Description The team
Brands, Clients& Markets (BCM) is a team of around 50 professionals committed to advancing the firm's growth. The team leads business development, brand profiling and positioning, internal communications, external marketing and PR, and client experience initiatives - including client listening and relationship development. BCM operates across the UK, Hong Kong, and Singapore, and supports the business with our wider international profile and work through network organisations.
The role
Our Lead & Thrive strategy has 3 key tenets - to dominate our chosen sectors, drive up profitability, and be the best place to work at and with - and our PR and media profile plays a critical part in each.
As a result, there is commitment at the most senior level to recruit an experienced and proactive PR professional to drive awareness of what we're about for clients and for prospective talent. We need the legal press, national media and sector-specific news platforms to think 'RPC' across our chosen sectors and specialist services. You will possess and build powerful relationships in the media landscape and work collaboratively with a close-knit communications and business development team.
If you're looking for a senior role which immediately places you at the heart of the strategy; gives you regular exposure to all the senior stakeholders; and positions you as the go-to person on anything and everything which impacts the public perception of the firm, then this could be for you.
Do you have the energy and enthusiasm to grab this opportunity and make it your own? Can you turn commercial objectives into measurable PR and media plans, and execute them? Are you skilled at building relationships - internally and externally - and making the most of them for the good of the firm?
Working closely with the Managing Partner, the COO, and the rest of the Executive Board at a firm which has enjoyed significant recent growth and with a hunger for more, this role offers the right candidate the opportunity to make a discernible difference to the commercial success of the business very quickly. And to be well-rewarded in the process.
If this all sounds like you - and you're committed to collaborating as part of a supportive team where career development goes in-hand with high performance - we'd love to hear from you.
A bit more detail
We would like to talk to people who can: Develop and deliver measurable PR plans in support of the firm's strategy. The primary focus will be to support RPC's five core sectors, namely Consumer Brands & Retail, Financial Services, Insurance & Reinsurance, Professional Practices and Technology, Media & Telecoms. As well as embedding the unique culture, centred on our natural affinity with clients and our people, into profile raising opportunities. Bring to the firm established relationships with key legal, national and wider sector media. Build and foster profitable relations - directly and through RPC lawyers - with key journalists and media outlets across our target markets, national, legal and sector-specific. Deploy PR and broader communications tactics to position RPC as an expert in its chosen fields. Integrate PR with other marketing tactics, working with our social media and content marketing functions, to achieve maximum impact. Develop and deliver broader strategic external communications plans, making use of a range of media. Handle crisis communications with calm authority and appropriate confidentiality. Provide flexible copywriting and editorial expertise and guidance in support of firm and practice area business goals.
Geographically, this role is responsible for PR strategy and delivery primarily in the UK, but also in an advisory capacity for Asia.
Key internal relationships
As a key member of Brand, Clients & Markets (BCM), the Senior PR Manager is integral to the success of the team and its impact, not to mention the success of the firm.
Day-to-day relationships with the Director of BCM, the Head of Marketing Communications, the Internal Communications team, Digital Marketing, and all Business Development colleagues are particularly important.
This role offers significant face time with senior people, including the Managing Partner, members of the Executive Board, Partners leading the sectors, the COO and all the Business Services Directors. As such, the successful candidate will have the opportunity to make a major impact very quickly.
Reports to: Head of Marketing Communications
Line management responsibility: Senior PR Executive
Duties and responsibilities include but not are limited to the following:
PR/Media Develop and execute strategic PR activity in support of defined business goals. Actively monitor the unfolding news agenda, spotting opportunities for RPC to comment and promote thought leadership, in support of defined objectives. Work with senior management to develop and deliver scenario plans and advise on how best to respond to crisis situations. Proactively and reactively manage negative PR, mitigating its business impact. Draft, edit and distribute press releases to announce RPC's deals, appointments and other key news. Take ownership for proactive and reactive media relations activity, ensuring that - where possible - RPC remains front of mind for its target media, and that we establish and maintain good relations with critical journalists. Be the contact point and fulcrum for incoming queries from all media. Proactively manage RPC's relationship with its PR agencies, reviewing the service delivered where necessary, and conducting tender processes if required. Manage RPC's service from other PR-related suppliers, such as media monitoring agencies. Budget and oversee expenditure on all PR-related suppliers. Monitor, measure and report on RPC's investment in firmwide PR activity. Offer structured and ad hoc media training/advice to RPC people.
Broader communications Work with Head of Marketing Communications to implement best practice and improve processes across all communications activity. Collaborate closely with Internal Communications colleagues to develop and deliver multi-channel communications campaigns covering (non-exclusively): Major change programmes Cross-selling activity Business wins Project engagement Business as usual milestones in the firm's calendar Work with the Social Media Manager and wider digital team to leverage PR across all external communications platforms. Act as primary contact for copywriting and copyediting to ensure content lands with impact and character, and adheres to house style, liaising with production team where relevant. Research, write and edit award submissions. Line manage and develop the Senior PR Executive.
Given the nature of the role, it will at times require the successful candidate to be available outside normal working hours, particularly when it comes to handling reactive PR enquiries and crisis communications situations.
Knowledge, skills and experience
The successful candidate will have proven experience of successfully developing and delivering PR and Communications strategies within a professional services environment (ideally in the legal sector).
The role would suit a confident and well-organised self-starter, requiring the ability to gain the respect and trust of Partners and business services colleagues at all levels of seniority. The ideal candidate would have the following skills and qualifications: Rich understanding of the discipline of PR, and how the media works Ideally strong existing relationships with key target media (legal; national; sector etc) Adept at scenario planning, and "seeing round corners" Excellent editorial and writing skills, with ability to flex across several styles A good understanding of house style and tone of voice Highly organised Strong communicator Strong presentation skills, both oral and written Excellent project management skills A rich understanding of the legal market A strong grasp of brand and market positioning Ideally, CIM/CIPR-qualified
Attributes Strong team player Solutions- and delivery-focused Calm under pressure Ability to see how individual activities fit into the bigger picture Ability to plan, and deliver against that plan Strong personal judgement Able to remain independent Excellent influencing skills Proactive, self-motivated, self-starter Professional, credible and impactful Adaptable and flexible Adopts a common-sense approach An ability not to take life too seriously
#RPCHP
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