Department: Marketing & Communications
Reports To: Director - Marketing & Communications
Directly Responsible For: Co-Ordinator – Customer Communications and Creative Advisor
Hours: 37
Overall team / department purpose
- The Marketing & Communications team is responsible for ensuring that our business has in place a dynamic, proactive and engaging marketing and communications strategy which protects and enhances our businesses reputation, communicates effectively with customers and colleagues and promotes business products and services.
- The team act as ambassadors for the brand and with all associated activities being planned, managed and delivered to fully support our business Vision, Values and Corporate Plan.
Key role priorities
-This role is our business, strategic and operational lead for Customer Communications.
-The role holder is the lead for our annual customer communications plan
- This role is our business lead for strategic and operational management of customer communications including letters, distribution, targeted customer communications content (digital and tactical) and the management of our external direct mail and distribution partners.
- The role holder will stay up to date with changes in the regulatory demands of our customer communication function and make sure our approach reflects and addresses the evolving requirements.
- The role will be responsible for developing and shaping the customer perception of our brand and our impact on the people and communities that we support.
Key working relationships
- The role holder works closely with our Customer Insight Directorate including Executive Director, Directors, Managers and the wider team.
- The role holder will need to work proactively and collaboratively with colleagues across the Marketing & Communications team and to have effective working relationships with managers and colleagues across our business more generally.
- The role holder will work closely with our external direct mail partner.
- The role holder will line manager 2 colleagues within the Marketing and Communications Team. The Co-Ordinator – Customer Communications and the Creative Advisor. The role holder will provide effective leadership and appropriate guidance and support to their team and the wider Marketing & Communications team where needed.
- The role holder is required to liaise effectively with a range of external agencies and other key stakeholders to make sure we deliver our objectives aligned to our Corporate Plan.
Main duties & responsibilities
- Support the Director of Marketing and Communications to develop and deliver an exceptional service to our internal and external customers
- Business lead for pro-actively and effectively developing, planning, managing, and delivering an annual customer communications plan with input from the wider Marketing and Communications team and internal stakeholders.
- Strategic and operational lead for group wide customer communications – over-seeing all forms of transactional communications from a brand and customer journey perspective. Working closely with all customer facing colleagues to make sure that their communication with our customers is on brand, accessible and customer focused. - Contract manage our direct mail and print partners – making sure they perform to agreed SLAs and provide visibility, communications accountability across all areas of our business
- Lead for the production and delivery of our bi-annual customer magazine – creating customer-led, engaging articles and content and working with external partners to distribute, managing data and customer accessibility needs. - Ongoing review of all customer communication activity to make sure it aligns with our Marketing and Communications Strategy - Engage with customers and colleagues to gather feedback and continuously improve our Customer Communication activity - In conjunction with other members of the Marketing and Communications team, support with the production of key publications and collateral for customers.
- Provide effective leadership for the Customer Communication Advisor and Creative Advisor – inspiring and motivating them to deliver on agreed objectives and develop within their roles.
- Produce relevant monthly/quarterly monitoring and evaluation information in relation to the performance of customer communication activity, the reputation of our business and our customer perception of what we do and how we do it. - Manage budgets and make sure that all activity is delivered within approved policies, procedures and budgets. - Liaise most effectively with any appointed external agencies or advisors in the delivery of certain functions, projects or jobs. - Complete any other tasks identified with the level and nature of the post as delegated by the Director of Marketing and Communications
Key measures of success
- Successfully deliver our group wide, annual Customer Communications plan in collaboration with the wider Marketing and Communications Team.
- Create engaging customer-led content that communicates information in an engaging and accessible way.
- Successfully deliver and embed our group wide Customer Communication process, transforming our approach to Customer Communication and addressing all regulatory requirements.
- Successfully support the wider business to make sure that all customer letters, emails and text messages
- Effective contract management of our direct mail partner – making sure we get value for money and effective service delivery.
Livving our values
Livv’s a place with opportunities to grow. We believe in empowering you to make a positive impact in your own unique way. Our values embody what matters to us and show what it means to be Livv, together:
Making a difference daily
We invest in our people, our customers and in the creation of a fairer society.
Positively open
We’re open to feedback at all times, as we strive to deliver a first-class customer experience.
