Internal Communications Manager (Fixed Term, 12 months)

Welcome to Ada!

We are the Government's National College for Digital Skills, dedicated to educating, supporting, and inspiring the next generation of digital pioneers. Our college is expanding, with a new permanent home in London, a 9 minute walk from Victoria Station, for our 6th form and Apprenticeship programs, and a growing Apprenticeship programme in Manchester.

All students study BTEC (RQF) Level 3 Computing programme for at least 66% of their curriculum with the other coming from A levels. Students undertake regular off-curriculum industry projects with partners such as King Games, Deloitte, Bank of America and Salesforce. We are passionate about high quality teaching and learning, using industry’s problems to bring education to life for our learners and thinking of innovative new approaches to communicating some of tech’s more challenging concepts.

Our students achieve highly across all subjects and progress to an amazing range of destinations.

Recently these have included those who embarked on a Degree Apprenticeship with Deloitte, Salesforce, ClearScore, PwC and Lloyds Banking Group as well as those who continued to study further at a range on Universities including Nottingham, Queen Mary, Lancaster, Kingston and many more.

Role Overview

Ada, the National College for Digital Skills, has a strong and healthy internal culture, with over 80% of employees reporting that they align with the college’s mission and that the college has a supportive culture.

As a fast-growing and changing organisation, we now need to ensure that employees across the organisation feel supported to perform effectively, engage with college systems and processes, and collaborate across locations, departments and teams.

Reporting into the Head of HR and with a dotted line into the CEO and Director of External Relations, the Internal Communications Manager is responsible for the development, delivery and management of the college’s communication channels, programmes and campaigns to drive employee engagement and improve overall college performance.

The post holder will lead on developing and executing internal communications strategies, with the support of the HR and the External Relations teams, to ensure that staff within the college are motivated, informed, engaged and able to perform their roles effectively.

The post holder will work with leadership teams across the college to create high-quality, engaging content for various communication channels, including newsletters, intranet sites, emails, handbooks, staff training, and employee recognition programmes.

The post holder will work closely with the Head of HR, Director of External Relations, and CEO to understand internal communication needs and ensure that these are aligned with the college’s organisational strategic objectives and support staff retention and recruitment initiatives.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

● Create clear, compelling and engaging communications that ensure an effective and timely flow of information between the college’s HR/Executive Leadership Teams and the wider organisation.

● Support the CEO and Executive Leadership Team in building the internal Ada brand to create and maintain a strong internal identity and tone of voice to be used across the college.

● Manage and develop innovative communication channels, both online and offline, with a particular focus on evolving digital platforms in line with industry best practice.

● Act as Project Lead on the transition away from the college’s primary employee communication channel (Workplace), identifying alternative options and managing the implementation of the chosen suitable alternative.

● Act as Project Lead on the various college intranet and internal HR microsite projects.

● Lead on the development and introduction of an Ada termly staff newsletter.

● Support the college with the development and facilitation of engaging employee training across all teams.

● Support the Head of HR and the Director of External Relations with developing and delivering employee engagement and communication plans in response to college needs.

● Support the HR resources team with administrative duties during times of absence and annual leave.

● Be responsible for ensuring cross-organisational collaboration channels are effective with regard to event planning, implementation of new systems, and adherence to organisational processes and planning systems.

● Lead on the implementation and improvement of the staff induction process alongside Senior HR Officer.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

● The postholder will possess highly effective and engaging communication skills. They should excel in written, verbal and presentation skills. Previous experience of working with digital channel communication tools is essential.

● The postholder will have a proven track record of working on internal communication campaigns , creating and deploying employee communication and engagement channels. They will be familiar with utilising the full range of media ( digital/social/face-to-face), with measurable impact and return on investment.

● Experience of creating and delivering creative and tailored communication solutions and campaigns to drive employee engagement.

● Experience of delivering training sessions

● Experience of working in a school setting or other similar regulated environment. Other Requirements:

● The successful candidate will have the choice of working in either our London office or our Manchester office.

Remuneration and Benefits Salary: £45,000 pro-rata (London), £40,050 pro-rata (Manchester).

Selection process: 2 Stage interview & Assessment.

Main hours: 9AM-5PM (Mon-Thurs).

Holidays: 30 days per annum (3 of these days must be reserved for the period Between Christmas and New Year).

The salary for this role will differ depending on the location chosen.

The successful candidate will be required to apply for a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check when appointed to the post. References for shortlisted candidates will be requested prior to the interview day.

Safeguarding

Ada, National College for Digital Skills is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share in this commitment. The successful candidate will be required to have an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check and references will be sought from previous employers prior to commencing employment. Other related pre-employment checks appropriate to the post will also be carried out.

We care about equity, diversity and inclusion

Ada. National College for Digital Skills recognises that equality of opportunity and the recognition and promotion of diversity are integral to its strengths. The following principles apply in respect of the College’s commitment to equality and diversity:

Applicants with disabilities

Ada is keen to increase the number of disabled people it employs. We, therefore, encourage applications from individuals with a disability who are able to carry out the duties of the post. If you have special needs in relation to your application please contact us at HR@ada.ac.uk.

Sponsorship

Sadly, we are unable to offer sponsorship for this role so can only accept applications from candidates who have the legal right to work and remain in the United Kingdom.