Head of Group Communications

Coillte

Contract type
Full-Time
Closing date
29 Apr 2025 05:30 PM
Location
Newtownmountkennedy, Co.Wicklow

Coillte, Ireland’s state forestry company, is a commercial semi-state organisation established in 1989 to manage and develop the State’s forestry business. Coillte is responsible for managing 440,000 hectares of primarily forested lands. It is the nation’s largest forester and producer of certified wood, a natural and renewable resource. Coillte’s purpose is to manage the state forests on behalf of the people of Ireland.

The Company

Coillte, Ireland’s state forestry company, is a commercial semi-state organisation established in 1989 to manage and develop the State’s forestry business.

Coillte is responsible for managing 440,000 hectares of primarily forested lands. It is the nation’s largest forester and producer of certified wood, a natural and renewable resource. Coillte is the largest provider of outdoor recreation spaces in Ireland, it enables wind energy on the estate, undertakes nature conservation projects of scale and processes forestry by-products into panel board for use in the construction sector.

Coillte’s purpose is to manage the state forests on behalf of the people of Ireland. Its mission is to balance and deliver the multiple benefits of forests to society – including forests for climate, nature, wood and people, creating a sustainable future for all.

Coililte’s strategic vision for its future forest estate, announced in 2022, sets out its strategic ambitions to 2050 bringing more focus to climate action, biodiversity and recreation, while continuing to deliver for the forest and wood products industry.

Coillte is structured across three business divisions, with a group centre. It employs over 800 staff and circa 1,200 contractors with business units located throughout the country. Further detail in respect of the three divisions, Coillte Forest, Land Solutions and MEDITE SMARTPLY is outlined below.

 Coillte Forest

Coillte’s estate accounts for 7% of the country’s land mass, the vast majority of which is forested. These forests are grown, managed and harvested with a focus on sustainability and on optimising technology to enable best in class forestry practices. Coillte produces circa 3 million m3 of sustainable wood annually which is used to build homes and substitute the use of carbon intensive products. The industry is forecast to double in size over the next ten years as the sector begins processing trees planted in the 1980s.

In addition to managing Coillte’s forests, this division is also primarily responsible for all outdoor recreation activities on its lands. Coillte has c.6,000 forest properties, 260 recreation forests and 12 forest parks. Coillte has an open forest policy, with an estimated 18 million visits made to its forests each year. Coillte’s ambition is to support the development of world-class visitor destinations – such as Beyond the Trees Avondale in Co. Wicklow - and to double the number of recreation areas across Ireland to support growth in tourism and recreation and benefit local communities.

 Land Solutions

Coillte’s Land Solutions division is responsible for seeking out opportunities to create a more sustainable future for Ireland. This includes asset development and providing innovative and sustainable solutions to activities in areas such as renewable energy, housing, infrastructure development, tourism and education. An example of one partnership in the Land Solutions portfolio is FuturEnergy Ireland. As part of Coillte’s vision to generate 1 Gigawatt (GW) of renewable energy, it has partnered with ESB to establish this joint venture with the aim of developing best-in-class onshore wind farms with the support of local communities.

MEDITE SMARTPLY

MEDITE SMARTPLY is one of the market leaders in the manufacturing of sustainable timber panel products in Europe. Panel products (namely Oriented Strand Board and Medium Density Fibreboard) are manufactured at facilities in Waterford and Clonmel respectively, using the latest technology and raw materials from Coillte forests, resulting in highly durable and consistent timber construction panels. Constant investment and innovation allow access to diverse markets and sectors addressing changing market demands. These innovative and environmentally conscious products are fire retardant and moisture and fungal resistant with a guaranteed lifespan of 50 years. These qualities were previously unique to concrete, plastic and steel.

Role Objective

Responsibility for protecting and enhancing the corporate reputation of Coillte through the development and execution of the Group Communications Strategy to support and enable the delivery of business objectives. 

Responsibilities

  • Support the Group Communications Director with developing and implementing the Group Communications Strategy including Corporate Affairs, Public Relations, Brand Marketing and Social Media Communications, Issues and Crisis Communications, Press Office Management, and Internal Communications.
  • Manage the day-to-day Group proactive and reactive external communications and media relations to ensure key reputational issues are effectively managed and messaging is aligned with Group strategic objectives.
  • Develop insight-led, creative Group strategic Marketing Communications - digital and social media plans to drive brand relevance and reputational growth.
  • Manage PR/Media agencies to ensure high-quality performance and outputs that deliver on our communications objectives.
  • Stakeholder Management – work collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders across the business to ensure mutual understanding. Co-ordinate Group stakeholder mapping.
  • Support with the development and be responsible for the implementation of an internal communications strategy to ensure an integrated communications approach.
  • Foster and develop strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders including key journalists, decision makers and influencers. Work collaboratively with key stakeholders across the business to understand and deliver on our communications objectives.
  • Ensure the consistent delivery of our brand, messaging and communications across all engagement channels.
  • Develop and co-ordinate media and communications campaigns and events to ensure aligned with Group communications objectives.
  • Manage the measurement and evaluation of communications campaigns.
  • Forecast and manage Group communications budget effectively.

Engagement with Divisions

  • Develop understanding of divisional communications objectives and support to ensure alignment with Group Communications strategy.

Leadership, People

  • Play a leadership role in the Group Communications Lean Centre Division.
  • Act as a visible role model for the Group’s values.

Competencies

  • Experienced Communications professional with minimum 8-10 years’ experience with a track record of significant achievement at senior management level.
  • Experienced in developing and implementing fully integrated external communications, social/digital marketing and internal communications campaigns.
  • Strategic and creative thinker with proven track record in delivering strategic communications in a complex business and stakeholder environment.
  • The capability to recognise the broad implications of public relations and media related issues as they relate to Coillte, the industry, Government, and stakeholders.
  • Strong understanding and experience of social media in a professional setting and how to leverage social media messaging as part of a PR strategy.
  • Excellent interpersonal skills, a team-player skilled in building strong relationships, engaging with and influencing colleagues and key stakeholders.
  • Strong analytical and organisational skills with the capability to deal with multiple demands and competing priorities to tight deadlines.
  • An ability to operate with exceptional attention to detail, together with strong verbal and written communication skills.
  • Ability to work independently and as part of a team. Experienced in leading collaborative communications campaigns and projects from start to finish.
  • Trustworthy, credible, with sound judgement and the capacity to make decisions quickly and effectively.
  • A practical and positive ‘can-do’ attitude.

Technical/Professional Competencies

  • Excellent communication and digital marketing skills (written, oral, message production, etc.) with strong attention to detail.
  • Proven incident management and crisis communications experience, with the capability to work collaboratively, to lead through adversity calmly and to operate effectively in a pressurised and rapidly changing environment.
  • Strong command of frequently used software (PowerPoint, etc.) and excellent project management and presentation skills.
  • Member of the Public Relations Institute of Ireland.
  • Degree in a relevant third level qualification (e.g. Public Relations, Communications, Brand/Digital Marketing Communications).

Category

Internal Communications Communications Public Relations Social Media Crisis Communications

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