Job Details

PR Lead - Corporate

Location: Crawley, West Sussex Further Information
Job Type: Marketing
Ref: PR - VA

Salary: Competitive per annum plus excellent benefits

Contract: Permanent

Hours: 37.5 hours per week, Mon - Fri 09:00 - 17:30

Location: The VHQ, Crawley, West Sussex

Closing date: 17 February 2019

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In a nutshell

As Corporate PR Lead you'll be accountable for developing and delivering positive messaging to help Virgin Atlantic become the most loved travel company, and for protecting its reputation for delivering unrivalled service and safe travel for our customers. In this role you'll have the knowledge, confidence, and skill to influence and advise on all PR matters – both proactive and reactive - at all levels of the business and beyond.

Working in our amazing PR team, you will work on multi-faceted launches and campaigns, so we're looking for someone who's a creative thinker, has a can-do approach and innovative spirit.

Day to day

Craft compelling PR which delivers business objectives – Support Head of PR in developing a strategy of corporate messaging and news announcements which support key business objectives and drive brand awareness globally.

Take the lead on trade and partner communications – coordinating communications with Delta, Air France and KLM to ensure an aligned PR strategy across markets. Working with the US teams to coordinate announcements and activity as required

Deputise for the Head of PR as required on corporate announcements, reputational matters, crisis handling and briefing partners. Dotted line coaching and supporting international marketing & communications managers globally.

Deliver the corporate narrative – Support the Head of PR in devising and delivering a corporate narrative which makes Virgin Atlantic’s vision and customer proposition easy to understand and communicate internally and externally.

Develop effective partner relationships – across key departments within Virgin Atlantic and externally (industry bodies, airports, tourism boards etc.) to influence decision-making and deliver collaborative PR.

Work collaboratively with other MarComms functions - ensuring major announcements are coordinated with the internal communications and government affairs teams, as well as providing advice and guidance to customer facing teams as required.

Play a key role in the crisis management team – advising and challenging where appropriate to ensure the customer is at the heart of decision-making, and appropriate information is shared openly and succinctly to protect the Virgin brand. This role involves being on call out of hours on a PR team rota, managing and responding to daily reactive issues.

Nurture media relations with an emphasis on transport, aviation, and business journalists and platforms. Support the wider press office team in media relations across travel, trade and international titles.

Support and advise the Leadership team – setting up profile opportunities and interviews, escorting media opportunities and providing advice on messaging, tone and delivery.

Budget handling and agency management – will have oversight of the corporate press office budget and will manage agency partners who support the smooth running of the PR function.

About you

Do you have demonstrable track record of experience in communications? Have you operated at a senior level in a dynamic organization? Then this could be the role for you.

With strong business sense you'll build credible, enduring relationships and deploy good judgement when gauging which messages or issues to focus on. Strong verbal and written communication skills are critical, along with the ability to represent corporate interests to a wide variety of people from differing levels of the organisation. You'll be a confident and effective decision maker, a phenomenal teammate who thrives working in a dynamic environment.

Does the above sound like you? Then we'd love to hear from you.

The perks

Our pioneering spirit and passion keeps our brand vibrantly alive. That's why we give our people the rewards that they deserve. We have a whole host of benefits in place to help you enjoy life to the full, as well as a world of travel opportunities including up to seven flights a year to a wide range of fabulous Virgin Atlantic global destinations. We also offer a competitive benefits package including pension and private medical schemes, life assurance, child care vouchers and excellent discounts across the Virgin Group of companies. We appreciate that life is busy, so when operationally possible remote working is available.

Be you - our differences make us stronger

Virgin Atlantic and Virgin holidays are equal opportunities employers and positively encourage applications from suitably qualified and eligible applicants regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion or belief, marital status, or pregnancy and maternity. Our aim is to employ people who reflect the diverse nature of society which is why we strive to provide an inclusive environment where individuality is celebrated and we can unleash the potential of our brilliant mix of people.

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To all recruitment agencies: Virgin Atlantic does not accept unsolicited agency CVs. Please do not send unsolicited CVs to our job openings or to Virgin Atlantic employees. Virgin Atlantic is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited CVs.