Manager, Brand and Partner Communications

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Purpose of the Role:

To plan and lead the strategic brand communications for McLaren Racing (McLaren F1, Arrow McLaren SP – INDYCAR, McLaren Extreme E and McLaren Shadow – esports/gaming) and its partners in support of the business’s strategic marketing objectives, grow awareness and build affinity among target audiences of McLaren as a global technology, lifestyle and sports brand and contribute to building long-term value

 

Role Dimensions:

Based in Woking at the McLaren Technology Centre, reporting to the Director of Communications. There may be some flexibility with working hours and travel required to fulfil this role effectively. This role will have two direct reports.

 

Principal Accountabilities:

Working within the Communications team and reporting into the Director of Communications, to provide valuable support to McLaren strategic communications plans and activities including in three key areas:

 

  • McLaren brand communications in lifestyle, tech and business media across key and emerging markets
  • McLaren strategic partner communications
  • Influencer and celebrity engagement and communications
  • Building McLaren brand in the lifestyle, tech, and business media
  • Build lifestyle, tech, and business media opportunities
  • Work with partners on mutually beneficial opportunities
  • Work with internal and agency resource to amplify the brand in strategic markets to increase international coverage
  • Collaborate actively with colleagues in McLaren Automotive to share, exchange and leverage opportunities for the wider McLaren brand and narrative

McLaren partner communications

  • Support the retention and growth of McLaren partners through targeted, strategic communications to achieve their partnership and business objectives, provide added value to their partnerships and simultaneously enable the McLaren brand to benefit from greater profile in important media segments (e.g. tech, lifestyle, business)
  • Support the objectives of the McLaren brand strategy through innovative, impactful brand communications to drive share of voice and media profile in target sectors
  • Prioritise and develop key partner communications strategies, activations and plans, working with McLaren strategic marketing, partnership activation, content creation and digital & social media colleagues
  • Develop knowledge of McLaren’s sustainability manifesto and McLaren Racing Engage initiative in order that this can be incorporated into plans and communication where appropriate.

Influencer/celebrity engagement and communications

  • Drive influencer engagement in line with the business’s influencer and celebrity plan, working with the Race Communications team and Digital & Social team
  • Ensure the influencer and celebrity plan is fit for purpose as a brand-building tool
  • Proactively seek relationships and engagement with relevant, high-value influencers with return to the McLaren brand and the ability to grow audience.
  • Work with internal and external stakeholders to maximise media coverage and communications impact for the McLaren brand

Job requirements

Knowledge, Skills and Experience:

 

  • Experience in a busy communications environment within a specialist communications/partner/media/brand role
  • This role will suit an applicant with strong organisational skills and coordination capabilities
  • Strong relationship building skills with partners leads and partner communication teams across the McLaren Racing portfolio
  • Proven record of planning and successfully executing communications strategies and campaigns
  • Active knowledge of consumer lifestyle and tech media
  • Active experience of influencer communications including celebrity activations
  • Excellent communication skills – both written and verbal – and able to represent McLaren Racing well in any capacity
  • Understanding of the sports, business and consumer lifestyle media
  • Conversant with consumer tech and focusing on compelling storylines to tell stories
  • Experience and understanding of working with international media
  • Active network of media contacts and relationships
  • Strong planning and project management skills
  • Senior personnel/stakeholder engagement – dealing with senior team personnel and stakeholders, across McLaren Racing

 

Personal attributes:

 

  • Excellent verbal and interpersonal skills and the ability to confidently communicate with stakeholders of all levels of seniority throughout the business
  • Excellent and thorough written skills with a keen attention to detail
  • Strong team player and communicator with keenness to work in both a small team as well as play an active role in the wider department
  • Confident, persuasive communicator
  • Relationship-builder
  • Strategically minded
  • Creative thinker
  • Team player
  • Flexible

 

 

All employees must ensure compliance with the Company Health and Safety Policy, and all relevant other statutory Health and Safety legislation.

 

This job description may not detail some less major duties allocated to the post holder, nor cover duties of a similar nature, commensurate with the role, which may from time to time be reasonably required by the relevant manager.