External Communications Manager

Rolls-Royce; London; Hybrid; GBP 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

A global engineering company is seeking an External Communications Manager to lead communications for significant defence programmes. The role involves developing strategies, managing media relations, and engaging with senior stakeholders for impactful messaging. The ideal candidate has significant experience in external communications, strong writing skills, and the ability to engage confidently with various stakeholders. This position offers hybrid working arrangements and a competitive salary with excellent benefits.

Benefits

Bonus

Employee support assistance

Employee discounts

Qualifications

• Significant experience in external communications and media strategies.
• Strong writing skills for media, speeches, and marketing content.
• Confident engagement with senior stakeholders including media and government.
• Ability to manage complex issues and make judgements under pressure.
• Experience in the Defence sector is ideal.

Responsibilities

• Lead and deliver integrated external communications strategies for defence.
• Manage media relations and stakeholder engagement.
• Influence narratives and campaigns with high-profile stakeholders.
• Represent the business at events and create high-quality content.
• Travel across the UK and internationally as required.

Skills

Integrated external communications

Media relations

Content creation

Stakeholder engagement

Strategic thinking

Job description

Job Description

External Communications Manager

Full time (Fixed Term – 12 Months)

London or Bristol / Hybrid

When you join Rolls-Royce Defence as an External Communications Manager you’ll play a pivotal role in shaping how we tell our story across global markets. You’ll lead external communications for some of the most high-profile defence programmes in the UK and international markets, including the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP).

You’ll work closely with senior leaders, media and government partners, and industry stakeholders to deliver high-impact messaging and campaigns. If you’re a strategic communicator looking to influence globally significant projects while leading major events and campaigns, this is your chance to make a real impact.

Why Rolls-Royce?

Rolls-Royce is one of the most enduring and iconic brands in the world and has been at the forefront of innovation for over a century. We design, build and service systems that provide critical power to customers where safety and reliability are paramount.

We are proud to be a force for progress, powering, protecting and connecting people everywhere.

We want to ensure that the excellence and ingenuity that has shaped our history continues into our future and we need people like you to come and join us on this journey.

This role sits within our Defence Communications team, focusing on external engagement across the UK and international markets, supporting major programmes.

We’ll provide an environment of caring and belonging where you can be yourself. An inclusive, innovative culture that invests in you, gives you access to an incredible breadth and depth of opportunities where you can grow your career and make a difference.

As External Communications Manager, you’ll be at the heart of high-profile strategic initiatives, managing relationships with senior stakeholders, media, and government partners. You’ll have the opportunity to influence international narratives, lead communications for major defence campaigns and events, and contribute directly to the success of globally significant programmes. With exposure to senior leadership and cross-industry collaboration, this role is a springboard for future career growth within one of the world’s most respected engineering organisations.

What we offer

We offer excellent development opportunities, a competitive salary, and exceptional benefits. These include bonus, employee support assistance and employee discounts.

Your needs are as unique as you are. Hybrid working is a way in which our people can balance their time between the office, home, or another remote location. It’s a locally managed and flexed informal discretionary arrangement. As a minimum we’re all expected to attend the workplace for collaboration and other specific reasons, on average three days per week.

What you will be doing
With this attractive opportunity, you will get a chance to:

• Lead and deliver integrated external communications strategies that promote Rolls-Royce Defence in the UK and international markets.

• Shape and manage media relations and stakeholder engagement across high-profile programmes such as the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP).

• Work closely with senior external and internal stakeholders, including government, industry partners, international media, Rolls-Royce Government Relations, Business Development, Strategy and Group Communications to influence key narratives and campaigns.

• Represent the business at events and exhibitions, and manage the creation of high-quality content for digital and traditional channels.

• This role will require travel across the UK and internationally.

Who we’re looking for
At Rolls-Royce we put safety first, do the right thing, keep it simple and make a difference. These principles form the behaviours that guide us and are an essential component of our assessment process. They are the fundamental qualities that we seek for all roles.

To be successful in this role you will need to:

• Have significant experience developing and delivering integrated external communications and media relations strategies at both a strategic and operational level.

• Demonstrate strong writing skills and experience creating content for media, speeches, marketing collateral, and digital platforms.

• Be confident engaging with senior stakeholders internally and externally, including media, government officials, industry partners and executive leadership.

• Have a proven ability to work under pressure, manage complex issues and make sound judgements in fast-paced environments.

• Ideally, you’ll bring experience from the Defence sector, with an understanding of MoD communications and stakeholder dynamics.

We are an equal opportunities employer. We’re committed to developing a diverse workforce and an inclusive working environment. We believe that people from different backgrounds and cultures give us different perspectives which are crucial to innovation and problem solving. We believe the more diverse perspectives we have, the more successful we’ll be. By building a culture of caring and belonging, we give everyone who works here the opportunity to realise their full potential.

We welcome applications from people with a refugee background.

You can learn more about our global Inclusion strategy atOur people | Rolls-Royce

To work for the Rolls-Royce Defence business an individual has to hold a SC clearance. Rolls-Royce will support the application for SC Clearance if you do not currently already have this in place. Due to the nature of work the business conducts and the protection of certain assets we can only progress applications from individualswho are a UK national or, in MoD approved cases, a dual national.

Closing date: 13/08/2025

Job Category Corporate Affairs Posting Date 30 Jul 2025; 00:07 Posting End Date 13 Aug 2025