Corporate Communications Officer

Job Description

This is a really exciting opportunity for a highly organised and enthusiastic individual with a background in corporate communications, to join our growing communications team based at our brand new state of the art Head Office in Tolworth, just off theA3 and with easy reach of Central London. Since establishing itself in Great Britain in 1994, Lidl has continued to grow at pace and today has more than 900 stores in England, Scotland and Wales. As the fastest growing bricks and mortar supermarket in Britain, building and protecting Lidls brand andreputation is more important than ever. Working closely with the Press Office Assistant and reporting directly into the Senior Corporate Communications Manager, youll play an integral role within the team, managing the busy press office and working acrossmultiple corporate issues and projects, as well as supporting with Public Affairs. Youll need to be a people person, with impeccable writing skills and attention to detail, a natural instinct for problem solving, the ability to work with personnel at alllevels across the business, and an unflappable attitude to high pressure situations.We have a hybrid working model for Head Office roles, ensuring you have a flexible work life balance.***All applicants should include a cover letter***What youll do

• Working with the team to devise and implement Lidl GBs corporate communications strategy
• Day-to-day management of Lidls busy press office, investigating and responding to issues and enquiries on a range of subject matters
• Building and coordinating national, regional and trade business announcements regarding corporate topics including expansion plans, CSR commitments, and HR policies
• Developing communications materials including letters, briefing documents, press releases, presentations, and background research
• Providing counsel to internal stakeholders on corporate affairs matters
• Building strong working relationships with key external and internal stakeholders
• Developing company messaging alongside internal stakeholders
• Managing property communication plans and liaising with regional teams on all proactive and reactive expansion news
• Assisting with issues and crisis management
• Supporting with public affairs activity and delivery of stakeholder engagement plans and briefings
• Management of event logistics and coordination
• Assisting in the management of the corporate comms agency team
• Overseeing and updating Lidls corporate website with latest facts, figures, and press releases
• Management of Lidls media monitoring service
• Staying on top of wider news agenda - informing communications team of relevant stories
• Helping to coordinate and facilitate media training for nominated spokespeople
• Leading on management of strategic business awards
• Compiling and coordinating reports on a weekly, monthly, and annual basis
• Supporting with management of budget and invoice processing
• Deputising for corporate communications manager in their absence and providing day-to-day support for the Press Office Assistant

What youll need

• At least 3 years previous experience within a corporate communications role either at an agency of in-house
• Experience working with retailers or big brands, and a substantial understanding and knowledge of the retail sector and the role of Lidl within it
• Experience using media monitoring and analysis tools such as Gorkana
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment with strong time management skills and the ability to work across several projects at once
• Natural flair for problem solving
• Proactive and hands on, with a drive to continuously improve
• Exceptional writing skills, with an eye for detail and the ability to adapt to the companys tone of voice
• Excellent command of English grammar, with both verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to predict the media agendas and respond to them effectively
• Strong knowledge of the UK media landscape and good media contacts
• Unflappable in high pressure situations
• Always acting with integrity and discretion
• Public Affairs experience would be advantageous
• Exceptional interpersonal skills and competency working with internal teams as well as with people across all levels of the business and external partners
• German language skills would be advantageous but are not essential
• Flexible and willing to work, on occasion, outside of normal workings hours to deal with or escalate issues that arise

What youll receiveThis isnt getting by. This is getting what you deserve. Working at Lidl is rewarding, in every sense, because we give you the training to succeed in your role and plenty of opportunities to progress your career here. Were proud to offer a competitive salarystarting from £28,000 to £32,000 (depending on experience) with an additional non-contractual 10% London weighting and a generous holiday allowance. Save for your future with our pension scheme, or save today with an in-store discount, plus extra discountson days out, cinema tickets and much more.Weve now moved into our brand new head office, Lidl House, in Tolworth and we cant wait for you to see our new space. Its light, spacious and has state of the art breakout spaces, an on-site barista and gym and much more, making it the perfect place tomeet colleagues and achieve your potential. We work to a hybrid model ensuring you have a flexible work life balance for those important moments in your life.Please note your employment is conditional upon the Companys receipt of satisfactory references and if requested by the Company, a satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service check.Disclaimer: due to the high volume of applications we receive, we reserve the right to close a vacancy earlier than the advertised date. This is to ensure our teams can manage application levels while maintaining a positive candidate experience. Once a vacancyhas closed, we are unable to consider further applications, so please submit your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.