PR Lead

Role: PR Lead

Location: London, United Kingdom

About the role:

The Global PR Lead is OLIVER's senior earned media and thought leadership specialist — accountable for PR strategy, media relations, executive profile development, analyst and influencer engagement, and crisis communications across OLIVER's key growth markets including the UK, North America, and EMEA.

You'll set the direction for the entire PR function, manage and develop the PR Manager, and personally lead the relationships and programmes that matter most — senior journalist and editor relationships, executive profiling for OLIVER's C-suite and managing directors, and OLIVER's positioning with the industry analysts and marketing commentators who shape how the sector thinks.

You'll work most closely with the Global Head of Marketing and Content & Campaigns Lead — the three of you forming the core of OLIVER's reputation engine. The Global Head of Marketing sets the brand strategy and positioning; the Content & Campaigns Lead owns the content and channel delivery; you own the earned media, executive profile, and thought leadership programmes that build and protect OLIVER's credibility in the market. Together, these three functions are responsible for how OLIVER is perceived.

You'll also collaborate with the Awards Lead and Demand Generation Lead — ensuring award wins are amplified through PR channels and earned media activity is tracked and attributed to commercial outcomes.

What you will be doing:

• Global PR Strategy
  • Set and own OLIVER's global PR strategy across key growth markets — defining the narrative priorities, media mapping, journalist and editor targeting, and proactive and reactive pitching approach that builds OLIVER's credibility and visibility with enterprise and marketing industry audiences.
  • Develop a rolling annual PR calendar aligned to OLIVER's commercial priorities, campaign activity, awards programme, and key market moments — ensuring earned media is planned, not reactive.
  • Build and maintain a clear view of OLIVER's share of voice across key markets and media categories — tracking coverage quality, competitive positioning, and narrative consistency and adjusting strategy accordingly.
  • Work closely with the Global Head of Marketing and Content & Campaigns Lead to ensure PR strategy is fully integrated with brand positioning, content priorities, and commercial objectives — acting as the earned media layer of a joined-up reputation programme.
  • Set PR strategy for key growth markets — adapting global narrative and pitching approach for UK, North America, and EMEA audiences, media landscapes, and cultural contexts.
• Senior Media Relations
  • Build, maintain, and leverage senior journalist, editor, and media relationships across business, marketing, creative, and trade media in OLIVER's key growth markets — relationships that open doors, secure quality coverage, and give OLIVER a credible, consistent voice in the conversations that matter.
  • Personally lead pitching and relationship management for OLIVER's highest-priority media targets — bringing the senior credibility and relationship depth that the PR Manager cannot yet provide.
  • Write and edit press releases, media pitches, bylines, and editorial materials to an exceptional standard — setting the quality benchmark for all PR output and providing editorial direction to the PR Manager.
  • Identify and respond to comment opportunities with speed and precision — ensuring OLIVER's senior leaders are visible, well-briefed, and consistently represented in the conversations shaping the marketing and creative industries.
  • Manage major news announcements end to end: drafting, approvals, distribution, and follow-up — coordinating with the Global Head of Marketing and legal or commercial stakeholders where required.
• Executive Profiling & Personal Brand Building
  • Own and lead OLIVER's executive profiling programme — personally building the public profiles of OLIVER's senior leaders, including the Global CEO, regional managing directors, and other key executives, in the marketing, creative, and business media landscape.
  • Develop bespoke personal brand strategies for each senior leader in alignment with the positioning framework set by the Global Head of Marketing: defining each leader's narrative, areas of authority, and the channels and opportunities most likely to build their profile with the audiences that matter commercially.
  • Secure and manage a consistent pipeline of high-quality profile-building opportunities — bylines in tier-one marketing and business publications, keynote and panel speaking engagements, podcast appearances, industry award nominations, and LinkedIn thought leadership.
