​A leading global professional services organisation is seeking an Associate Director, crisis, reputation and issues, to join its corporate team. This role is primarily focused on reputation management and supporting live issues within the global organisation. This is a senior-level position, and the ideal candidate is a strategic media advisor, with the gravitas, communications and advisory skills to counsel senior global stakeholders and manage the external communications of complex high-level, cross-border issues. The ideal candidate has a media relations and issue management background and has experience of managing internal and client communications related to issues.

Key responsibilities

• Provide strategic counsel to senior management, working as an integrated member of the wider cross-functional and business leadership issues team

• Develop strategic communication plans for the immediate communications triggers and also longer-term plans

• Coach and support PR and legal representatives and business leaders

• Write plans, statements, Q&As, background briefings

• Line manage the PR leads for Areas Support (EMEIA and APAC)

Key skills

• Extensive experience in managing complex issues and advising senior leadership on a day-to-day basis

• A full range of PR and social media skills and happy to work in an agile/flexible way

• Demonstrable PR and social media experience working in-house or within an agency, with direct experience managing highly visible, complex issues along with major international PR campaigns, including integrated social media strategies

• Experience leading global issues and crises– directly handling complex, cross border, high-profile media issues

• Significant experience directly supporting and influencing board-level, C-suite senior management on critical matters and priorities

• Gravitas to secure leadership followership through clear, logical strategies that meet business objectives

• Able to synthesize complex information quickly to successfully manage and mitigate risk and create compelling, clear communications strategies

• Cultural awareness and sensitivity, as this role will involve daily interaction with people in countries around the globe

• A self-starter with a “can do” attitude and the drive to get the job done; the potential to develop within the organization

• A critical thinker, strong team player, comfortable working collaboratively, virtually, and independently

• Excellent writing and ability to pull together strategic PR plans and materials as needed

• A passion for current affairs and business news