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About Us
Six Nations Rugby is the official organising body of the annual men’s, women’s and U20s Six Nations Championships and the Autumn Nations Series. Working in partnership with its member unions and federations in England (RFU), France (FFR), Ireland (IRFU), Italy (FIR), Scotland (SRU) and Wales (WRU), Six Nations Rugby has responsibility for the commercialisation of centralised commercial rights, and the promotion and operation of the renowned Six Nations Championships and Autumn Nations Series.
The Six Nations Championship is the oldest international rugby tournament in the world, dating back to its original incarnation in 1883 and expanding to its current format of six teams in 2000. It consists of three highly competitive annual tournaments across men’s, women’s and U20s rugby. The media rights and certain commercial rights of the Autumn Nations Series have recently been centralised, with Six Nations Rugby now supporting the growth and development of these matches for all six unions.
About the role
Six Nations Rugby is recruiting for a Communications Manager to join the Marketing and Communications team at a hugely exciting time for the organisation, and sport in general. Across its Championships, Six Nations Rugby has seen huge growth and engagement with global fans, and the ambition to tell the stories at the heart of these competitions will continue to be a key priority for the business.
The Communications Manager will be a highly motivated and entrepreneurial individual with an understanding and passion for the media landscape, media relations experience, a proactive approach to bringing a communications strategy to life, and an ability to identify opportunities for creative storytelling across different verticals and markets.
As part of the responsibility to deliver a communications strategy, this role will offer the opportunity to lead a best in class press office function and be at the forefront of working with international media.
He/She/They will need to have strong planning skills, to play an active role in developing comprehensive communications plans that support the objectives of Six Nations Rugby. These objectives include the promotion of the organisation and its role within the wider sport and entertainment industry to engage existing and new audiences.
Stakeholder management will be a key aspect of this role. He/She/They will be play an important role in the development of close collaborative relationships across the group of Six Nations Rugby unions, federations, broadcasters, commercial partners, media, and extending into the wider rugby ecosystem with the likes of World Rugby.
This role also comes with a responsibility to preserve and manage the reputation of Six Nations Rugby, meaning there is a requirement to understand corporate storytelling, alongside reputation risk management.
As a core member of the communications team, He/She/They will appreciate the value of measuring success, interrogating how the role of communications can support wider organisational objectives, showcase a collaborative approach to working with all other departments of the business, and have a relentless curiosity to understand all facets of the organisation.
With ambitions to be known for delivering truly unmissable experiences for fans, on a year-round basis, Six Nations Rugby is at the forefront of exploring ways to reach and engage a global audience. As such, this role offers an incredible opportunity, at a pivotal point in the sports history, to play a vital role in using communications to tell these stories.
As Communications Manager you will:
• Play a key role within the Marketing and Communications team, in shaping and then bringing to life strategies designed to tell the story of Six Nations Rugby and its Championships
• Be a guardian of the organisation and its reputation, but also help communicate how it is leading from the front in the sport and entertainment industry
• Lead and develop a Six Nations Rugby press office function, encompassing news generation and distribution, act as a key point of contact with media, and help deliver activity to promote the organisation, its Championships and the people at the heart of the organisation
• Be a crucial point of contact between Six Nations Rugby and the relevant communications teams at each of the six unions and federations
• Have a proactive approach to your work, setting timelines and respected deadlines with clear communication internally to ensure collaboration with other departments
• Be proactive in forging relationships with media, spanning different verticals and across key markets
• Take ownership in measuring success, through effective reporting and measurement of projects and activity, and interrogating how communications is supporting other areas of the business
• Be a collaborative force within the business, working closely with the marketing, commercial and Championship operations teams
• Support in key cross department activities, such as launch events, partner activation, and match representation
• Manage and work collaboratively with agency partners, to develop clear briefs and drive projects forward
The candidate we are looking for is:
• A diligent project manager with a proven track record of success in delivering against a communications plan, and working with multiple stakeholders in the process
• Experienced in working closely with media, on a consumer and corporate basis, to manage enquiries, facilitate opportunities, and proactively take ideas to target media
• Is comfortable in being a key point of contact for media, union and federation counterparts, partners and wider Six Nations Rugby team members, on communications related matters
• Excellent in their written and verbal communication skills, for the purposes of press release writing, preparing media materials, copywriting for Six Nations Rugby channels, the production and delivery of clear briefs and analysis reports
• Eager to lead a Six Nations Rugby press office, including managing the output from the organisation, specifically during Championships. This will extend into the overseeing major activity, such as media events, executive profiling opportunities and launching campaigns
• Experienced in working within sports, and a track record of working within a fast-moving environment whilst managing multiple projects and stakeholders
• Possesses a hunger to forge relationships with media across verticals and markets, to ensure Six Nations Rugby, its unions, federations and partners are represented in the right media, at the right time and with clear messaging being delivered
• A relentless curiosity and willingness to constructively challenge ways of working, stress test ideas and concepts and take calculated risks that have the objectives of the business at their core
• Self-assured and willing to stand by their convictions, to meet objectives
• An appetite to identify and react to trends, and an excitement to unlock future opportunities to reach new audiences
• Ability to read, write and speak French and Italian are not essential, but would be beneficial
To register your interest in applying for the role, please send a CV and covering letter to [email protected]
Six Nations Rugby