Communications & Marketing Business Partner

The Vacancy

WPS are looking for a Communications & Marketing Business Partner to play a key role in shaping how we communicate, engage and grow our housing maintenance division.

Working across sites and offices nationwide, this is a great opportunity for someone who enjoys variety and building relationships across a large, diverse business. While the role will involve some travel, we offer flexibility around how you work.

This is a high‑impact role where you’ll develop and deliver integrated communications and marketing plans that support our business objectives, strengthen our brand and help us win work. Acting as a trusted partner to senior stakeholders, you’ll combine strategic insight with hands‑on delivery across external communications, marketing, employee engagement and events.

You’ll also support WPS’ growth ambitions by working closely with the Senior Communications Business Partner to help develop and promote an expanded housing maintenance proposition across planned and proactive maintenance, decarbonisation and renewables, heating and compliance and raise the profile of our sub-brands, Liberty and NetZero Collective.

What you’ll be doing

External communications

• Develop and deliver strategic external communications plans that raise profile and build reputation
• Create compelling content across PR, media, digital, social and events
• Manage media relations, press releases and external stakeholder engagement

Marketing & work winning

• Partner with business development and client relationship teams to deliver targeted marketing campaigns that support work winning
• Conduct market research and develop content, materials, awards submissions and campaigns to raise brand awareness
• Manage agencies and suppliers, ensuring strong ROI and positive customer outcomes
• Track KPIs, analyse campaign performance and optimise activity to deliver measurable results

Employee communications

• Lead internal communications that engage and inform employees on project wins, milestones, inclusion and diversity, sustainability, innovation, health, safety and wellbeing
• Develop high‑quality content for newsletters, briefings, presentations and internal platforms
• Support leadership briefings, conferences and employee engagement events

Relationships & business partnering

• Build strong, trusted relationships with senior leaders and stakeholders across WPS, Liberty and NetZero Collective
• Work closely with colleagues across the wider Communications and Marketing function to align plans and share best practice

Projects & events

• Support live projects through site visits, stakeholder engagement and promotion of key milestones
• Lead the creation and delivery of an annual events plan, working in partnership with Creative Services to deliver impactful, high‑quality events

What we’re looking for

Experience & knowledge

• Strong understanding of communications and marketing channels, audiences and messaging
• Experience of internal communications, employee engagement, change and leadership communications
• Solid grounding in marketing principles, brand management and campaign delivery
• Experience of PR, media relations and digital marketing channels
• Knowledge of housing maintenance, planned/reactive maintenance, heating and compliance is desirable

Skills

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to tailor messages for diverse audiences
• Strong project management skills across campaigns, content and events
• Ability to balance strategic thinking with hands‑on delivery in a fast‑paced, matrix environment
• Confident stakeholder manager, able to influence and challenge constructively at senior levels
• Creative problem‑solver with experience supporting organisational change

Qualifications

• Degree (or equivalent) in journalism, marketing, public relations or a writing‑based discipline is an advantage

Behaviours

• Self‑starter with a positive, can‑do attitude and strong personal drive
• Calm, collaborative and adaptable under pressure
• High integrity, with sound judgement when handling sensitive and confidential matters
• A natural role model of our values: Care, Fairness and Looking for a Better Way

Given the nature of this position, you will need to undergo an Enhanced and Barred Lists Disclosure and Barring Service Check (DBS) at offer stage. Applicants with criminal convictions will be assessed individually, and we assure you that we do not discriminate based on an applicant’s criminal record or the details of any disclosed offenses. Additionally, certain roles may be subject to additional pre-employment checks.

To learn more about the checks included in this process, please click on the following link: National Security Vetting

Work for Wates

Wates is one of the UK’s leading family-owned development, building and property maintenance companies.  Founded over 125 years ago, we have a proud legacy in the built environment.

We are driven by our purpose, ‘reimagining places for people to thrive’ and our three promises:

• Thriving places – working with customers, partners and communities to create places that are more sustainable, inclusive, and full of opportunity.
• Thriving planet – protecting nature and taking action on climate change by collaborating and innovating with our partners.
• Thriving people – creating opportunities and relationships so that everyone who works for and with us feels included, invested in and treated with care.

We are proud to be recognised as Gold Investors in People and as a Disability Confident employer.  We also ensure that our recruitment processes do not treat anyone less favourably due to an offending background.