Press Officer

**General information**:
**Job Title**

Press Officer

**Ref #**

27388

**Date**

Monday, January 9, 2023

**Country**

United Kingdom

**Location**

Woking

**Business area**

Public Relations

**Department**

Public Relations

**Position level**

G - Qualified Senior

**Working time**

Full Time

**Contract type**

Permanent

**Working pattern**

8:30am - 5:30pm Monday to Friday

**Description & Requirements**:
**Background**

No restraints. No limitations. We don’t simply push boundaries. We completely rethink them. McLaren Automotive exists to create breath-taking performance road cars.

With innovation at the core of all we do, every challenge starts with the same question. How can we do it better? This restless spirit runs right through McLaren Automotive. And the search for perfection is evident in everything we do.

**Purpose of Role**

To directly support the Head of PR also the Director of PR & Communications in raising awareness of the McLaren range of road and track cars through promotion of the company and its products to journalists and other influencing stakeholders, so to generate positive media opinion and coverage.

Additionally, to assist with the running of Central PR team internal processes and asset production for the full spectrum of PR and other purposes.

**Principal Accountabilities**
- Generate coverage opportunities through proactive creation of news and other communications to increase awareness and positive opinion of McLaren Automotive. Help plan and drive implementation of a comprehensive communications strategy for product launches, product affairs news and media relationship-building/maintenance.
- Develop a thorough understanding of McLaren products and processes and gain the trust and high reputation expected of a McLaren PR representative to help drive high-impact press coverage, as measured against competitors.
- Maximise McLaren's editorial share of voice, creating desire and aspiration by generating positive editorial comment focused on media that will be most relevant to our target customers.
- Act together with other press officer/s as first line point of contact for product enquiries.
- Build and foster relationships with journalists across international, national and regional titles, supporting the Director of PR & Communications and Head of PR in their relationships with key media.
- Produce media-facing written and visual communication materials, including press releases and press packs, presentations and vehicle specification sheets.
- Assist with the creation of appropriate imagery to support production communications across all channels.
- Work with the non-automotive communications Central team to develop and execute PR plans that influence non-automotive media to support brand building and awareness in lifestyle media and business media.
- Co-manage the operation of the Central press fleet, taking direction from the PR & Communications Director and Head of PR, to ensure best use of fleet and a high utilisation.
- Work with MAL Social Media to establish/expand a network of digital and online influencers and word-of-mouth advocates that support Sales and Marketing goals and help position McLaren Automotive values.
- Together with other press officer/s, ensure that the **media website**, our news distribution services, and other related services are maintained to a high level.
- Support the PR & Communication or their representative with ad-hoc Global PR related projects including presentation building, internal communication and briefing documents and on-event management
- Support communications and requests from regional PRs into the central team.
- Coverage reporting including weekly MAL-COMs, product launch coverage, drive event coverage etc.

**Knowledge, Skills and Experience**
- Experience in core PR skills, media relations, internal reporting and agency/supplier management
- Proven ability of planning and executing media engagement, including site visits, event attendance and vehicle activities
- Proven understanding of how to develop and deploy materials to support the news and product visibility agenda
- Proven ability to plan and write media materials, including press releases and longer-form product information documents
- Comprehensive knowledge of/experience in using PowerPoint; Excel; Adobe Photoshop (or similar) and Word
- Experience of networking within Marketing disciplines and working within dynamic and change-oriented teams
- Ability to engage with all levels of employees (including senior management); retailers and agency management to resource news and support strategic business goals
- A proactive mindset and ability to develop and implement creative solutions to strategic and tactical business challenges is required, to best support McLaren Sales and Marketing goals and maintain recognition of the PR function as core to the company’s marketing activities
- Knowledge and understanding of the mediascape in relation to luxury supercar