Head of External Strategic Communications

We’re looking for a senior communications leader to shape and deliver our external communications strategy. This high-impact role sits at the heart of our Corporate Affairs team, combining financial communications, brand alignment, and long-term planning.

Reporting to the Director of Corporate Affairs, you’ll lead the delivery of key financial calendar moments, manage our corporate messaging and Masterbrand presence, and act as the strategic “air traffic control” for external comms across the business.

This is a unique opportunity to shape how a major business communicates with the world. You’ll sit at the intersection of strategy, brand, and leadership—helping to define and deliver a compelling corporate narrative that resonates with business partners and supports long-term success.

Due to high interest, this role may close earlier than advertised. We recommend applying as soon as possible.

Please note this role is a 9 to 12 month PAYE fixed term contract.,

Summary

We’re looking for a senior communications leader to shape and deliver our external communications strategy. This high-impact role sits at the heart of our Corporate Affairs team, combining financial communications, brand alignment, and long-term planning.

Reporting to the Director of Corporate Affairs, you’ll lead the delivery of key financial calendar moments, manage our corporate messaging and Masterbrand presence, and act as the strategic “air traffic control” for external comms across the business.

This is a unique opportunity to shape how a major business communicates with the world. You’ll sit at the intersection of strategy, brand, and leadership—helping to define and deliver a compelling corporate narrative that resonates with business partners and supports long-term success.

Due to high interest, this role may close earlier than advertised. We recommend applying as soon as possible.

Please note this role is a 9 to 12 month PAYE fixed term contract.

All the details

What You’ll Do

Your key accountabilities will include

• Lead cross-Group external communications across Strategy & Performance, People, and Plan A, working closely with Content & Channels, BU leads, and the wider Corporate Affairs team.
• Own and manage the long-term external comms planning grid, ensuring alignment with internal comms and acting as “air traffic control” for near- and medium-term planning.
• Deliver key financial calendar moments (Christmas, Full Year, Interim), including messaging, Q&A, briefing notes, media strategy, and content coordination.
• Be responsible for the production and publication of the Annual Report and AGM, managing agencies and collaborating with Investor Relations and CoSec.
• Lead insight and sentiment tracking to evaluate message penetration and inform strategy.
• Develop a clear framework to help communication business partners elevate BU stories (e.g. supply chain, tech transformation, store rotation) into the wider corporate narrative.
  
  
  

Who You Are

Your skills and experience will include:

• Proven experience in financial communications, ideally within a FTSE 100–250 company or a leading comms agency (in-house experience preferred).
• Proficient in project planning and management.
• Excellent writing and storytelling ability, with experience drafting press releases, reports, and executive briefings.
• Calm under pressure, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and tight deadlines.
• Confident working with senior business partners including the CEO, Chair, Investor Relations, and CoSec.
• A collaborative approach and ability to influence across functions.
  
  
  

What’s In It For You

Working at M&S means being part of something bigger - helping to deliver quality, value and service to millions of customers every day. We’re inclusive, fast-moving and always evolving, with a strong sense of purpose and a focus on doing the right thing.

Here are just a few of the benefits that make working here even more rewarding:

• 20% colleague discount on all M&S products and many third-party brands for you and someone in your household, available once you’ve completed your probation
• Competitive holiday allowance with the option to buy more
• Discretionary bonus schemes linked to your performance and ours
• Strong pension and life assurance to help plan for the future
• Tailored induction and training to support your development from day one
• Exclusive perks and savings through our M&S Choices portal
• Market-leading family policies, including parental, adoption and neonatal leave
• 24/7 wellbeing support, including virtual GP access and mental health services
• One paid volunteer day a year to support a cause that matters to you
  
  
  

Everyone’s welcome

We are ambitious about the future of retail. We’re disrupting, innovating and leading the industry into a more conscientious, inspiring digital era. We’re transforming how we work together and offering our most exciting opportunities yet. Marks & Spencer strives to be an inclusive organisation, trusted and admired by our colleagues, customers and suppliers. Join us and make change happen.

We are committed to building diverse and representative teams, where everyone can bring their whole selves to work and be at their best. We support each other and work together to win together.

If you feel you'd benefit from any support or reasonable adjustments during any stage of the recruitment process, please don’t hesitate to let us know when completing your application. This information will be picked up by our team, so we can try and put steps in place to help you be at your best through this process.

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