Internal Communications Manager - Business

Shawbrook provides finance to a wide range of customer segments that value the premium experience, flexibility and certainly we deliver.  We are a purpose-led organisation, with a focus on delivering long-term sustainable value for all our stakeholders.

We have a diversified offering, with our innovative lending propositions tailored to meet specific customer needs in carefully selected markets across SME, Real Estate and Personal. Our products range from complex structured credit facilities for growth-focused businesses to mortgages for professional landlords and property investors, as well as simple loans for consumers delivered digitally.  We fuel our lending through customer deposits, which we attract by delivering a premium experience, choice and consistently great value to smart savers.

The business model we have created is unique and difficult to replicate, with our ‘best of both’ approach combining deep human expertise with advanced digital, tech and data capabilities.  This combination not only allows us to deliver excellent customer experiences, but to do so efficiently and at scale.  We are proud of our innovative and agile culture, which drives consistently high employee engagement scores and makes Shawbrook an attractive destination for the best talent. If you’re willing to roll up your sleeves, contribute new ideas and believe anything is possible, you’re our kind of person.

Work with us because you:

• Want to be part of a bank built for the dynamics of the modern world
• Relish a challenge and enjoy a fast-paced, innovative and hardworking culture
• Enjoy finding new and better ways to solve complexity and make things happen
• Want to belong to a diverse culture that stands shoulder to shoulder with minority and underrepresented groups
• Care about society and the environment and want to be part of a business that cares too
• Want to continue to grow professionally and be the best version of yourself

This is a new role within Shawbrook's Internal Communications team, created to bring greater rigour, creativity and consistency to how we communicate across the business. As Internal Communications Manager - Business, you will be the operational backbone of the IC function - responsible for the everyday flow of news, updates and stories that keep colleagues informed and connected, as well as the communications that support significant business change. 

You will be embedded in the business, building a genuine network across every function - Risk, Finance, Technology, Product, Portfolio and beyond - so you're close to what's happening and why it matters, not just reacting to news once it's already public. You will own several of Shawbrook's key IC channels, lead the evolution of how we reach colleagues digitally, and bring a more strategic, planned approach to business-as-usual communications than the largely reactive model that exists today. 

You will also act as the bridge between Shawbrook's external narrative and its internal one - making sure that what we say to the market, to investors and in the press is reflected in how we communicate with our colleagues. 

This role reports to the Senior Internal Communications Manager - Culture & Strategy and sits within the Group Strategy and Marketing function. It is a manager-level appointment working across Shawbrook's four hubs and seven brands. 

Key Responsibilities

Working alongside an employee comms content producer you will: 

Change and Business Event Communications 

• Act as the communications partner for business change and events as they happen across the bank, working with functional leads to plan communications that are well-sequenced, proportionate and land well with colleagues. 
• Work in partnership with HR on people-related change, ensuring communications respect consultation requirements and reach the right audiences at the right time. 
• Develop communications plans for business events, covering colleague messaging, manager briefings, FAQs and follow-up communications. 
• Build a proactive network across the business so you can see change coming and plan for it properly, rather than reacting once it's already happened. 

Bringing Our Business to Life 

• Build and maintain a genuine network of contacts across every part of the business, so you always know what's happening and can spot a good story before it becomes obvious. 
• Turn the everyday work of the business - the deals done, the problems solved, the systems improved, the outcomes delivered for customers - into stories that help colleagues understand Shawbrook's impact and see how their own work connects to it. 
• Reflect external announcements and market-facing news in internal communications, giving colleagues context on what we're achieving and why it matters. 
• Help shift Internal Communications from a reactive, news-driven function to one that proactively finds and tells the story of what Shawbrook does. 

Channel Ownership and Evolution 

• Own and manage Shawbrook's key IC channels day to day, including the Manager's Memo, Viva Engage, email communications and all-colleague updates. 
• Own the planning and execution of all-staff calls, including format, run-of-show, content coordination and follow-up - ensuring they are well-paced, informative and worth colleagues' time. 
• Maintain ownership of Shawbrook's employee ecosystem - understanding the different groups that make up our workforce, whether by brand, function, level or banding, and ensuring communications reach and resonate with each audience appropriately. 
• Explore and pilot new channels and formats - including podcasts and other audio or visual content - to reach colleagues in ways that are more engaging and relevant to how they actually consume information. 
• Maintain a clear channel framework so that colleagues, managers and stakeholders understand what each channel is for and how to use it. 

