Communications Manager for Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland

Company Description:

McDonald’s has run its business in the UK since 1974 and celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. The business currently operates over 1,450 restaurants across the UK and Ireland, serving almost four million customers each day. McDonald’s is one of the UK’s largest private sector employers, employing over 177,000 people.

McDonald’s UK & Ireland has a proven track record of investing in the development of its employees and offering flexibility as part of its dedication to being a modern and progressive company. Every year, it invests over £40 million in developing people, giving every one of its employees the opportunity to take part in structured training.

McDonald’s buys ingredients from over 23,000 British and Irish farmers and spends over £1.1 billion annually on its food and packaging requirements. McDonald’s is committed to supporting British and Irish farmers to ensure it can continue to source many of its ingredients from the UK and Ireland.

McDonald’s is a market leader in its field, striving for the highest standard of quality, speed and restaurant experience. Re-generation of our restaurant infrastructure, covering digital ordering, re-imaging and dual-point service make working at McDonald’s more exciting than ever

We are dedicated to using our scale for good: good for people, our industry and the planet. From bold recycling initiatives and sustainable sourcing efforts to our partnership with Ronald McDonald House Charities, we see every day as a chance to have a genuine impact on our customers, our people and our partners.

We're a people business just as much as we are a restaurant business. We strive to be the most inclusive brand in the world by building diverse teams who create delicious, feel-good moments that are easy for everyone to enjoy. Joining McDonald's means thinking big every day and preparing for a career that can have impact around the world.

Company Vision and Culture

Our Global vision is to build a better McDonald’s and, in the UK, and Ireland we are working hard to be the UK & Ireland's best-loved restaurant company. McDonald’s is defined by its culture. Our culture shapes and informs everything we think and everything we do. Our culture influences the way we interact with each other, and how we interact with customers, franchisees and suppliers. Our culture motivates and inspires us to attract and retain great talent, creating a positive, energising, exceptional working environment for us all.

Our values drive our culture and shape our beliefs, our priorities and our actions. They influence the decisions we make, how we treat one another and how we show up as a brand to the world.

1. Serve: We put our customers and our people first
2. Inclusion: We open our doors to everyone
3. Integrity: We do the right thing
4. Community: We are good neighbours
5. Family: We get better together

Job Description:

The Opportunity

A key role within the McDonald’s UK and Ireland Impact (Corporate Affairs) department, we are recruiting for a Communications Manager for Ireland and Northern Ireland to join the team, ideally based in Dublin.

- We are looking for a creative communicator who enjoys variety within their role and appreciates the value of relationship building and engagement. Strong knowledge and understanding of the external media landscape in Ireland is essential.
- This diverse role spans corporate, consumer and local PR, including influencer engagement.
- This role does not include Government Relations, but requires working closely with the Government Relations team who deliver political and stakeholder engagement in Ireland.
- You will be comfortable delivering both communications supporting corporate announcements (e.g. new store openings) through to consumer communications (e.g. new menu items and activations working with both traditional and social media, and working closely with marketing as the lead PR person in the UK).
- This role leads the creation and delivery of the communications plan in Ireland, working closely to align with the strategy created at a central level.
- Experience working with marketing teams and understanding the value that PR can bring alongside and as part of marketing activations.
- You will need to be agile to change, brilliant at building and maintaining relationships and ideally have experience managing agencies. You will actively partner with franchisees and suppliers to bring to life their stories at a community level as well as build positive relationships with journalists.
- This role will suit a motivated, self-starting individual who will enjoy the autonomy and responsibility of managing and prioritising their time and resources and leading the development and implementation of their plan, but also who will work in close collaboration with the wider Impact (corporate relations) team.

What will my accountabilities be?

- Develop and own the communications plan for Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, aligned to the wider communications plan and business objectives.
- Work closely with the Head of Impact & Communications (Consumer and Corporate), Head of Government Relations, Head of Marketing and wider Impact team to bring to life an ambitious plan for Ireland.
- Partner with, advise and provide hands-on support to franchisees on their local engagement plans.
- Support the company’s business strategy including growth plans, with communications support and local engagement for new restaurant applications, openings and extended hours licensing applications.
- Create briefing documents and messaging for internal stakeholders.
- Work with our ROI and NI agencies to ensure timely, relevant and tailored expertise and activation in support of all activities.
- Develop news and content that informs a range of key audiences.
- Support the press office function, and lead on reactive media enquiries relating to ROI and NI - this will include out of hours support.
- Strong written and presentation skills are essential.
- A full Driving Licence is essential as there will be regular travel across Ireland.
- A willingness to travel to the UK once a month for wider department meetings / business need.

What Team will I be a part of?

- Impact (Corporate Affairs) department.
- Franchisees, Restaurant Managers and Operations.
- Communications agencies.
- Office and field based departments.
- Elected representatives.
- Media and social influencers.

Who are my customers?

- Franchisees, Restaurant Managers and Operations.
- Communications agencies.
- Office and field based departments.
- Media and social influencers.

Qualifications:

What background do I need to have?

- Experience working in a communications role in Ireland either in agency or in-house working for big brands - ideally with an understanding of the hospitality / food and drink industries.
- Experience in drafting materials for press, organising and running events, budget management and agency management.
- Issues management as well as proactive media relations experience.
- An understanding of social media and influencers, working with talent and agents.
- Proven media and stakeholder relationships across Ireland.
- Adapt quickly and easily to new or changing conditions.

Additional Information:

At McDonald’s we are People from all Walks of Life...

People are at the heart of everything we do and they make the McDonald’s experience. We embrace diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive culture that means people can be their best authentic self in our restaurants and offices, which helps us to better serve our customers.

We have a strong heritage of diversity and representation within our communities, which we are proud of. The diversity of our people, customers, Franchisees and suppliers give us strength.

We do not tolerate inequality, injustice or discrimination of any kind. These are hugely important issues and a brand with our reach and relevance means we have a very meaningful role to play.

We also recognise our responsibility as a large employer to continue being active in our communities, helping to develop skills and drive aspirations that will help people to be more aware of the world of work and more successful within it, whether with McDonald’s or elsewhere.

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