Communications Manager

We currently have an exciting new opportunity for an energetic and experienced Communications Manager to join our Media and Communications team.

Reporting to the Head of Media and Communication, this role will help drive delivery of Victoria's biggest aviation project in more than half a century. this role will manage external and precinct communications related to the design and delivery of the airport's third runway.

The Communications Manager is charged with management of media relations, digital delivery and community information to support delivery of the third runway project. Liaising closely with journalists and various external and internal stakeholders, you'll play a vital role in the execution of media events, project updates and communication with nearby communities. If you thrive working in a dynamic, fast-paced environment and enjoy making complex information easy to understand, we'd love to hear from you.

You can learn more about life at Melbourne Airport – our culture, values, and what makes us unique at https://www.melbourneairport.com.au/corporate/our-culture-and-values. Join us in shaping the future of aviation as we propel Melbourne Airport towards becoming Australia's favourite Airport destination.

Melbourne Airport is Australia’s largest 24-hour airport, and welcomes more than 35 million passengers each year, while supporting tens of thousands of jobs. To keep Victoria connected, Melbourne Airport is undertaking a significant expansion, including construction of a third runway.

Key responsibilities:

The role's duties and accountabilities include, but are not limited to:

• Managing design and delivery of external communications related to Melbourne Airport’s third runway
• Managing precinct and external communications related to Melbourne Airport’s third runway
• Developing and enhancing media and stakeholder relationships
• Act as the primary contact between the APAC Communications team and Runway delivery team
• Identify potential project milestones for proactive external communications on Melbourne Airport’s third runway, the Eastern Extension Project and 2027 Master Plan
• Identify potential reputation risks and mitigations
• Respond to external media queries with timely, high-quality response
• Work with community and digital teams to ensure consistent public messaging
• Provide support to the business during crisis situations
• Work with runway delivery team to plan and deliver targeted communications to stakeholders across the Melbourne Airport precinct regarding Melbourne Airport’s third runway, the Eastern Extension Project and 2027 Master Plan
• Build on APAC’s strong relationships with media, business and community organisations to support delivery of Melbourne Airport’s third runway.
• Support APAC’s engagement with local communities regarding the third runway, Eastern Extension Project and 2027 Master Plan
• Supporting APAC Media and Communications on on-call roster as required ( out of office hours may be required occasionally)

The successful candidate will have:

• Tertiary qualification in Communications or Journalist
• Experience managing media in issues-rich environments
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills
• Excellent stakeholder management skills
• Experience working across major infrastructure projects would be highly desirable
• Tertiary qualifications in communications or journalism, and minimum six years’ experience in corporate communications or journalism
• Outstanding writer and editor who can synthesise complex concepts into clear, accessible, relevant language
•  Experience in strategy development, process improvements and stakeholder management - preferably in complex operating environments
• Proven ability to work well under pressure as part of a team and with a range of internal/external stakeholders 
• An ability to work both proactively and reactively and to make recommendations on appropriate courses of action to ensure timely and appropriate resolution
• Thorough understanding of the evolving digital landscape- and opportunities this presents for Melbourne Airport
• Strategic thinker with strong problem-solving abilities 
• Strong understanding of media and digital landscape, social media and opportunities for communication 
• Outstanding written and verbal communications skills
• Exposure to issues-rich environments 
• Experience developing communications to reach broad and diverse audiences 

We understand that not everyone will feel they meet all of these 100%. However, if you feel you have the attitude and aptitude to grow within our team, we invite you to apply and have a conversation with us about this position.

About the Company:

Melbourne Airport (Australia Pacific Airports Corporation) is proud to Australia's largest 24-hour gateway, connecting Victoria to the global marketplace. We are committed to creating connections that matter and enhancing the traveller experience across every aspect of our organisation to deliver our vision of becoming Australia's favourite Airport destination. Currently, in an exciting phase of change, we are delivering rewarding career opportunities, making Melbourne Airport a dynamic and fast-paced place to work for our people.

APAC is a majority Australian-owned private company that also operates Launceston Airport, the tourism gateway to Tasmania and an industry multi-award-winning airport.

Culture and Values:

By joining the team at Melbourne Airport, you will work within a friendly, high-performance culture with a focus on our people and their development.

Our vision is to become Australia's favourite Airport destination and our people are paramount to achieving this success. We provide a supportive environment, with values that encourage all of our employees to Be You, Think Big, Own it and Work Together.

Benefits:

• Free access to Higher State, our state-of-the-art Fitness Club & Wellness Hub at Novotel & ibis Styles Airport hotel.
• Airport car parking 24 hours/365 days a year for both business and personal use
• Hybrid flexible working arrangements
• Airport Holiday, an additional day of leave
• Wellness Day, a further additional day of leave
• Discounted onsite childcare at Creative Garden Early Learning
• Mental health and well-being initiatives, including Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Long-term career and professional development opportunities
• Active social culture and participation in a range of social impact days and activities
• Signature Experiences including an airfield family day
• Access to an employee benefits scheme including access to corporate rates and airport retailer discounts (including SkyBus)

APAC is committed to weaving Diversity into our DNA. We believe that Diversity and Inclusion will help us realise our greatest potential as a company, and maximise the potential of all our team members. We strive to create a culture where our team members understand that each individual is unique and that embracing diversity makes us more flexible, productive, and creative.

APAC provides equal opportunity and advancement in employment regardless of gender, age, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, cultural background, caring responsibilities, disability or socioeconomic background. We encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds who share our workplace values of Being You, Thinking Big, Owning It and Working Together.