Everyday Business Communications 

• Maintain an active network of contacts across all business functions - Risk, Finance, Technology, HR, Product and others - to stay close to what is happening and identify communications opportunities. 
• Capture and communicate the operational stories, progress updates, team wins and departmental news that help colleagues feel connected to the wider business beyond their own team. 
• Write and produce regular all-colleague updates, briefings and announcements that are clear, well-timed and written in plain English. 
• Manage the IC content calendar, ensuring a steady and well-paced flow of communications across the year without overwhelming colleagues or leaving gaps. 
• Ensure colleagues are kept up to date on anything that affects their working life, including HR policy changes, mandatory training, compliance requirements and operational updates. 

Measurement and Continuous Improvement 

• Track the performance and reach of owned channels and communications, using engagement data and colleague feedback to improve what gets made and how it lands. 
• Contribute to regular IC effectiveness reporting, sharing insight with the broader team and with stakeholders. 
• Proactively identify opportunities to improve how the business communicates, bringing ideas and examples from outside Shawbrook to raise the bar. 

This is a great next step for someone ready to move from a supporting or officer-level communications role into their first, or next, manager position. You won't need to tick every box below on day one, but you should recognise most of it in yourself. 

Skills and Experience - Essential 

• A solid grounding in internal communications, with experience across both day-to-day colleague communications and some exposure to business change. 
• Excellent writing skills, with the ability to write clearly, concisely and in a human voice across a wide range of formats - from short news updates to detailed communications plans. 
• Experience managing IC channels and owning content calendars, ideally in a multi-audience organisation. 
• Confidence working with HR on people-related communications, with an understanding of (or a willingness to quickly learn) consultation requirements and process sequencing. 
• Strong stakeholder management skills, with the ability to build trusted relationships across functions and at all levels of seniority. 
• Familiarity with Microsoft 365 communications tools, including Teams, Viva Engage and Viva Connections or equivalent platforms. 

Skills and Experience - Desirable 

• Experience developing communications plans for business events, including organisational change or restructures. 
• Experience working in financial services, professional services or another regulated sector. 
• Experience leading or contributing to an intranet migration or digital channel transformation project. 
• Experience producing audio, video or podcast content for internal audiences. 
• Exposure to corporate communications and an understanding of how external narrative connects to internal messaging. 

Leadership Behaviours 

• Connected and curious - Builds strong relationships across the business and stays close to what is happening in every corner of the organisation. Sees the story others miss. 
• Clear and confident - Writes and communicates with real clarity. Gives stakeholders practical, well-reasoned communications advice and follows through on commitments. 
• Proactive and organised - Manages a varied workload with discipline and good judgement. Gets ahead of the communications calendar rather than reacting to it. 
• Adaptable - Moves comfortably between the day-to-day content plan and a fast-moving change programme. Adjusts pace and approach as the situation demands. 
• Commercially minded - Understands how good internal communications supports business performance and colleague engagement. Focuses effort where it will make the biggest difference. 
• Hungry to grow - Keen to build experience across bigger, more complex communications work over time, with the support to get there. 

Your Wellbeing - We take your health and well-being very seriously by providing a range of benefits to give you and your family peace of mind. These include:

• Market leading family friendly policies such as access to our Maternity, Adoption and Paternity policies from Day 1 of your employment
• Free access to Headspace, a mindfulness & meditation digital health app
• Free access to Peppy digital health app that offers personalised support through fertility treatment becoming a parent or menopause
• EAP (Employee Assistance Programme) - Offering you support on a wide range of subjects including financial concerns, mental wellbeing and more general queries around family, work, housing, and health
• Cycle to work scheme
• Discounts on gym membership
• Contributory pension scheme & death in service

Your Lifestyle - It’s important you strike the right balance between your work and personal life. We provide benefits to support you when at work and when you’re enjoying your leisure time.

• Minimum of 27 days holiday per year
• Option to buy or sell holiday days through our flexi-holiday scheme
• Discounts on gym membership nationwide
• Access to discounts on a range of high street and online brands
• Community support and charitable giving

Your Contribution - We’re focused on rewarding those that go the extra mile in helping us achieve our goals.

• Participation in our annual discretionary bonus scheme designed to reward your contribution to our success
• Proudly Shawbrook recognition scheme focused on recognising our role models and thanking our colleagues for a job well done