Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Head of PR and Communications

🎯 Role Definition

The Head of PR and Communications leads the development and execution of an integrated public relations, corporate communications and external affairs strategy. This role combines high-level strategic planning and hands-on tactical delivery — owning media relations, executive and employee communications, digital and social amplification, crisis response, reputation management, and measurement. The successful candidate will partner closely with the CEO/Executive Team, Marketing, Legal, Investor Relations and business leaders to ensure consistent brand messaging that supports business growth, stakeholder trust, and long-term reputation.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Senior PR Manager / PR Director
Corporate Communications Manager / Director
Director of External Affairs or Public Affairs

Advancement To:

Chief Communications Officer (CCO) / Global Head of Communications
VP of Communications & Brand
Chief Reputation Officer / Head of Corporate Affairs

Lateral Moves:

Head of Marketing Communications
Director of Public Affairs / Government Relations
Head of Brand & Content Strategy

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Develop and execute a comprehensive, multi-channel PR and communications strategy that aligns with corporate objectives, drives brand reputation, supports revenue goals, and positions leadership as industry thought leaders.
Lead and manage all external media relations including proactive pitching, embargoed briefings, managing press pipelines, cultivating national and trade press relationships, and securing high-impact placements across print, broadcast and digital outlets.
Serve as primary strategic counsel to the CEO and executive team on all communications matters, preparing talking points, speeches, op-eds, briefing notes and media training to ensure consistent, persuasive leadership messaging.
Design and implement crisis communications plans and rapid response protocols; lead cross-functional crisis teams during incidents, draft holding statements, coordinate spokespeople, and manage media and stakeholder outreach to minimize reputational risk.
Own corporate reputation and issues management: conduct stakeholder mapping, scenario planning, risk assessments and proactive reputation-building initiatives that anticipate media and regulatory scrutiny.
Lead internal communications strategy to inform, align and engage employees during business transformation, M&A, restructuring and culture programs, including town halls, intranet strategy, executive cascades and change communications playbooks.
Create and oversee high-quality external content — press releases, leadership bylines, case studies, white papers, Q&As, fact sheets and multimedia storytelling — that supports business narratives and SEO goals.
Build and run a best-in-class digital PR and social amplification program: integrate content with SEO, manage corporate social channels, coordinate influencer/advocate campaigns, and measure reach and sentiment across platforms.
Set measurement frameworks and KPIs for PR and communications activity (share of voice, sentiment, message pull-through, coverage quality, web referral, newsroom traffic) and deliver regular, data-driven reports to the C-suite and Board.
Lead reputation-building initiatives including thought leadership campaigns, industry awards submissions, high-profile events, launches, executive visibility programs and speaker placement strategies.
Manage external communications agencies, PR firms, media training providers and creative partners — define scopes, set objectives, evaluate performance and optimize spend to achieve measurable outcomes.
Oversee corporate announcements, product launches and go-to-market communications, ensuring alignment across marketing, product, legal and sales with a consistent customer-facing narrative.
Drive ESG, corporate responsibility and sustainability communications, coordinating with sustainability and legal teams to disclose progress, address stakeholder expectations and shape external narratives.
Partner with Investor Relations, Legal and Compliance on external communications that intersect with financial disclosure, regulatory requirements or litigation, ensuring messaging is accurate, compliant and timely.
Lead employer brand and recruitment communications programs that attract top talent, align employee value proposition with public messaging, and amplify company culture through storytelling and social proof.
Develop and manage departmental budgets, allocate resources, and ensure efficient investment in earned media, content production, analytics tools and agency partners.
Recruit, develop and mentor a high-performing communications team — set clear goals, run performance reviews, create professional development plans and build bench strength for scalable growth.
Plan and execute executive visibility and spokesperson programs including speaking engagements, media interviews, podcasts and panels that drive credibility and business relationships.
Conduct regular media monitoring, competitive intelligence and sentiment analysis to surface opportunities and risks; translate insights into tactical adjustments and executive recommendations.
Lead communications for corporate transactions such as M&A, partnerships, restructurings and joint ventures — craft external and internal messaging, coordinate timing, and manage stakeholder expectations.
Ensure all communications adhere to brand voice, legal and regulatory requirements; create and maintain brand messaging frameworks, tone of voice guides and executive Q&A documents.
Collaborate with product marketing, demand generation and digital teams to repurpose earned media into content assets that support funnel conversion and SEO performance.
Drive cross-functional alignment by facilitating communications planning with Sales, HR, Legal, Product and Customer Support to ensure coherent messaging across touchpoints.
Oversee reputation recovery and proactive reputation-building workstreams following negative coverage or events, including third-party endorsements, customer success stories and transparent communications campaigns.
Evaluate and implement communications technology and analytics platforms (media monitoring, social listening, PR measurement tools) to scale capability and improve decision making.

