Leadership Communications & Thought Leadership

• Experience developing reputation strategies for senior leaders, helping build their visibility with clients, prospects, media, industry bodies and internal audiences.
• Ability to support UK leaders with thought leadership development that strengthens reputation, supports pitches and contributes to growth targets.
• Excellent writing skills, with the ability to draft clear, credible and engaging leadership communications across internal notes, external commentary, speeches, articles and briefing materials.
• Strong ability to distil complex business priorities into simple, compelling narratives for different audiences.
• Experience supporting senior leaders through business change communications with empathy, discretion and sound judgement.
• Comfortable advising leadership teams on tone, message hierarchy, stakeholder sensitivity and communications risk.
• Able to balance strategic counsel with hands-on delivery, ensuring communications are timely, accurate and well-crafted.

Client Profiling & Content Development

• Experience working with client leadership, client management teams or senior stakeholders to identify high-priority clients and opportunities for external profiling.
• Ability to develop thoughtful content ideas for editorial, speaking, awards and on-stage opportunities that benefit both client relationships and agency reputation.
• Strong understanding of how to profile client work in a way that is commercially valuable, creatively credible and sensitive to client priorities.
• Experience working directly with client corporate communications teams to shape and deliver external opportunities.

Agency Profile, Awards & Creative Communications

• Skilled at developing sector-specific content that supports agency positioning, demonstrates expertise and creates meaningful market visibility.
• Strong understanding of how to build agency profile through a combination of PR, awards, thought leadership, events, content and senior leader visibility.
• Experience identifying and shaping stories around agency work, people, culture, capabilities and growth priorities.
• Ability to work closely with creative leadership to identify the strongest work for external amplification.
• Strong appreciation of creativity, craft and effectiveness, with the ability to position work in a way that resonates with industry audiences.
• Experience advising on people and agency award submissions, festival communications and campaign amplification strategies. [Creative award submissions sit with another team].
• Ability to support a joined-up approach to agency fame across UK, EMEA, global and WPP communications channels.

Stakeholder Management & Collaboration

• Outstanding relationship-building and stakeholder management skills with senior leaders across VML UK, EMEA, Global, WPP et al.
• Collaborative and diplomatic in approach, with the confidence to challenge constructively when needed.
• Demonstrates emotional intelligence and excellent judgement when navigating complex stakeholder environments.
• Able to work effectively across matrixed organisations, balancing multiple priorities, markets and leadership expectations.
• Comfortable operating as a trusted partner to senior stakeholders, while also driving momentum and accountability across day-to-day communications activity.

PR Agency, Budget & Communications Operations

• Experience managing external PR agency relationships, including briefing, prioritisation, quality control, feedback and performance management.
• Strong commercial and operational discipline, including the ability to manage marketing budgets responsibly and transparently.
• A highly organised and efficient approach in managing press trackers, communications calendars, status updates and reporting processes ensuring accuracy at all times.
• Confident joining and contributing to regional/global press status meetings, surfacing high-value opportunities, new work and priority communications activity.

Communication & Writing Excellence

• Exceptional written, verbal and presentation skills.
• Ability to write with clarity and confidence across a wide range of formats, from leadership notes and press materials to thought leadership and internal communications.
• Strong editorial judgement, with the ability to identify the strongest angle, simplify complexity and shape messages for different audiences.
• Meticulous attention to detail and commitment to producing communications of consistently high quality.
• Comfortable working at pace, managing tight deadlines with multiple stakeholders and supporting wider network markets with ad hoc requests.
• Able to maintain quality and composure when handling sensitive, high-profile or fast-moving communications.

Personal Attributes

• Highly proactive, organised and self-motivated.
• Strategic thinker with a hands-on, delivery-focused mindset.
• Calm, resilient and confident under pressure.
• Demonstrates excellent judgement, discretion and emotional intelligence.
• Comfortable operating within ambiguity and shaping structure where it does not yet exist.
• Collaborative, credible and able to build trust quickly with senior stakeholders.
• Curious about the industry, passionate about creativity and committed to building the reputation of VML UK.
• Energetic, commercially aware and motivated by the role communications can play in supporting growth.

We believe the best work happens when we're together, fostering creativity, collaboration, and connection. That's why we’ve adopted a hybrid approach, with teams in the office an average of four days a week. If you require accommodations or flexibility, please discuss this with the hiring team during the interview process.

WPP (VML) is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to characteristics. We are committed to fostering a culture of respect in which everyone feels they belong and has the same opportunities to progress in their careers.

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