Acis Group Interim Comms
Interim communications leadership and team development
Acis Group is a housing charity delivering homes, skills, education and wellbeing services across the East Midlands, Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and the Humber.
The challenge
Acis required interim senior communications support during a period of transition, as they navigated changes in leadership and team resourcing, including planned leave. The organisation used the opportunity to ask us to review and strengthen the function, interviewing ten senior colleagues to audit communication needs and provide a recommendation on a new structure and remit.
Alongside maintaining day-to-day delivery, the organisation wanted to:
- Assess and improve its communications structure
- Set priority objectives and KPIs for strategy alignment
- Build long-term internal capability
- Ensure a smooth transition to a new permanent team
- Maintain momentum during a period of organisational pressure.
The requirement was for a partner who could lead, deliver and build, not just provide intensive short-term cover.
The approach
Over seven months, we acted as an embedded interim communications lead, providing strategic direction alongside day-to-day delivery across the full marketing and communications function. We managed core channels and workflows, stabilised service delivery, and oversaw website and intranet updates. We also led internal communications planning and ensured continuity across inbox and service request management, content planning, induction sessions and brand asset development.
Alongside this, we drove forward key strategic and high impact projects. These included steering a major website tender development across all brands, planning annual report and emerging ESG work, delivering a new student accommodation booking campaign, housing and development marketing activity, and support for major organisational initiatives such as the annual employee conference, EDI communications, a major new Extra Care development scheme and social enterprise and learning and skills campaigns. This ensured momentum, consistency and strategic alignment across a large and diverse portfolio.
Interim Leadership & Delivery
Provided interim communications leadership, ensuring business continuity while overseeing campaigns, content, stakeholder communications, PR and internal engagement.
Audit & Service Design
Conducted a full review of communications delivery, aligning priorities, objectives and KPIs to create a clear structure for the future.
Recruitment & Team Build
Designed roles and supported recruitment to establish a new four-person communications team equipped to meet future needs.
Handover & Ongoing Support
Delivered onboarding, mentoring and specialist communications support to help the new team transition successfully and continue to thrive.
Behaviour change insight
The success of this work was driven by combining delivery with capability building.
Rather than separating “doing the job” from “designing the future,” the approach embedded change in real time. By working alongside colleagues, modelling effective practice, and building systems and confidence, the organisation developed the capability to sustain improvements long after the interim support.
The impact
The interim support delivered both immediate stability and long-term transformation.
Acis is now better equipped to:
- Operate with a clear, structured communications function
- Deliver consistent, high-quality communications and marketing
- Sustain activity through a newly recruited internal team
- Benefit from ongoing expert support when needed.
We continue to provide retained agency support to the new team.