  • Brief and coach executives ahead of media engagements, interviews, and speaking appearances — preparing talking points, anticipating questions, managing nerves, and ensuring every appearance reinforces the leader's positioning and OLIVER's brand.
  • Track exec profile development as a measurable outcome — building reporting frameworks that demonstrate profile growth over time across media presence, share of voice, speaking engagements, and audience reach.
• Thought Leadership Programme
  • Develop and manage OLIVER's thought leadership programme — identifying the topics, narratives, and points of view that position OLIVER as a genuine authority in the in-house agency, marketing transformation, and creative effectiveness space.
  • Commission, write, and place high-quality thought leadership content — working with internal subject matter experts and external contributors to develop bylines, opinion pieces, research-backed articles, and industry commentary that earn attention and build credibility.
  • Ensure thought leadership narratives are aligned to the positioning set by the Global Head of Marketing — and integrated across channels in collaboration with the Content & Campaigns Lead on owned channel amplification and the Awards Lead on recognition and case study narratives.
• Influencer & Analyst Relations
  • Build and manage OLIVER's relationships with the industry analysts, marketing commentators, and sector influencers who shape how enterprise marketing leaders think about in-house agencies and marketing transformation.
  • Develop a structured analyst engagement programme — including regular briefings, research participation, co-created content, and relationship management that builds OLIVER's credibility with the analyst community over time.
  • Identify and activate relevant industry influencer relationships — developing a partnership approach that is commercially considered, brand-safe, and aligned to the positioning set by the Global Head of Marketing.
  • Develop co-created content with analysts and partners, ensuring OLIVER's narrative is accurately, compellingly, and consistently represented.
• Team Leadership & Development
  • Lead, develop, and be accountable for the PR Manager — setting clear direction, reviewing and improving their work, providing structured feedback, and supporting their growth as a PR professional.
  • Set quality standards for all PR output — press releases, pitches, media lists, reporting, and briefing materials — and hold the team to them consistently.
  • Build an organised, well-documented PR function: media lists, contact databases, editorial calendars, coverage archives, and performance reporting infrastructure that gives the Global Head of Marketing and wider marketing team clear visibility of PR activity and outcomes.
  • Act as a senior resource and collaborator for the wider Global Marketing Team — bringing PR expertise and media intelligence to campaign planning, content strategy, and reputation decisions.
• Performance & Measurement
  • Own PR performance reporting across the function — tracking share of voice, coverage quality and reach, exec profile development, backlink and SEO impact, analyst engagement, and pipeline attribution via UTM tracking.
  • Build and maintain reporting frameworks that connect earned media activity to commercial outcomes — presenting PR performance to the Global Head of Marketing with clear insight and actionable recommendations.
  • Use performance data to continuously refine strategy, targeting, and relationship priorities — ensuring the PR programme is always improving and commercially accountable.
• Crisis & Issues Communications
  • Lead OLIVER's crisis and issues communications function — developing and maintaining crisis frameworks, monitoring for reputational risk, and leading the response to any significant media or reputational issue with speed, clarity, and good judgement.
  • Act as the senior communications advisor to the Global Head of Marketing and Global CEO in reputational risk situations — providing clear recommendations, drafting holding statements and reactive responses, and managing media relationships through difficult moments.
  • Ensure crisis communications protocols are documented, current, and understood across the Global Marketing Team and relevant senior stakeholders.
• Budget Ownership
  • Own and manage the PR function budget — forecasting spend across media tools, distribution platforms, events, external PR support, and analyst relations — tracking costs, raising purchase orders, and reporting on budget performance to the Global Head of Marketing.
  • Drive cost efficiency across the PR function without compromising relationship quality or coverage ambition.
  • Report on PR ROI: connecting earned media investment to measurable commercial outputs — coverage secured, exec profiles built, analyst relationships developed, and pipeline contribution attributed.

