PR Associate Director - Corporate Communications

Location: London (Chancery Lane)

Working Pattern: Full time or Part time considered - Hybrid working (2 days in, 3 days flex.)

About Cirkle

We're a multi-award-winning consumer and B2B communications agency representing some of Britain's best-loved brands and businesses.

Quite simply, it's our people that drive our agency and creating a culture which genuinely puts them at the heart of our operation and vision is what makes them feel counted. We are a B Corp and Blueprinted agency, and we take our commitment to using our business as a force for good seriously.

We don't tick boxes; we build and evolve initiatives, programmes and partnerships which create meaning, both for the people in our business, as well as the communities and stakeholders we serve. We are proud to be included in the Campaign Best Places to Work list and shortlisted for PRWeek's Best Places to Work.

The Role

Our B2B Division is looking for an Associate Director – Corporate Communications to help shape and grow our corporate communications offering.

Reporting to the Head of Retail Trade & Hospitality, you'll lead a portfolio of clients, delivering strategic communications programmes that build, protect and enhance reputation for some of the UK's best-known brands and businesses.

This is an exciting opportunity for an ambitious senior consultant who enjoys creating opportunities as much as delivering outstanding client work. We're looking for someone entrepreneurial, commercially minded and naturally curious. Someone who thrives on winning the confidence of clients, identifying opportunities for growth and helping develop Cirkle's corporate communications proposition.

You'll advise clients on everything from long-term reputation strategy and thought leadership through to issues management and crisis communications, becoming a trusted adviser during both planned campaigns and high-pressure moments.

Responsibilities include:

• Acting as the strategic lead across your client portfolio, providing senior counsel and trusted advice to clients.
• Developing and delivering integrated corporate communications strategies that build, protect and enhance reputation.
• Providing calm, confident leadership during issues and crisis situations, advising clients through complex and fast-moving environments.
• Developing a detailed understanding of clients' businesses, industries and stakeholder landscapes to anticipate risks and identify opportunities.
• Driving exceptional client service, ensuring programmes are delivered to budget, deadline and the highest standard.
• Identifying opportunities for organic growth and working collaboratively across the agency to introduce wider Cirkle capabilities.
• Proactively generating and converting new business opportunities through networking, relationship building and pitching.
• Building and maintaining strong relationships with media, industry stakeholders and opinion formers.
• Leading strategic writing, including messaging frameworks, executive communications, issues management materials, thought leadership and campaign strategies.
• Developing and mentoring team members, creating opportunities for them to grow while fostering a collaborative, high-performing culture.

About you

• A proven corporate communications practitioner with significant agency experience across a broad range of sectors – experience working with food and drink businesses beneficial, but not crucial
• Strong experience delivering both proactive reputation-building campaigns and reactive issues and crisis communications.
• A genuine self-starter who enjoys building opportunities, taking ownership and helping grow a business.
• A trusted adviser who can confidently counsel, influence and challenge senior clients.
• Commercially astute, with experience managing budgets, driving profitability and delivering organic client growth.
• An excellent strategist who can connect business objectives with creative communications programmes that deliver measurable impact.
• Confident leading client presentations, workshops, pitches and senior stakeholder meetings.
• Strong understanding of the corporate communications landscape, including media, stakeholder engagement and reputation management.
• Calm, decisive and authoritative when managing sensitive or high-profile issues.
• Highly organised, with the ability to lead multiple workstreams and manage changing priorities.
• A collaborative and inspiring leader who enjoys developing people and building high-performing teams.
• Excited by the opportunity to help shape and grow Cirkle's corporate communications offer alongside our award-winning consumer and B2B teams.

In return

• Bonus scheme
• Monthly employee recognition awards
• Comprehensive wellbeing programme, including health insurance and up to eight free counselling sessions per year
• Fully funded Railcards
• Regular funded socials
• 27 days' paid holiday, plus your birthday off and our annual Joy Day
• Internal and external mentoring and buddy schemes
• Electric car salary sacrifice scheme
• Social purpose-led paid time off for volunteering, voting, giving blood, plus an annual Allyship Day

At Cirkle, we embrace diversity and inclusion and believe it enriches our performance, services and culture. As our industry and team continue to evolve to reflect the growing diversity of our communities, our efforts to understand, value and incorporate differences become increasingly important.