Who are we?

South Western Railway (SWR) operates over 1,500 services each weekday across the network and employs more than 5,000 people. We provide easy and convenient mobility, connecting people and communities in South West London, southern counties of England, and the Isle of Wight.

Join our team and help us continue to improve quality of life, by bringing people together to get the most out of life.

SWR is part of FirstGroup, the largest rail operator in the UK and second largest bus operator in the UK outside London. FirstGroup operates services throughout the UK and Ireland, with over 30,000 employees providing services that make travel smoother and life easier.  FirstGroup works hard to reduce its impact on the environment, introducing cleaner and more environmentally responsible methods of transport.

About the job

The communications officer will deliver customer communications for major engineering work, special events and activities that affect our train services. This information is vitally important for customers who depend on our services, whether travelling for business or leisure purposes, and has a direct impact on their experience when travelling with us.

The communications officer will support the external communications team by working on day-to-day press office operations and campaigns, while providing communications support to other functions within SWR.

Liaising with internal teams, and with external stakeholders such as Network Rail and other railway industry partners, the post holder will plan and deliver effective customer communications campaigns. Messaging will be clear, easy to understand and will be delivered across a variety of different channels in a timely manner.

The communications officer will support on projects led by the external communications team and wider Corporate Affairs function, as well as projects from other functions. The post holder will also assist with the busy press office and joining the out of hours rota.

Your main responsibilities will be:

• Delivering customer communications campaigns across digital channels – such as X and the SWR website - and at stations, including on engineering work and changes to train services and the customer experience
• Reporting on, and evaluating, customer communications campaigns and identifying areas for improvements
• Representing the communications team in key meetings - such as weekly operational readiness lookaheads - and working closely with representatives from a variety of different functions including the stations, operational readiness, customer service and customer information teams and the Information Production Unit
• Liaising with industry partners such as Network Rail and other train operators, reviewing and approving communications related to the SWR network
• Maintaining a calendar of upcoming engineering works to ensure timely customer communications and awareness among colleagues
• Acting as a key contact during times of train service disruption, working with the customer information team to provide clear communications to customers
• Writing and updating customer communications materials including website copy, stakeholder updates, emails, posters and more.
• Supporting other functions' projects through communications activity, such as station improvements
• Working with the External Communications Lead and Senior Communications Manager to execute the external communications strategy and assist in planning
• Assisting with the day-to-day running of the press office, such as providing weekly or individual coverage reports and operating press office systems, such as Onclusive PR Manager and Critico every eight weeks, for one week, out of office hours
• Working with the Senior Communications Manager on press materials, such as press releases, photographs and video

You'll need to be:

• Educated to degree standard or equivalent
• First-class written and verbal communication and presentation skills
• Experience of working in a communications role
• Experience of working with customers
• Experience and understanding of working with stakeholders
• Experience and ability to build excellent relationships with internal and external stakeholders at all levels
• Commercial understanding and customer focus
• Planning and managing multiple projects to tight deadlines
• Working effectively under pressure
• Working both independently and in a team
• Understanding of the railway and railway industry 

About the location

South Western Railways HQ is based on the 4th Floor at South Bank Central, a stone's throw from the River Thames and a 10 minute walk from our busiest station, Waterloo. It is local to many well-known attractions, restaurants and retail facilities and is easily accessible by public transport. 

Working pattern

You will work an average of 37 hours per week, typically, 09:00 - 17:00, Monday to Friday. There will be an out of hours "on-call" responsibility, once approximately every 7/8 weeks. 

The Reward

In return we offer a competitive salary and a variety of valuable benefits, including:

• Free duty and leisure travel on SWR services for employees
• Free leisure travel for spouse/partner and dependants (criteria dependent)
• 75% discount on many other train operating companies
• Full training and support with development
• Large range of exclusive retail offers
• Excellent pension scheme

We all belong at SWR. FirstGroup's vision is to provide an inclusive environment for all colleagues, across its group of businesses, ensuring all candidates have an equal opportunity to access meaningful employment.

We value our differences such as age, gender, LGBTQIA+, ethnicity, religion, and disability. We maintain a zero tolerance towards any form of prejudice towards our colleagues, customers, and future talent.

We celebrate and encourage diversity of thought, progressive ways of working and seeing all our colleagues grow and thrive.

We review all roles and job descriptions to ensure they are accessible and, where possible, we support and provide flexible working options; we recommend that you refer to each vacancy description for further details.

If you require additional support to complete your application due to a disability or neurodivergent condition, for example, dyslexia, dyspraxia, or autism, please follow the links below.  We encourage you to share any additional needs you may require so we can provide a fair and equal process for all who apply.

https://exceptionalindividuals.com/neurodiversity/

https://www.healthassured.org/blog/neurodiversity/