What you need to be great in this role:

• A proven track record as a senior PR leader in a B2B, marketing services, creative, or professional services environment — with demonstrable results in securing high-quality coverage in tier-one business, marketing, and trade media.
• Established, senior-level relationships with journalists, editors, and media decision-makers relevant to the marketing, creative, and business press — relationships built over time that you can activate immediately and develop further in this role.
• A clear strategic view of how earned media builds long-term brand credibility and commercial reputation — and the experience to turn that view into a programme that delivers measurable results.
• Experience leading a PR function or programme with full strategic ownership — independently setting the direction and being accountable for the outcomes.
• A demonstrable track record of building the personal brands and public profiles of senior marketing leaders — you can point to specific executives whose media presence, speaking reputation, and industry profile you have materially grown.
• Experience working directly with C-suite and senior leadership — briefing, coaching, challenging, and advising at the highest level of an organisation.
• Expertise in identifying and securing high-value profile-building opportunities: tier-one bylines, keynote speaking engagements, flagship podcast appearances, and award nominations that build genuine authority in the marketing and creative industries.
• A strategic approach to exec profiling: able to develop a bespoke positioning and narrative for each senior leader, identify the opportunities that matter most for their specific profile goals, and track progress over time.
• Experience running PR programmes across multiple markets — including UK, North America, and EMEA — with a clear understanding of how media landscapes, journalist cultures, and pitching approaches differ between markets.
• Confidence adapting a global PR strategy for local market relevance — knowing which narratives travel and which need localisation, and managing the tension between global consistency and local credibility.
• Experience building and managing media relationships in multiple markets simultaneously — either personally or through in-market support.
• Exceptional writing skills: able to craft press releases, bylines, opinion pieces, media pitches, and executive briefing materials that are compelling, strategically sharp, and tailored precisely to the audience and publication.
• Experience developing and managing thought leadership programmes — commissioning, writing, and placing content that builds genuine authority rather than simply occupying space.
• Strong editorial instinct: able to identify the stories worth telling, the angles worth pitching, and the moments worth reacting to — and act on them quickly and decisively.
• Experience building and managing relationships with industry and marketing analysts — including structured briefing programmes, research collaboration, and co-created content.
• A clear commercial view of analyst engagement: understanding which relationships matter most to OLIVER's positioning and how to develop them strategically over time.
• Experience managing influencer and industry voice relationships in a B2B context — with a disciplined, commercially considered approach to partnership and engagement.
• Proven experience leading crisis and issues communications — managing reputational risk situations with speed, clarity, and good judgement at the most senior level of an organisation.
• Confidence advising CEO and senior leadership during a crisis — providing clear recommendations under pressure and maintaining composure in fast-moving, high-stakes situations.
• Experience leading and developing PR practitioners — setting direction, reviewing work, providing structured feedback, and building capability within a team.
• A confident, senior collaborator: able to work effectively as part of the reputation leadership trio alongside the Global Head of Marketing and Content & Campaigns Lead — contributing to strategic decisions, integrating PR into the broader commercial marketing programme, and maintaining a joined-up approach to how OLIVER is perceived.
• Commercially accountable: understands how PR investment connects to pipeline and revenue, builds the reporting to demonstrate it, and is motivated to continuously improve that connection.
• Advanced use of Gen AI tools to enhance senior PR work — media research synthesis, pitch development, press release drafting, exec briefing preparation, thought leadership ideation, and coverage analysis.
• Experience establishing AI-assisted workflows for a PR team — setting quality standards for AI use and ensuring outputs maintain the precision, voice accuracy, and relationship sensitivity that senior PR demands.
• Ability to set governance frameworks for AI use in a PR context — knowing where AI accelerates output and where human relationship intelligence, editorial judgement, and reputational instinct are non-negotiable.
• Agentic leadership: systematic approach to complex, multi-market PR challenges — able to build clear frameworks, prioritise effectively across a broad programme, and drive execution across a team without losing strategic coherence.
• Thought leadership on AI's role in communications — able to engage credibly with the wider marketing team and industry on how AI is changing PR practice and where the discipline's human advantage lies.
• Formal degrees are welcome but not required. Equivalent experience counts. Experience can be gained through work, study, volunteering, or self-directed learning.

Req ID: 17860

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