Head of communications jobs in Leeds
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Hybrid – within commuting distance of one of our campuses in Beckenham, Blackburn, Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol, Doncaster or Redcar
Lead communications and engagement for a nationally influential organisation transforming teacher and leader development.
About us
The National Institute of Teaching (NIoT) has an unswerving commitment to high-quality, evidence-informed teacher education and is on a mission to improve the quality of teacher and leader development across the system.
About the role
The National Institute of Teaching is looking for an exceptional Head of Communications and Engagement to lead how we tell our story, build our reputation and deepen our relationships across the education sector. Guided by our belief that teaching is a fundamental societal good, a privilege and a responsibility, this is a senior, strategic role at the heart of an ambitious organisation working to improve the quality of teacher and leader development at system level. You will shape a clear and compelling organisational narrative, lead integrated communications and engagement activity, and act as the NIoT’s main link with the press, ensuring our voice is credible, consistent and influential with schools, trusts, policymakers, partners, funders, journalists, the media and the wider public.
You will bring outstanding judgement, creativity and communication expertise, with the ability to translate complex ideas into messages that move people to understand, trust and act. Working closely with the Executive Director of Partnerships, the CEO and senior colleagues across research, programmes, recruitment marketing, impact and policy, you will help position the NIoT as a distinctive, evidence-informed and school-led organisation with growing national reach and influence.
This is a hybrid role, with an expectation that the postholder will work from the office at least once a fortnight, and more frequently where required to meet business needs. The role also involves national travel, which may include overnight stays.
What we’re looking for:
- A senior communications and engagement professional with significant experience of strategic leadership, ideally in education, public policy, charity, higher education or another mission-led environment.
- Exceptional written, verbal and editorial skills, with a talent for conveying complex, evidence-informed ideas clearly, accurately and compellingly for different audiences.
- Proven ability to develop organisational narratives, lead brand and reputation activity, and maintain clear, consistent messaging across channels and teams.
- Strong PR and press experience, including media relations, journalist engagement, press office processes, handling enquiries, drafting press statements and identifying proactive opportunities to build profile and influence.
- The confidence and credibility to advise senior leaders, influence colleagues, manage sensitive issues and represent the organisation externally.
- A collaborative, values-led leader who can build a high-performing team, strengthen ways of working and support colleagues to communicate with clarity and confidence.
- A commitment to inclusive, accessible and audience-centred communications that help the NIoT reach diverse school communities and national audiences.
Key benefits
- Generous annual leave – 27 days’ holiday a year (plus 8 bank holidays), rising to 33 days after five years’ service.
- Flexible working – we offer flexible start and end working times, with hybrid working in place for all roles.
- Pension – entry to the Local Government Pension Scheme.
- Salary sacrifice schemes – we offer salary sacrifice schemes for bikes, cars and tech!
- Lifestyle benefits – we offer discounts on gyms, cinema, retail and much more!
- Parenthood leave – we offer above the statutory minimum for maternity, adoption and paternity leave.
- Working environment – we have a stimulating, supportive and rewarding working environment with a dedicated team of like-minded professionals.
- Support – our Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) provides confidential support for employees on personal or work-related matters.
- Development – we fully support the development of our staff and ensure that you have a high level of continuous professional development.
We think a wide range of different work and educational experiences could support you to be successful in this role. We encourage applications from all backgrounds, communities and industries, and are committed to employing a team that has diverse skills, experiences and abilities.
For more information and to apply, please visit our vacancies page.
Closing date: 31 August 2026.
We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive a high volume of applications.
As a condition of employment, this post requires a satisfactory enhanced disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) with a Children’s Barred List Check and an Occupational Health Check.
Registered Charity 
Thank you!
Why this role matters
Good ideas, strong evidence and inspiring stories only create change if the right people understand and act on them. This role exists to ensure that the case for physical activity reaches the right people, in the right way, at the right time, and that it moves them to act. You’ll develop compelling narratives grounded in insight, evidence, and behavioural science, helping partners across the system create greater impact and supporting Yorkshire Sport Foundation in leading and influencing far beyond its own boundaries.
Responsibilities
Strategic comms leadership
• Develop and lead a long-term strategic marketing andcommunications approach aligned to our Active Partnership role
and Sport England priorities
• Use behavioural science, audience insight and evidence to shapehow the system understands physical activity and inequality
• Identify the beliefs, motivations and barriers of key audiences anddesign communications that influence action
• Ensure all communications activities support YSF to influencestrategic stakeholders
• Advise the organisation on how messaging can support policy, investment and system change
• Develop Yorkshire Sport Foundation’s reputation as a trusted strategic voice
Influence & stakeholder engagement
• Shape communications that influence policy, investment and practice across local authorities, health and education systems
• Support senior leaders to land key messages with senior stakeholders
• Equip partners with messaging that helps them to demonstrate and amplify the impact they make
• Translate complex insight and evaluation into clear narratives and messages
Insight-led communications
• Embed audience insight and behavioural science into messaging
• Combine data, evaluation and lived experience to demonstrate impact whilst ensuring communications reflect communities
authentically
• Build a learning approach to testing, adapting and improving messaging effectiveness
Organisational leadership
• Lead and develop the strategic marketing and communications function
• Set standards for when communications activity should, and should not, happen
• Maintain humility while strengthening clarity of impact and purpose
Channels & delivery
• Plan and deliver integrated marketing and communications campaigns across digital, media, content and internal channels, ensuring activity aligns with organisational objectives and brand standards
• Produce and oversee high-quality content (copy, press materials, web, social, email and collateral) while coordinating agencies, suppliers and internal stakeholders to meet deadlines and budgets.
• Monitor performance using analytics and insight, report on outcomes and continuously optimise campaigns and messaging to improve engagement and reach.
Other
• To lead on YSF public affairs and policy work in partnership with the CEO
• Strategic comms planning with the Active Partnership National Organisation and other leading Active Partnerships ensuring consistency of messaging across England
• To support the marketing of events across Yorkshire
• To work flexibly to respond to changing organisational requirements and carry out any other duties which may arise from
time to time
• To follow policies and procedures in relation to other matters, e.g.Health and safety, safeguarding, GDPR, financial procedures, etc.
What we’re looking for
We know great candidates rarely tick every box. If you have strongskills across most of the areas below and believe you can add value, we’d love to hear from you.
• Skills in both operational and strategic marketing and communications
• Ability to influence policy, investment or organisational behaviours
• Ability to design and deliver communications strategies that change decisions
• Skills in translating evidence and insight into persuasive narratives
• Understanding of behavioural science and audience-centred communications
• Able to operate with credibility and humility in partnership environments
• Comfortable working where success means others receive recognition
• Strategic thinker who challenges activities that lack purpose
• Commitment to reducing inequalities
• Strategic narrative and messaging development skills
• Senior stakeholder influencing and facilitation skills
• Ability to simplify complex evidence and communicate in engaging ways
• Leadership and team development skills
Other
• Ability to travel independently around West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire.
• Ability and willingness to work to our organisational values
Please make sure you demonstrate your ability to meet therequirements of the job by giving clear, concise examples of how you meet each of the requirements in the What We’re Looking For section of the job description.
We recognise and welcome our responsibility to remove any barriers in our Recruitment and Selection process for disabled people. We have tried to do this, but if you have a disability and identify any barriers in the job description or employee specification, please tell us of these in your application. We are committed to making reasonable adjustments
to the job wherever possible and it would help us to know your needs to do this.
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