About the job
JOB TITLE: Head of Football Communications
DEPARTMENT: Communications
LOCATION: Multi-site
CONTRACT: Permanent
JOB FUNCTION: Managing and delivering external media relations for both the Men’s and Women’s team, including leading media activity for the Men’s team Head Coach. Supporting Director of Communications in delivering Chelsea’s strategic messages.

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES (Play Your Part):

• Manage external media commitments for the Men’s and Academy teams, ensuring compliance with all contractual media obligations for the Premier League, PL2, FA Cup, UEFA competitions, UEFA Youth Cup and Carabao Cup.
• Manage the Men’s team Head Coach’s engagement with all media across TV, print, radio and online to deliver increased positive coverage of the club and its Head Coach both in the UK and internationally.
• Grow existing senior media relationships to ensure accurate, positive coverage of the club, wherever possible.
• Support promotion of the commercial and sponsorship work of the club, both in the proactive distribution of good news stories on new partners but also assisting in activating their media requirements with regard to players.
• Counsel and brief the first-teams on sporting and wider organisational issues, ensuring they are fully prepared for all media activity.
• Manage the relationship of first-team squads with domestic and international media across all platforms, enhancing their standing while providing appropriate access.
• Continue to build contacts with newly emerging media leaders, opinion-formers, institutions on new media platforms, nurturing those relationships early, to pay back in dividends later.
• Lead and manage the Communications Managers team for the both Men’s and Women , providing guidance, support, and mentorship to ensure high performance and professional growth.
• Cultivate and maintain close relationships with players’ personal PR representatives and agents to ensure first-team players feel supported by the club, influencing personal media work where possible in the club’s favour.
• Working primarily with the Men’s team Head Coach taking full responsibility for all of his media commitments across rightsholder, match days and wider club media activity with partners.
• Also supporting the wider Comms team with the players/coaching in delivering the external news agenda where required.
• Managing and monitoring wider CFC club media activity and advising key spokespersons for the club
• Supporting the Director of Communications in delivering appropriate responses to news events, both proactively and reactively, acting as club spokesman where appropriate
• Liaising with the Head Coach to ensure his participation in external media opportunities, keeping colleagues informed of upcoming activity
• Liaising with other departments and stakeholders regards media activity on match days to include UEFA, Premier League, FA and Football League matches
• Managing relationship with external service providers and PR agencies
• Helping deliver the company’s Mission, Vision and Values in all external communication where appropriate

MEASURES OF PERFORMANCE (Here to Win):

• Maintaining a constant positive relationship with all media contacts resulting in more favourable and balanced comment/coverage on the club
• Further enhanced relationship with head coach, his coaches and players, delivering positive CFC messaging via external media
• Enhanced relationship with broadcast rights holders, utilising bespoke projects to better project image of the club to a worldwide audience
• Realistic and appropriate external coverage of Head Coach, management and non-match day CFC matters

PERSONAL SPECIFICATION:

• Experience of working in a busy media environment.
• Strong leadership and team management skills.
• Experience of working in a high performance environment
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Excellent media relations
• Excellent stakeholder relations
• Able to work to tight deadlines and demonstrate strong proof reading and researching skills.
• Display an enthusiastic approach to managing competing priorities.
• Able to deal with sensitive situations tactfully and always maintain confidentially.
• Highly-capable writer for a variety of purposes and audiences.
• Experience in dealing with high- profile personalities and media issues preferable but not essential.
• IT self-sufficiency and fluent in Excel, PowerPoint, Work and Outlook is essential.