Communications Executive

The FT has an uncompromising mission: delivering independent, quality information, news and services to individuals and companies around the globe. It’s the cornerstone of our reputation and the heart of our ambitions for the future. But for our people, the FT offers so much more than what we do. FT people come from all kinds of backgrounds and work across a huge range of disciplines and locations, and find an empowering, warm and welcoming culture that values curiosity and rewards smart, ambitious thinking. Those who are willing to unite around our mission and live our values will find plenty to challenge, inspire and interest them. Like the audiences we serve, no two FT people are the same; but together we help our audience be better informed and understand the world around them. It’s a job that’s never mattered more, and a career that can take you anywhere you want to go.

Our commitment to diversity and inclusion in the workplace

At the FT, we give all employees a voice so that diverse perspectives are heard and valued. We believe that a supportive workplace is one where employees feel they can be themselves at work. We'll continue to remove barriers for all, and in particular barriers facing employees from underrepresented groups.

The Role / Position Overview

The communications executive supports the Financial Times’ business objectives and editorial priorities at an exciting time, helping to shape the FT’s narrative and reputation as it moves beyond one million paying readers to a new subscriptions strategy. The FT is well advanced in its transformation from print-led to a fully digital media business. It has ambitious plans for global growth and the communications executive is key to ensuring that the story is communicated to external audiences, contributing to commercial success and audience growth and engagement.

Main duties and responsibilities:

General

Support the FT’s communications and brand teams in the UK
Project manage and deliver assignments to the team from the office of the CEO
Support change management workstreams from a communications standpoint, such as the internal rollout of the new Matrix (finance) programme
Work closely with the FT’s Brand and Creative teams to support integrated campaigns from the Communications and Marketing Group

Media relations

Help to manage external announcements from the FT Press Office, writing press releases and pitching news that delivers positive coverage in the media about the FT’s journalism and business
Create media lists using the team’s database, maintain contacts and own relationships with broadcast presenters and producers
Research industry trends and write interview briefings for FT spokespeople
Produce coverage reports for internal distribution summarising the team’s outputs and impact

Reporting

Own and manage tracking for the team, across all external channels
Lead the team’s use of media and social media and monitoring tools, maintaining tracking documents of news coverage and journalists’ broadcast appearances, so we have a consistent view of team results

Other

Support organisation of the team work plan, tracking team outputs against targets, writing meeting notes and supporting coordination between the UK, US and APAC communications teams
Support other ad-hoc team activities including internal and external events and internal communications

Essential Skills & Behaviours:

Writing skills: You need excellent writing, editing, and proofreading skills, with the ability to appropriately inform your audience
Project management: Ability to manage timelines and deliverables against key projects
Strong analytical skills and a data-driven approach to understanding the impact of comms
Excellent interpersonal, communication and influencing skills at all levels of seniority
Ability to multi-task and respond to changing priorities, maintaining a high level of accuracy
Team player with a proactive and pragmatic attitude; willing to pitch in where needed and demonstrate a willingness to assist with tasks outside immediate key role requirements for the benefit of overall organisational success

Essential Experience:

Experience in a communications, marketing, or events team
Collaboration across geographic regions, functions and teams, and working with stakeholders