Secondary Functions

Advise and support ad-hoc stakeholder engagements with partners, industry bodies, regulators and advocacy groups.
Provide executive coaching to spokespeople on media skills, crisis responses and message discipline.
Support event communications for conferences, investor days and customer summits including briefing materials, on-site media coordination and post-event coverage amplification.
Maintain and update corporate communications playbooks, crisis response templates, and message libraries for rapid deployment.
Coordinate internal town halls, newsletters and leadership cascades to maintain alignment during business updates.
Facilitate cross-training for marketing and sales teams on key messaging and media protocols.
Manage relationships with industry associations and trade bodies to expand influence and secure speaking platforms.
Oversee press and analyst briefings, ensuring accurate technical and product information is communicated effectively across audiences.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Strategic communications planning: ability to translate business strategy into measurable PR objectives and integrated communication plans.
Media relations & pitching: proven track record of securing high-value national and trade media coverage and building long-term journalist relationships.
Crisis communications & issues management: develop and execute crisis playbooks, rapid response, and reputation recovery strategies.
Executive communications & speechwriting: craft persuasive speeches, op-eds, leadership messaging and Q&As for senior executives.
Digital PR & social media strategy: experience with social amplification, influencer engagement, paid/organic integration and social listening.
Content creation & editorial oversight: strong copywriting, editing and content-framing skills for multi-channel storytelling (press releases, blogs, whitepapers).
Measurement & analytics: proficiency with PR measurement frameworks, media monitoring, social listening tools (e.g., Meltwater, Cision, Brandwatch) and dashboarding.
SEO fundamentals for PR: knowledge of content optimization, link-building through earned media and how coverage impacts organic search and referral traffic.
Stakeholder mapping & engagement planning: ability to identify and prioritize audiences and tailor channels/messages accordingly.
Project & budget management: experience managing departmental budgets, agency retainer negotiations and campaign P&L oversight.
Familiarity with regulatory and compliance constraints in communications, including investor relations and industry-specific disclosure requirements.

Soft Skills

Executive presence and influence: confident advisor to C-suite with ability to shape strategic conversations and influence outcomes.
Strategic thinking and business acumen: synthesizes market trends and business goals into communications strategy that drives value.
Clear storytelling and persuasive writing: craft concise, compelling narratives for diverse audiences under deadline pressure.
Leadership and people development: coach, inspire and scale a diverse communications team while building cross-functional partnerships.
Crisis temperament and resilience: calm under pressure with the ability to make quick, sound decisions during high-stakes situations.
Relationship building and diplomacy: builds trust with media, stakeholders, partners and internal leadership.
Collaboration and stakeholder management: strong facilitator who can align multiple functions around a unified communications approach.
Adaptability and innovation: embraces new channels, tools and creative approaches to evolve communications effectiveness.
Attention to detail and quality orientation: ensures accuracy and brand consistency across high-profile communications.
Negotiation and vendor management: ability to evaluate and manage agency partners, vendors and third-party contributors.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Journalism, Public Relations, Marketing, Business Administration or related field.

Preferred Education:

Master’s degree (MA/MSc/MBA) in Communications, Strategic Communications, Business or related discipline.
Professional certifications in PR/communications or digital marketing are a plus.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Communications, Journalism, Public Relations
Marketing, Business, International Relations
Media Studies, English or Related Disciplines

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

10+ years of progressive PR and communications experience with a minimum of 5 years in senior leadership roles managing teams and multi-channel programs.

Preferred:

Experience leading global or regional corporate communications for a complex, matrixed organization or fast-growth company.
Demonstrable success managing crises, M&A communications, executive visibility programs and cross-functional stakeholder engagement.
Experience working with agencies and using modern PR tools (media monitoring, social listening, analytics platforms).
Track record of delivering measurable reputation or business outcomes from communications programs.