Director of Public Relations and Public Affairs

Director of Public Relations and Public Affairs Fortis Hayes is seeking a Director of Public Relations and Public Affairs. This role requires hands-on experience with blockchain and is based in London, United Kingdom. Overview Under the direction of the Executive Director of Global Public Relations, this person will serve as a senior member of the team, with responsibility for strategising, developing and executing a robust media strategy aligned to business goals and objectives. The Director, Public Relations will promote company news, information and thought leadership to the media and analyst community, proactively build and manage relationships with editors, journalists and analysts, influence news coverage, shape perceptions of the firm and protect against reputational risk. By partnering closely with members of the M&C team, business heads and senior leaders within the company, they will develop compelling messaging and content, leverage media trends to attain positive news coverage and generate story ideas, and draft and place bylined articles to establish senior leaders as spokespeople and thought leaders and provide strategic counsel on PR opportunities across businesses. Responsibilities Overall responsibility is to strategise, develop and execute a global public relations strategy across businesses and their related thought leadership areas, generating awareness and coverage via proactive pitching, interviews, bylines, media tours, statements, roundtables, editor briefings and more. Collaborate with M&C peers to ensure a holistic M&C strategy and reporting, with defined goals, objectives and KPIs. Leverage writing skills and knowledge of the industry, to develop media narratives through compelling thought leadership on key initiatives. Manage overall engagement with the media in the US, responding to urgent enquiries across business topics, developing relationships across key Tier 1 and targeted trade media (including key reporters globally in DLT-related publications), and facilitating in-person meetings with journalists and key Executive Committee staff. Maintain positive relationships with global PR agencies in the US and London, advising on strategy and work initiatives and reviewing/approving all quotes, content and coverage. Monitor and read all coverage related to relevant topics and strategise around areas of opportunity including new areas of opportunity for the business. Support social media activity for related media work, including content development, video initiatives and more. Mitigates risk by following established procedures, spotting key errors and demonstrating strong ethical behaviour. Qualifications Minimum of 12-15 years of related experience Hands-on with Blockchain Bachelor's degree preferred or equivalent experience Communications degree, with a solid understanding of all communications disciplines Strong verbal and writing capabilities, with the ability to translate complex business topics into higher-level themes that will resonate with journalists and readers; leverage compelling storytelling and data-driven content Ability to network and influence colleagues on PR recommendations and strategies Solid analytical capabilities, to measure results and identify areas of opportunity Excellent organisational and time management skills, in order to effectively prioritise a number of simultaneous projects while sometimes meeting short deadlines Benefits Base salary of £95-125k (dependent on experience and qualifications) Bonus Pension Paternity/Maternity/Bereavement leave Base pay range and exact compensation will be discussed with the recruiter. #J-18808-Ljbffr