Senior Associate, Strategic Communications

London Area, United Kingdom

12/28/2024

Schillings handles high stakes situations for our international clientele; high profile and successful people, companies and other organisations across the world. The high stakes situations they face affect their reputations, their privacy and their security, both digital and physical. That is why we apply a particular focus to protecting these three assets. The high stakes situations present both threats that need to be mitigated, and opportunities to be taken.

We believe everyone has a right to fair treatment of their reputation, to a reasonable expectation of privacy and to feel safe.

Uniquely, Schillings combines five capabilities under one roof to handle these high stakes situations: intelligence, law, communications, security and diplomacy. Our experts contribute to this multidisciplinary mix, or they are in the business support teams that reinforce that mission: marketing, HR, finance, risk and compliance and client services.

Because we are a growth business, opportunities appear in all areas and at all levels. We have the largest team of specialist lawyers in the world, an expanding Intelligence & Investigations team, a growing Critical Risks unit, an evolving Digital Resilience practice, and a new communications agency – Schillings Communications – that will grow significantly in the next three years.

Schillings is a collaborative, fun and welcoming place to work, with a positive culture, strong values and a developed service ethic. We require commitment, diligence, agility and professionalism, and in return provide competitive packages and incredibly stimulating and interesting work. We are committed to sharing learning and creating development opportunities so you can progress your career with us. Our people’s career trajectory and longevity at Schillings is a good example of this: a third of our people have been at the business for over five years. Join us and become part of our story.

Schillings is a collaborative, fun and welcoming place to work, with a positive culture, strong values and a developed service ethic. We require commitment, diligence, agility and professionalism, and in return provide competitive packages and incredibly stimulating and interesting work. We are committed to sharing learning and creating development opportunities so you can progress your career with us. Our people’s career trajectory and longevity at Schillings is a good example of this: a third of our people have been at the business for over five years. Join us and become part of our story.

Schillings Communications

Schillings Communications, founded by Schillings, Victoria O’Byrne and George Pascoe-Watson, makes the group the first of its kind in the market offering clients a multi-disciplinary model of legal, intelligence, investigations, digital, security, strategy, and communications all under one roof.

Our objective is to support clients with complex challenges and opportunities and to bring together mixed specialists to solve those problems as efficiently and effectively as possible.

Schillings Communications provides senior counsel during high-stakes situations, rather than steady-state PR. You will work alongside our legal, intelligence, investigations, and security practices to offer clients world-class counsel.

Job Title: Senior Associate.

Reporting to: Directors.

Job Purpose: An experienced communications specialist, you will work to devise and execute communications strategies to protect and promote our clients’ values, brand, personal reputations and professional reputations, enabling them to achieve their objectives. You will have the opportunity to use your skills in a uniquely collaborative environment providing solutions to complex client needs and contributing to driving excellence across the Schillings group.

With guidance from Directors and Partners you will work with other experts in the organisation to create and tactically deliver strategic communications for our clients. You will manage client projects with minimal supervision and offer innovative, strategic solutions. As an ambassador for Schillings you will contribute to service innovation, promote the firm and help to win new instructions from existing and new clients.

This is primarily a fee earning role so you will be responsible for meeting profitability targets and producing high quality deliverables.

Role Accountabilities

• To act as expert in strategic communications, collaborating with Partners to deal with complex client work, from inception to delivery, while supervising the work of more junior colleagues to provide a successful outcome.
• Develop a strong understanding of clients’ businesses and issues, building a trusted advisor relationship with clients and clearly communicating and executing strategies to support client objectives.
• Manage all aspects of client relationships, anticipating and providing advice to the clients while ensuring the highest standard of client care.
• Manage client work and teams effectively, meeting identified business targets while demonstrating good financial management of projects (scoping, billing).
• Anticipate and identify client issues and develop plans to address them whilst collaborating with senior leadership to mitigate risks.
• Support the business development efforts of Directors and Partners, i.e. drafting proposals and coordinating/developing responses in competitive client procurement processes.
• Represent Schillings at client events and conferences and through creation of insightful ‘thought leadership’ to support our clients’ knowledge development as well as our continued brand development.
• A member of the firm’s 'expert' team, Senior Associates develop the skills and experience of more junior fee-earners by sharing knowledge and best practices.
• Maintain knowledge of all of Schillings’ skillsets and services and utilise these to best solve clients’ problems.
• Support Directors and Partners in developing the business and operations.
  
  

Knowledge, Skills, And Experience Required

• 8 years+ experience within strategic communications/reputation management; with specific expertise in crisis communications and issues management. You will have worked in agency or a high profile, dynamic business, or public sector organisation.
• Experience of successfully delivering high-profile complex communications assignments to a varied, demanding, and exacting client base.
• A proven media strategist and problem solver with a good network of contacts in the UK and an understanding of the media landscape globally.
• Takes the broader view; identifies clients overarching objectives and/or growth strategy and identifies how communications should support that.
• Excellent people, time, and project manager.
• A doer with high attention to detail and excellent project management skills; including resource scheduling, project team management and billing.
• Self-starter with a high degree of personal initiative, drive and desire to grow new services. Able to prioritise and organise workload effectively.
• A flexible growth mindset, able to remain composed and focused under pressure.
• Tenacious and diligent team player with a ‘can do’ attitude who thrives in dynamic environments and can pivot swiftly when needed.
• An interest in current affairs and the media, well informed and connected, commercially aware of clients’ business interests.
  
  

Please note we are shortlisting and interviewing for this role in January 2025.

Life at Schillings

Given our audacious (and successful) business strategy, it is not surprising that Schillings has a very strong culture. The atmosphere is highly collaborative and focused on excellence. We have worked hard over the years to develop a coaching culture and are remarkably non-hierarchical, especially given our roots as a law firm. Schillings has adopted a set of values to put at the heart of this change and they reflect the intention and tenor of our ambitious plans. They are: ‘Innovative; Bold; United; and Excellent’. Our client list speaks for the outstanding results that have been delivered over many years and the task now is to grow without losing any of the commitment to delivering for clients or the service ethos. Finding people who share our values and can thrive in this environment is key to our success.

It takes a unique mix of people to create something truly great. We appreciate that diversity of thought, background and culture creates the best environment to truly innovate, solve problems and achieve our goals. We welcome candidates from all backgrounds – if you are driven and want to achieve your best then we will give you the platform and support to succeed.

Please let us know if there are any extenuating circumstances we should consider, or any adjustments we may need to make to our selection process, when making your application.

Find our candidate privacy notice here, Candidate Privacy Notice (schillingspartners.com)