Freelance External Communications Manager

Craft; Leeds; Hybrid; GBP 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Ad hoc travel

Job summary

Craft in the United Kingdom is seeking a seasoned external communications professional for a six-month contract to oversee the external comms function for a regulated infrastructure business delivering gas across the UK. You’ll own the press office, handle reactive media inquiries and crisis comms, and lead campaign planning across press, digital, social, customer and stakeholder channels.

The immediate priority is delivering the winter campaign, with materials for MPs and regulators developed

Qualifications

• Seasoned external comms professional with in-house energy/utilities or regulated infrastructure experience.
• Ability to run a press office, manage crisis communications and provide leadership in reputational risk.

Responsibilities

• Own the press office; handle reactive media enquiries and proactive crisis comms.
• Lead campaign planning across press, digital, social, customer and stakeholder channels.
• Prepare MP-ready messaging and regulator materials with corporate affairs and regulatory teams.

Skills

Press office management

Crisis communications

Campaign planning

Stakeholder engagement

Job description

This is a six-month contract holding together the external comms function for one of the UK’s regulated infrastructure businesses that delivers gas to millions of people across the UK.

You’d be walking in at the year’s most critical operating period for a gas distribution network. Up until now, the team has been absorbing the external comms workload internally and needs someone experienced enough to pick it up and run it end-to-end with skill.

The Role

You’ll own the press office - reactive media enquiries and proactive crisis comms - and lead campaign planning across press, digital, social, customer and stakeholder channels. The immediate priority is getting the winter campaign finished and out the door, but alongside this, you’ll also prepare materials for MPs and regulators, working alongside a dedicated two-person corporate affairs team and a separate regulatory function who bring the specialist insight.

What matters most here isn’t polished copywriting - it’s critical thinking, awareness of reputational risk, and the ability to distil complex technical information into clear messaging.

The Package

Hybrid working: 3 days in the office

Ad hoc travel across the network footprint

The Person

You’re a seasoned external comms professional, most likely working in-house at an energy, utility or other regulated infrastructure business. You’ve run a press office, handled crisis comms, and advised leadership on reputational risk.

You plan campaigns and generate content across digital and social, and you’re comfortable working entirely self-sufficiently, with no one to delegate to. You have enough grasp of energy regulation and the political landscape to craft MP-ready messaging while leaning on specialist colleagues for detail.

A more diverse team is a more creative team.

It’s our job to build teams of people, and we’re proud to bring together a global network of diverse talent.

All applicants will be considered without regard to race, nationality, religious persuasion, sexual orientation, sex, marital or parental status, physical ability, gender, or age.