Head of Press & Communications (Western India), Grade – HEO, Mumbai

Note: All applicants are required to mandatorily fill the complete online application form including the employment and educational details, experience segment and the behaviour-based questions. We will be thoroughly reviewing the application forms only for all the required details. Forms that are incomplete in any respect will not be considered while shortlisting for the next stage.

Main purpose of job:

Based at British High Commission (BHDC) Mumbai, you will lead Press and Communications work for the Western India Network, promoting the UK’s wide-ranging interests in the States of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Goa. You will also champion business-focussed communications working closely with colleagues in the trade, investment and communications team.

We reserve the right to review, revise or amend the roles and responsibilities from time to time reflecting the changing needs of business.

Roles and responsibilities / what will the jobholder be expected to achieve:

This is an exciting role at the heart of the UK’s mission in Mumbai which is the second largest of the eight UK diplomatic mission in India (after the High Commission in New Delhi). You will work across all areas of the UK’s involvement in India, including: trade and investment, political engagement, people-to-people links and consular work.  You will be specifically responsible for planning and coordinating all press and communications work for senior leadership headed by the Deputy High Commissioner (DHC)/His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner (HMTC) across three states in Western India. Working as part of the wider “UKinIndia” Press and Communications Group, you will need to be flexible, able to prioritise work, and respond and deliver at pace. 

You will be responsible for dealing with all aspects of traditional, digital and social media at Post. You will need to be able to identify and tell compelling stories from the region, generate good media coverage and will need strong writing and drafting skills suitable for a range of communications products.

You will be a confident self-starter who is able to spot opportunities and proactively lead and deliver compelling comms with minimal supervision. An energetic, flexible, collaborative ‘can-do’ attitude and approach will be key to success in this role. You will report to the Head of Press & Media for the Department for Business and Trade who leads on business and trade communications across India. You will lead on all other aspects of the relationship in Mumbai which includes people to people, culture, climate change, science and technology, defence & security and more.

Core activities:

Leadership and management (20%)

• Line management of a small Western India communications team, based at BDHC Mumbai. This will include performance management, objective setting as well as mentoring.
• Budget oversight including creative approaches to achieve low-cost and no-cost outcomes, leveraging the profile of the UK missions in India and the senior leadership team.
• Evaluation of activity, including lessons learned and sharing best practice with others.
• An expectation to take on a corporate responsibility in one of the BDHC’s cross-mission teams (for example, we have committees including: Welfare; Health & Safety; Learning & Development, etc).

Press & Digital (50%)

• Lead regional Press/Media relationships across English and vernacular press, TV, radio, web etc. to ensure regular, positive coverage of the UK’s activities and priorities in the region.
• Act as first point of contact for local press, arrange press engagements, and proactively seek opportunities to promote the DHC/HMTC and UKinIndia brand across the region.
• Responsible for circulating a daily summary of top news that informs senior leadership of the trending topics in the region.
• Work with colleagues across the mission to ensure effective media coverage of visits and events.
• Lead on design and deployment of Press Lines in consultation with colleagues in Mumbai and the wider communication network. Develop and deploy defensive lines to rebut potentially damaging media stories as and when necessary.
• Create and sustain local (including local language) media outreach and messaging to regional target audiences, especially via digital platforms.

Strategic Communications (20%)

• You will plan and implement targeted communications campaigns that cut across press, digital and social media.
• Lead regional aspects of India-wide campaigns across the UK’s priority areas such as climate and technology.
• Lead local delivery of these campaigns in liaison with the team at British High Commission New Delhi and the wider network. Develop specific implementation plans for BDHC Mumbai, considering how best to use a wide range of media to deliver priority messages.
• Lead on monitoring and evaluating BDHC communications activities – both for one-off events and longer-term campaigns.

Internal Communications (10%)

• Support internal communications, driving employee engagement that supports a ‘OneTeam’ model.
• Ensure Western India activities are regularly updated and shared with the wider India network through available internal communication channels.
• Take an active role to improve cross-team collaboration and the working environment of BDHC Mumbai through creative exercises and workshops.

Language requirements:

Language:  Language: English (Essential), Hindi (Essential), Marathi (Desirable)
Level of language required: Fluent

Learning and development opportunities (and any specific training courses to be completed):

The jobholder will be able to access a wide range of English language online and face-to-face training delivered for the UK government overseas. You will have opportunities to access specialist training for government communicators..  You will be allocated a dedicated learning and development budget each financial year to support your continuous development.

Any other information (or specific local Post requirements):

We have a 5-day working week, plus annual leave, public holidays, maternity leave provision, paid sick leave provision; development opportunities, a good organisational culture, and excellent work/life balance. 

Essential on arrival:

• At least 5 years in a professional press/media/PR/communication team/institution.
• Experience of design and deployment of digital content across social media platforms.
• Proven record in managing/ leading/ delivering high-profile Press/PR/communications/Digital campaigns in a competitive market.
• Creative flair, an ability to spot opportunities and turn ideas into compelling communication outputs that deliver tangible outcomes (e.g. positive perception change in our target audience)
• Extensive understanding of the Press and Digital Media landscape in Western India.
• Fluency in English and Hindi, and the ability to draft effective media copy suitable for a range of media platforms is critical.
• Fluency in the use of cross-digital skills (e.g. still photography, videography for use on digital platforms and skill in loading content to/deploying the full range of social media platforms/channels – twitter, YouTube, Instagram, FB etc). You will have access to wider team members who can do videography/content capture but you be able to brief in the concepts and ideas.