Senior External Communications Manager

Forvis Mazars is a leading global professional services network providing audit & assurance, tax, and advisory services. Forvis Mazars in the UK spans 14 offices across the nation and has over 3,400 professionals, with 190 partners. We have a clear purpose and a shared commitment to shape a better future.

You'll join a collaborative and inclusive team where you're supported to grow your skills, explore new opportunities, and contribute from day one. You'll work with a diverse client base, develop meaningful connections, and gain experience that extends beyond your local team. Together, we grow, belong and impact.

About the team

We're looking for an experienced and capable comms professional to manage our busy press office and build on our strategic approach to promoting and protecting our brand. You'll make a real difference as part of a rapidly growing firm, influencing the direction of our communications strategy and creating an environment for success.

The opportunities are huge, and you'll be given the support and autonomy to make your mark.

About the role

• Develop a regional PR strategy to complement our national output - Coordinate and manage our roster of PR agencies, and feed into strategic discussions about optimising our agency model across the UK
• Work closely with our sector marketing teams to integrate external communications with marketing activity
• Be the first port of call for media enquiries in the firm, developing strong relationships with key journalists and demonstrating excellent judgment and instincts
• Proactively identify media opportunities and develop content ideas for commentary topics and campaigns
• Maintain our media training programme, ensuring our spokespeople are appropriately trained and briefed ahead of interactions with the media
• Oversee and contribute to producing entries for strategically important awards and surveys
• Review and add value to a range of external communications materials: press releases, articles, social media posts, etc.
• Create a profile as a credible and capable counsel to the firm's leadership on external communications and engagement
• Deputise for the Communications Director where required including in critical areas such as crisis response and reactive communications
• Support on key corporate reports including Financial Statements, Transparency Report and Sustainability report
• Own the corporate sections of Mazars' website: News and Events, About Us
• Refine and implement a comprehensive reporting structure across public relations and public affairs activities
• Work with our public affairs consultants and ensure that PR and PA activity is coordinated

Stakeholders and network

• You will report to the Brand & Communications Director, and will be responsible for overseeing a roster of three agencies working on various briefs across the firm
• You'll quickly build credibility and rapport with senior stakeholders across the business and become the visible face of media relations within the firm. These stakeholders will include members of our Executive board as well as Service Line Leaders and Functional Leaders
• Developing a trusted relationship with the members of our Business Services Team responsible for People & Culture, Business Technology, Quality & Risk Management, Innovation, will be critical part of this role

What we are looking for

• Experience in a busy press office (either in-house or agency) is essential, and understanding of the structure of professional services firms is an advantage
• Proactive, motivated and enthusiastic: contributes energy and a positive attitude
• Ability to manage ambiguity and set clear expectations around deliverables and timescales
• Accountable, visible and willing to take personal responsibility
• You will naturally take the initiative and see tasks through to completion
• Confident and positive attitude, with a proven ability to work effectively with a wide range of stakeholders and personalities
• Proactive, self-motivated team player used to working under pressure from multiple internal clients with proven ability to prioritise workload and manage time to meet commitments
• Calm, diplomatic and persuasive manner – ability to listen and ask questions, and challenge where necessary
• Demonstrate understanding of external communications processes and best practice – and exhibit the confidence to draw upon previous experience and share this knowledge across the team and business
• Excellent drafting and copy-editing skills are essential, with total attention to detail
• Outstanding verbal and written skills with a desire to seek out news and create content

At Forvis Mazars diversity, equity and inclusion are central to our values. We value our people's unique backgrounds, perspectives, and experience, and know this diversity create better outcomes for our clients. We seek to attract, develop, and retain the best talent, inclusive of sex, ethnicity, disability, socio-economic background, sexual orientation, gender identity, nationality, and faith. We select candidates based on skills, knowledge, qualifications, and experience and aim to support all our team members to reach their potential. At Forvis Mazars, we promote an environment in which you can grow your skills, belong to a team that values your ideas, and make an impact that matters.