Our client is looking for a Departmental Head - Employer Brand & Communications to join their collaborative and fast-growing team.
Duties & Responsibilities
Role Purpose The Departmental Head: Employer Brand & Communications is responsible for building, protecting, and strengthening our clients reputation by integrating internal communications, employer brand, PR, and reputation management into a single, coherent capability. This role exists to ensure that what the Bank believes, says, and does is consistent across employees, leaders, media, and the public. It positions employees and leaders as credible advocates, manages reputational risk, and builds trust at scale. The role leads a team of approximately 8 people and works in close partnership with HR, Legal, Risk, Marketing, and Executive leadership. Strategic Objectives
Build a strong, credible Employer Brand rooted in our clients culture and purpose.
Ensure clear, consistent, and trusted internal communication across the organisation.
Protect and enhance the external reputation through proactive PR and issues management.
Enable employees and leaders to act as authentic brand and reputation advocates.
Shift communications from broadcast-led to personalised, platform-enabled, and scalable models.
Key Responsibilities
Employer Brand Strategy & Activation
Define and the Employer Brand and EVP in partnership with HR and Brand.
Translate culture, purpose, and values into compelling employer narratives and proof points.
Lead the development and rollout of employer brand campaigns (internal-first, then external).
Ensure employer brand is embedded across the employee lifecycle (onboarding, growth, leadership, exits).
Internal Communications
Own the internal communications strategy and channel mix.
Move the organisation away from mass email toward personalised, role-relevant communication journeys.
Oversee internal platforms (e.g. Viva Engage) to ensure high engagement and psychological safety.
Establish clear governance, moderation, and escalation protocols for internal communications.
PR, Media & Reputation Management
Lead proactive and reactive media relations strategy.
Act as a senior advisor on reputational risk, issues management, and crisis communications.
Develop and manage key narratives for the organisation in partnership with Brand and Leadership.
Maintain strong relationships with key media stakeholders.
Leadership Advocacy & Visibility
Design and run a leadership advocacy programme, with particular focus on LinkedIn.
Audit and optimise leadership profiles for credibility and consistency.
Support leaders with content themes, guidance, and narrative alignment.
Ensure leaders are prepared and supported during high-risk or high-visibility moments.
Employee Advocacy & Storytelling
Build and scale an employee advocacy programme that enables authentic, opt-in participation.
Implement appropriate advocacy platforms and tools.
Develop share-ready content that employees can use across their own social channels.
Measure advocacy impact and continuously improve participation and quality.
Operating Model, Governance & Measurement
Lead and develop a high-performing team of approximately 8 people.
Establish clear priorities, workflows, and delivery cadences.
Define success metrics across employer brand, internal communications, and reputation.
Report regularly on performance, risk, and insights to senior leadership.
Team Structure (Indicative) The role will typically oversee:
Employer Brand & Advocacy
Internal Communications & Platforms
PR, Media & Issues Management
Exact structure may evolve as capability matures. Key Stakeholder Relationships
Head of Brand & Communications
Human Resources (Culture, Talent, Learning)
Executive Leadership and Exco
Legal, Risk, and Compliance
External media and agency partners
Required Experience & Capability Experience
8+ years’ experience in a senior role in communications, reputation, employer brand, or related fields.
Strategic thinking with strong execution discipline.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
High emotional intelligence and judgement under pressure.
Strong stakeholder management and influence skills.
Deep understanding of modern communication platforms and advocacy models.
Ability to balance openness with risk management.
Personal Attributes
Calm, credible, and trusted in moments of pressure.
Commercially and reputationally astute.
Values-led and people-centred.
Comfortable operating at senior and executive level.
Resilient, pragmatic, and outcome-focused.
Measures of Success
Improved employer brand sentiment and awareness.
Higher internal engagement and trust scores.
Increased leadership and employee advocacy.
Reduced reputational incidents and faster, clearer crisis response.
Strong alignment between internal and external narratives.
Role Positioning This role is a senior leadership position within the Brand & Communications function and is critical to their clients' long-term trust, culture, and reputation. It requires a leader who can operate strategically, manage risk confidently, and build systems that scale.
Should you not receive a response from us within one week of your application, your application has unfortunately not been successful. You can visit our website for more vacancies: www.wePlace.co.za / www.linkedin.com/company/wePlace
