Internal Communications Manager at British American Tobacco (BAT) Nigeria

British American Tobacco is a market leading, global organisation with a long, established history and a bright and dynamic future. Thanks to our people we have continued to deliver growth and exceed expectations in an increasingly complex and challenging marketplace.

Our aim is to become the leading tobacco company in each of our markets by providing excellent products with confidence and responsibility expected of global consumer brands.

We are recruiting to fill the position of:

Job Title: Internal Communications Manager

Job number: 2929BR
Location/City: Lagos

Job Purpose and Key Deliverables
As a key member of the Corporate and Regulatory Affairs (CORA) team, the ICM will manage the company’s internal communications programme, provide strategic communication support to the business and assist employees and managers understand their role in making business goals a reality.

Will also ensure two-way communication by continuously obtaining employee feedback and keep all levels of employees informed about key issues and events impacting the company. Provide strategic communication and support for - business objectives, by reinforcing alignment to global, regional, area and local goals and strategy.

Operational/Professional/Business:

Internal Communications:

• Set strategy to manage employee communications that ensure employees understand and support company strategies, principles and initiatives, and the impact on the employees day-to-day activities.
• Develops, manages and produces effective communications tools & platforms, such as company magazines, corporate literature and internal campaigns, that ensure staff are aware of and supporting business initiatives, and success
• Develops and manages the development of annual communications cycle plans that incorporates functional and company requirements and supports the company plan and focus.
• Ensure and support free and accurate flow of communication/dialogue and feedback from the bottom –up (communication from the top – down is assured)

Corporate Brand Development & Management:

• Drive the implementation of a corporate brand strategy and co-ordinate with all functions on programmes and campaigns which help communicate the corporate brand, with the ultimate objective of creating the desired brand image and culture internally. Copied from: www.hotnigerianjobs.com

Management:

• Develop and manage the internal communication strategy and ensure adherence and value across the company
• Supervises the activities and deliveries of relevant communications agencies ensuring BAT is obtaining value for money and that all communications initiatives and activities are being delivered on time and in full.
• Manages and supervises the production, e.g. publishing, of communication initiatives and activities, such as company communication, magazines and corporate literature, branded items, to ensure they are delivered on-time and are of a high-standard.
• Ensures communications initiatives and activities are in-line with company standards and beliefs, and are actively promoting these standards and beliefs.
• Manage communication budget and other resources to ensure alignment with budget and to take company exigencies into consideration
• Assist the head of CORA to develop functional and company plans and initiatives so helping to ensure their success

Leadership:

• Contributes to the effective operation of CORA, by acting as an ambassador, seek to continuously improve the way it is viewed within company and region
• Actively manage career within BAT, taking responsibility for seeking opportunities for development and growth within the company.
• Mentor, coach formally and informally (actively manage career of CORA executives, Management trainees etc.)
• Actively seek opportunities to promote BAT Nigeria within the BAT Group, ensuring CORA and company successes are helping BAT Nigeria attain its vision and goals.

Relationships:

Develop and manage individual relationships with management team – in order to:

• Re-enforce personal credibility with them as their communications advisor and support resource
• Ensure up to date and timely flow of information and communication around the company and within teams
• Collaborate closely with the Organisational Effectiveness team to provide effective communication support within the change plan and motivate change agents
• Participate in cross-functional project teams for effective communication of project relevance to the business and to provide opportunity for the business to engage more with CORA
• Develop relationships with individuals and teams to reinforce credibility in communication received and conveyed
• Through support to other functions, become known as the point-of-contact for all internal communications and the corporate brand.
• Build and maintain trust of employees to serve as a conduit for bottom-up communication and feedback to management. Copied from: www.hotnigerianjobs.com

Innovation:

• Drive a culture of innovation within CORA and internal communication that encourages networking and transfer of best practise locally and globally both within the CORA team and the company in general
• Enhance the reach of internal communication through the use of emerging technology to disseminate information to various offices and field-based employees.
• Continually explore, within reason, new ideas on Communication that will maintain dynamism in the communication approach and hold the interest of the audience groups

Essential requirements Knowledge, Skills & Experience:

• Graduate calibre, ideally with professional or higher qualification in PR, Internal Communication or Corporate Communication
• 5 years+ broad internal communications experience, ideally in a corporate environment
• Understanding of the wider communications disciplines; experience of change management
• Understanding of research tools and methodologies; can conduct small scale qual. and quant. research
• Can communicate factual and conceptual information clearly, concisely and in an appropriate style for the audience
• Superior planning, project management skills and problem resolution skills; able to successfully manage several projects simultaneously
• Strong influencing skills; must inspire trust and confidence of employees, CORA colleagues and business managers, must have – good people
• leadership qualities Confidence and ability to challenge the status quo and maintain the trust of employees which are the key constituents of the internal communications manager
• A strong perceptiveness/emotional intelligence/6 th sense for reading and understanding the ‘pulse’ of employees i.e.,
• knowing how to manage communications to support this pulse/diffuse tension or anxiety Superior skills in sourcing, briefing and managing external suppliers, and in controlling large budgets and challenging work schedules

Desirable requirements

• The job-holder should demonstrate an aptitude for policy-making and stakeholder engagement processes.
• The job-holder should have a demonstrable ability to develop and maintain networks with key stakeholders.
• Effective written and verbal communication skills are essential, as is understanding of design, print, and production and the news-making process.
• Research and analytical skills are essential, as is the knowledge of French, due to the bi-lingual nature of West Africa Area.
• A dynamic and adaptable person, with the ability to advice on/influence decisions that impact on Regulatory issues and Reputation Management.
• The job holder will ensure the principles of Corporate Social Responsibility are embedded in every communication and driven with integrity;
• The job holder will understand the complex political and regulatory framework in which we operate and to engage with governments and key bodies in support of our desire for a regulatory environment in which the business can compete and prosper.

Application Closing Date
3rd December, 2013

Method of Application
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click Here To Apply Online