relationships with the press and proactively secure coverage that demonstrates how Gumtree is a key part of the UK’s circular economy.
- Identify engaging storytelling angles that amplify the brand.
- Lead on brand-building campaigns that bring to life Gumtree’s mission, purpose and values.
- Work closely with brand marketing and digital marketing colleagues on influencer and content marketing campaigns.

**Internal Communications**
- Support and empower the Internal Comms Manager and People Collaboration Team with implementation of the employee engagement plan.
- Support the Internal Communications Manager with the development and delivery of content, in particular on LinkedIn.
- Ensure alignment of internal communications messages with broader company external messaging.
- Support with the internal communication response to crises that affect organisational perception and reputation.

**What we are looking for**:

- Expertise in developing communications plans aligning internal, external, and stakeholder communications against business priorities
- Track record of successfully managing communications during times of crisis. Attention to detail is critical
- Experience managing teams
- Understanding of how to use data and research to create stories and build a narrative
- Experience building integrated marketing communications programs, across traditional media, digital and social channels
- Understanding of the UK policy landscape in particular the Online Safety Act and about digital advertising
- Proven ability to think ahead, engage proactively and take initiative. As well as a self-starter, who is comfortable with autonomy and is able to work independently as needed
- Comfortable with a fast-paced environment

**Key skills**
- Writing skills: You need excellent writing, editing and proofreading skills as well as the journalistic ability to source stories from employees
- Speaking skills: Confidence and a can-do approach to present ideas to the broader team regular
- interpersonal skills: You need good interpersonal and relationship-building skills to