Forging the right way
We’re creating an inspiring road which others will want to follow.
Together as one
Our teams work on another level of cohesiveness to enable us to deliver better outcomes.
Each one of us
- listens to our customers and makes their needs a priority
- is committed to equality, diversity and inclusivity
- takes a flexible approach and works where we’re needed
- follows health and safety guidelines to keep ourselves, colleagues, and customers safe
- helps reduce risks by proactively communicating any potential issues to our line managers
- protects sensitive information by safeguarding customer, colleague and third-party data
- is guided by our policies, procedures and social aims
- is dedicated to continual learning and taking ownership of our personal and professional development.
Person Specification
E - Essential criteria / D - Desirable criteria
Education & Qualifications
Relevant degree and/or Communications qualification (E)
Experience
Extensive creative, influential and strategic copy writing experience for a B2C audience (E)
Management of some/all of a Customer Communications function (E)
Experience in creating and distributing B2C multi-media, customer led content that is engaging and accessible for our customers (E )
Excellent track record of successfully delivering multiple, concurrent communications projects and priorities (E)
Confident in building good relationships with colleagues and know when to resolve issues yourself and when to escalate (E)
Development and delivery of Customer focused Communication plans aligned to a business wide Corporate Plan or strategy (E)
Confident to professionally challenge or to be challenged, curious to know how things can be improved and can work exceptionally well as part of a multi-disciplinary team, focused on shared goals (E)
Energetic, agile and responsive leader, able to work collaboratively with colleagues, internal and external stakeholders and partners (E)
Development and production of management reporting information and performance data (E)
Existing track record of driving continuous improvement in performance and culture, delivering new solutions and approaches within a complex environment (D)
Contract managing external partners (D)
Experience in a Customer Communications Manager role in a Social Housing setting (D)
Experience in presenting and influencing large groups of stakeholders and leading Communication driven business change (D)
Employment in a customer service / public facing business (D)
Skills, knowledge & ability
Exceptional creative, influential and strategic copywriting skills (E)
Exceptional attention to detail – making sure all content is on brand and aligned with ‘tone of voice’ (E)
Excellent personal communication and negotiation skills – energetic, engaging and bringing colleagues and senior leaders along on our Customer Communication journey (E)
Ability to build trusted relationships with internal stakeholders and colleagues across the business (E)
Ability to make decisions independently and know when to escalate – offering solutions to problems along the way (E)
Knowledge of legislation relating to communications, e.g., EDI, GDPR, Freedom of Information (E)
Highly effective oral and written communication skills (E)
Great questioner and listener (E)
Ability to work with minimal supervision and to prioritise projects to tight deadlines (E)
Great visual eye, in terms of brand representation and detail (E)
Fully literate in key word processing software packages for general communications and reports (E)
Good working understanding of creative software packages (D)
Good project management skills (D) Understanding of a complex Social Housing regulatory landscape (D)
Personal characteristics
Evidence of ongoing personal development (E)
Other
A flexible approach to hours worked (E)
Able to travel independently to other locations (E)
Give Get Go
As part of our commitment to the Give Get Go Programme, we will ensure that applicants who meet all essential criteria, as defined in the person specification, will be guaranteed the opportunity to demonstrate their abilities at interview. Individual’s names will be confirmed with the Give Get Go Programme.
Should you wish your application to be considered under this scheme, please contact us confirming this, along with your full name and the role you have applied for when you submit your application. Please ensure that you do this before the closing date for the vacancy.
Equality and Inclusion
Please visit here to read more about Livv inclusive and our approach to equality and inclusion.
Disability Confident
The Equality Act protects disabled people from discrimination, and we welcome applications from disabled people. The Equality Act defines a disabled person as someone who has a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and adverse long-term effect, usually at least 12 months, on their ability to carry out day to day activities.
We will try to provide access, equipment, or other practical support to ensure that disabled applicants are not disadvantaged by their disabilities.
Data Protection
We fully recognise your rights under current Data Protection Laws and are committed to protecting the privacy and security of your personal information. We collect and process personal data relating to applicants to manage the recruitment process effectively, including for statistical purposes.
For full details please see our Job Applicant Privacy Policy
If you require any additional support when completing your application, please contact us