Director for Communications

BALPA is the trade union and professional body representing pilots and helicopter crews in the UK. We have around 10,000 members and are recognized in around 20 companies. BALPA is currently in a period of reform and improvement, working to modernize and put members at the front and centre of our union. With a new General Secretary and a new President, it is an incredibly exciting time to join our team and play a leading role in developing our Association for the better. BALPA represents members both individually and collectively with workplace issues ranging from individual advice on disciplinary and capability issues to collective industrial bargaining on pay, terms, and conditions, to professional issues around flight safety, policy, and regulation.

BALPA has a thriving network of pilot workplace representatives in our Company Councils and eleven flight safety and flight policy committees of members, in addition to our small team of staff. BALPA is affiliated with the Trades Union Congress (TUC), the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF), the European Cockpits Association (ECA), and the International Federation of Airline Pilots' Associations (IFALPA).

About the role BALPA's Director for Communications is responsible for the strategic direction of all internal and external communications for BALPA. The Director leads and manages BALPA's team of four Communications Officers (two working on corporate communications and two working on Company Council communications). The Director for Communications is responsible for developing and delivering the strategy for all of BALPA's communications (including the website, member portal and forums, member apps, email newsletters, social media, traditional media, and press, magazine, podcasts and videos) and providing strategic direction to Comms Officers who develop and deliver communications across BALPA both corporately and for individual Company Councils.

The Director will be responsible for the development and implementation of the recommendations from the current communications review. The Director will be responsible for corporate branding and tone, and ensuring that we meet this across all our internal and external channels, including social media. The Director will be responsible for increasing our media profile and presence. BALPA's Director for Communications will be a member of BALPA's Strategic Leadership Team (SLT) and play a leading role in BALPA's modernisation program.

Responsibilities Main Responsibilities:

• Working closely with BALPA's General Secretary, the National Executive Council (NEC), the Strategic Leadership Team (SLT), BALPA's Company Councils and other member committees, and the team of Communication Officers to develop and drive forward
• BALPA's strategic objectives for all communications.
• Lead the creation of engaging and influential content for BALPA members, stakeholders, and external partners to deliver BALPA's strategic objectives.
• Implement the recommendations of the 2024/25 BALPA Communications Review (part of BALPA's modernization strategy) and work with the team to develop the strategy further, ensuring that our communications (both content and the medium/platform) are engaging, modern, and influential.
• Build and develop BALPA's media presence (both traditional and new media), acting as the main point of contact for journalists and the media, and delegating to the Comms
• Officers (Corporate) as appropriate.
• Manage a budget, ensuring value for money and efficient use of members' money.
• Conduct research and development on our communications to ensure that BALPA communications meet the needs of our members and are evidence-based.
• Ability to edit the members' magazine and develop a strategy for the future of the members' magazine (taking into consideration future recommendations from the communications review) to make recommendations to the NEC.
• Work with the Director for Member Engagement and Career Services and the Director for
• Industrial Relations and Employment Policy to continue to grow BALPA's membership and increase our already high density of membership.
• Work with the Director for Member Engagement and Career Services and the rest of the
• SLT to ensure that member benefits are communicated effectively to both existing and prospective members.
• Responsible for corporate branding and tone, and ensuring that we meet this across all our internal and external channels, including social media.
• Work with the Director for Flight Safety, Policy, and Regulation to ensure that our professional policy work is visible to our members and assist with communicating complex flight safety issues to those outside the aviation industry, politicians, the media, and other stakeholders.
• Work with the Director for Legal and Governance and the Director for Industrial Relations and Employment Policy to ensure that our industrial campaigns and high-level legal cases are visible to our members, stakeholders, and the outside world.
• Work with the Director for Legal and Governance to ensure that our communications are
• legally compliant, particularly around industrial disputes and statutory elections.
• Work with the General Secretary's office, particularly the Public Affairs Advisor, to ensure our political campaigns, both nationally and internationally, are visible and relevant.
• To represent BALPA at communications meetings across the trade union movement in the UK and pilots' unions within the ECA and IFALPA.
• To ensure that all communications content is high quality and to the highest standard.

Building Relationships and Managing People:

• Develop, manage, lead, and motivate an effective and influential team of full-time BALPA Communication Officers.
• Build and develop BALPA's relationships with key journalists and stakeholders in the media to increase our media presence.
• Guide and support the team of Communications Officers, in particular guiding the communications officers on the development of comms strategies for each of our Company Councils.
• Develop and maintain good working relationships with Comms leads in sister organizations, including the TUC, Unions 21, IFALPA, and ECA unions, and other key stakeholders.
• To work with the Head of HR and People to develop and implement staff training programs and pathways for the communications staff, taking into consideration the different stages of development of individuals and the strategic needs of the Association.

Communications and Influence:

• To represent BALPA in the media when appropriate.
• To attend meetings of the National Executive Council (NEC) and present on communications matters.
• To chair training and meetings of BALPA representatives and staff.
• Write policy documents and content for publication to both internal and external audiences.

Working Practices and Working Culture:

• Undertake general management duties as directed by the General Secretary with advice and guidance from HR, such as performance management and other processes, and sit on interview panels.
• To build and maintain supportive and collaborative relationships with members of the
• Strategic Leadership Team (SLT), covering for annual leave as appropriate.
• To work out of hours on press and media work as necessary.
• To promote a positive and inclusive culture with a collaborative team that is open to new ideas and change.
• To deputize for the General Secretary as appropriate.
• To undertake any duties that are reasonably within the scope of the role as directed by the General Secretary.

Knowledge and Experience:

• Significant experience in leading communications with proven successes.
• Significant experience writing engaging communications in a membership organization
• Significant experience in using a range of communication platforms.
• Significant experience in increasing media profile and influence.
• Knowledge of the trade union movement and/or aviation industry.

Building Relationships and Managing People:

• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate effectively with high levels of emotional intelligence.
• Ability to be calm under pressure, dealing with difficult situations, show both empathy and robustness, with an ability to manage expectations.
• Ability to lead, manage, inspire, and coach a team of National Officers at different stages of development.
• Build and maintain excellent relationships with our stakeholders.

Skills and Judgement:

• Ability to develop strategy and provide strategic direction.
• Solution and outcome-focused with excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent judgment and decision-making skills.

Communication and Influence:

• Public speaking skills with experience in a range of different situations.
• Media experience in a range of different media.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.

Working Practices:

• Ability to manage high work levels and meet competing demands while
• Embrace change and contribute ideas and strategies to continuously
• improve the representation we give to our members.
• Excellent attention to detail with strong planning abilities.
• Understanding BALPA's strategies, policies, and processes and ensuring these are always followed.
• Out of hours working to deal with press and media inquiries.

Working Culture:

• A willingness to learn, to develop . click apply for full job details