Executive Director of Communications and Engagement

Date: 9 Jun 2025

Location: London, City of, London, City of, United Kingdom, United Kin

Company: City of London Corporation

The job requirements are detailed below. Where applicable the skills, qualifications and memberships required have also been included. Workplace role categories describe our approach to workplace attendance

Salary: Competitive 
Contractual Hours: 35 hours per week

Basis: Permanent 
Workplace category: Hybrid
Attachments: Job Information Pack

 

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The City of London Corporation is the governing body of the Square Mile dedicated to a vibrant and thriving City, supporting a diverse and sustainable London within a globally-successful UK.

 

It is an historic institution, and has been the custodian of the Square Mile, a leading global financial and cultural hub, for over 800 years. The City Corporation promotes the UK's competitiveness on the world stage and serves as a local authority, charitable funder, arts leader, and environmental steward.

 

In today's complex landscape, effective communication and engagement is crucial. The Executive Director of Communications and Engagement will shape the City Corporation’s global and local presence. This leadership role involves engaging with government, business leaders, investors, media, local communities and importantly the 4,000 staff who make up the City of London Corporation to ensure their voice is clear and compelling.

 

The City Corporation not only influences global trade, financial services, and the UK’s international role, but it also oversees an eclectic mix of services and offers such as leading cultural institutions, 11,000 acres of open spaces, schools and local government services for the City. The Executive Director will articulate the City Corporation’s value, bridging public, private and third sectors, and leading the communications and engagement strategy. They will be charged with driving a proactive and collaborative approach and ensuring successful external promotions of our events and facilities from Tower Bridge to the Barbican and everything in between. The Executive Director will be directly responsible for campaigns and community engagement, media and digital communications, internal communications and engagement, and communications related transformation and strategy.

 

This role requires strategic vision, operational excellence, and political acumen. The ideal candidate will be an experienced leader, adept at navigating complex stakeholder environments and building trusted relationships. If you have the experience, insight, and passion to lead the City Corporation into its next chapter, consider this exceptional opportunity.

 

Responsibilities:

 

  • Shape corporate strategy as part of the Executive Leadership Board, ensuring alignment with strategic goals and compliance with statutory, legislative, and regulatory frameworks.
  • Inspire and develop leaders and staff to foster an inclusive, diverse culture that drives excellent service delivery, talent retention, and continuous improvement.
  • Optimise resource utilisation for efficiency and value, managing budgets, and promoting innovation through collaboration and co-design of effective, inclusive services.
  • Build and maintain strategic relationships with stakeholders at local, national, and international levels to leverage new opportunities and translate political objectives into actionable initiatives.
  • Anticipate sector trends, promote innovative approaches to enhance customer experience, and ensure compliance with all policies, procedures, and governance standards.

 

Specification:

  • Proven expertise in developing and leading proactive campaigns and communication strategies to enhance reputation and engagement.
  • Strong collaboration skills with Chief Officers and stakeholders, delivering high-quality content across diverse channels.
  • Extensive experience in strategic management, navigating complex political environments, and maintaining sector-specific regulatory knowledge.
  • Demonstrated ability to lead and inspire diverse senior teams through continuous change, focusing on high performance and financial management.
  • Successful track record in executive leadership within public/private sectors, with an understanding of demographic, social, and political impacts on the organisation.

 

Please see timelines below. Applications will be anonymised once received.

 

Key dates:

Closing date: 23:59 15 June 2025

Technical interviews: 24 June – 4 July 2025

Psychometrics issued: w/c 7 July 2025

Assessment Centre: 14 July 2025

Final Panel Interviews: 16 July 2025

 

Berwick Partners is supporting the City of London Corporation with this recruitment. For further details and to apply online, please visit https://berwickpartners.co.uk/opportunities/assignment/93753/

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To apply online please visit https://berwickpartners.co.uk/opportunities/assignment/93753/

 

Alternatively, please contact 020 7332 3978 (24 hr answerphone) quoting reference number 584 f you experience any difficulties.  A minicom service for the hearing impaired is available on 020 7332 3732. 

  

The City of London Corporation is committed to Equal Opportunities and welcomes applications from all sections of the community. 

 

We reserve the right to close the advert earlier should we receive a high number of applications. 

  

Because our roles are so varied, we don’t have a ‘one size fits all’ policy for workplace attendance. How many days a week you’ll be required to attend your workplace will depend on the requirements of your role. It’s important that you understand the requirements before applying to ensure you are able to meet them. We are committed to considering requests to work flexibly and job share. Requests will be considered by the recruiting manager in line with our policies and business needs. 

 

For more information on our categories for workplace attendance, please view our guide here.   

 

We will be reviewing this policy and approach at regular intervals to ensure we’re meeting our attendance needs. 

 

The City of London Corporation is currently undergoing a programme to ensure that our pay and reward practices are competitive and equitable across the whole organisation, to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to thrive in the work that we do.