PR and Comms Lead

At Travel Counsellors, we care about our customers, communities and our colleagues more than anyone else and that’s what makes us special. For us, relationships trump transactions and we are there for our customers, connecting with them on a deeply human level through the moments that matter.

We’ve been changing lives for over 26 years as the leading travel marketplace for self-employed travel entrepreneurs, empowering over 1,900 global independent travel agents to run successful leisure and corporate travel businesses as part of a company that truly cares and one that has never wavered from its purpose; to redefine what personal means for a travel business.

Our Travel Counsellors are supported by a team of over 200 super talented people in our Support Offices to help them create unique, inspiring and exciting experiences for their customers, building lasting personal relationships that brings them back to us, time and time again.

We’re fired up for the future as the demand for travel after COVID-19 returns even greater than before, and we’re looking for the brightest and the best to come and join us to take our business to the next level.

About the role:

We’re looking for an experienced and highly creative PR & Communications professional to support and strengthen our brand reputation. This role is for a 6mth FTC.

This is a fantastic opportunity for an experienced communications professional to think big, make an impact and implement new ideas or ways of working into a well-established and highly-driven Communications Team, which is focussed on supporting the company’s corporate and leisure Travel Counsellor business owners (franchisees) to grow and develop their businesses, positioning Travel Counsellors as a personal, digital platform business, powered by people and the human touch.

Reporting to the Global Head of PR & Communications, you’ll play a critical role in driving and managing our PR and external communications strategy, ensuring that all activity is aligned to our brand strategy and PR roadmap.

Working collaboratively with key stakeholders, you will need to be adaptable and dynamic - this role is for those willing to get stuck-in, relish being able to see the real impact of your results and regularly reporting on progress - using this as a stepping stone to take our business, and your career, to the next level.

You will be a forward-thinking individual who can step up and shine whilst working collaboratively with our people, demonstrating the exceptional level of care towards our Travel Counsellors we expect from our colleagues.

This role is based at our Manchester Support Office in Trafford.

Responsibilities include:

• Planning & executing an external PR strategy which aligns to overall business and brand strategies
• Proactively source and react to external media opportunities, and be highly confident in responding to the latest news agenda to further awareness and recognition for the Travel Counsellors brand, and its business owners
• Respond to changes in travel restrictions defined by UK and overseas governments
• Build on Travel Counsellors good reputation by sustaining positive media relations with all target press contacts and publications
• Manage press release creation and distribution, proactively sourcing the post powerful stories and news hooks
• Manage multiple award applications, building on Travel Counsellors successful legacy in winning industry and consumer awards each year
• Work closely with the recruitment marketing teams to ensure PR activity aligns to company recruitment strategy
• Working closely with our Corporate Travel team to ensure PR activity aligns to corporate travel strategy
• Manage the relationship with external PR agency partner, supplying timely company information to support the consumer PR function
• Facilitate the growth of individual franchisee’s businesses by supporting them with local and regional media enquiries.
• Liaising with overseas management and media to raise the company’s international profile
• Media monitor and regularly report on coverage achieved, defining what success looks like in strengthening the company’s profile within its target audiences
• Support other areas of the business - this will include acting as a subject matter expert and advising stakeholders on brand reputation risk.
• Effectively set and manage multiple deadlines and priorities, and ensure projects are completed on time.

Skills & experience required:

We’re passionate about the brilliant business we’ve built up over the last 26 years and you’ll share the same enthusiasm for our values and special culture that we’re famous for across the industry. In terms of experience, we’re looking for the following:

• You will have at least 5 years’ experience in managing and delivering PR and external communications campaign activity
• You will have a network of previous / existing contacts within trade, local, regional and broadcast media
• You will have a proven track record in delivering results from PR and wider external communications activity, and you will have a results-driven focus
• You will have experience in delivering crisis communications
• You will be an outstanding copywriter, who may be called upon to support both internal and external written communications
• You will have strong presentation skills, and be confident in supporting and influencing internal and external decision-makers, with excellent interpersonal skills
• You will be a self-starter and self-focused, able to work on your own, be pro-active and deliver results
• You will have experience in managing and meeting multiple deadlines
• You will have demonstrable experience in PR planning, media monitoring and reporting
• You will have strong digital knowledge with proven experience of working within a digitally driven business
• You have the ability to prioritise workload against business/project requirements and key stakeholders
• You will have experience of working in an entrepreneurial organisation

In addition to this, the successful candidate will also possess the following key skills and attributes:

• Passionate about putting customers at the heart of everything you do and keen to build relationships with our Travel Counsellors
• A natural communicator and collaborator that quickly gains the trust and engagement of our leaders, Senior managers and commercial partners to deliver results, quickly but effectively
• Able to work in an agile, fast-paced environment, comfortable with flexing constantly in a rapidly changing landscape and can respond quickly to stakeholder needs
• Experience in managing and influencing multiple stakeholders, globally, and comfortable working with C-level executives
• A team player with experience working at this level, leveraging the use of effective external communications to drive their business forward
• An excellent communicator and influencer, comfortable working with internal and external stakeholders, confident in your knowledge and abilities in representing our business
• Great knowledge of social media channels and wider marketing communications activities, with an in-depth understanding of how PR and external communications activity supports the overarching marketing sales and strategy
• Ability to prioritise, with the perseverance and persistence needed to manage tasks through to completion
• Passionate about all things travel and an expert in your field
• Thorough understanding of a franchise business model
• Ready to take on more responsibility across the PR and communications mix, and will relish becoming part of one of the most vibrant and successful travel companies in the UK
• You will have a Degree or equivalent qualification with proven, strong experience in the PR field, either from an agency or in-house background

Desirable, not essential:

• Working knowledge of Trust pilot as a global customer review platform
• Basic working knowledge of internal communications platforms, such as Banana tag and SharePoint