External Communications Director: Strategic Media Relations Specialist

This leadership role involves creating impactful external communications strategies that enhance Arcadis' profile and reputation with external stakeholders.

The successful candidate will provide strategic guidance and counsel to key stakeholders, directing all external communications, and partnering with Investor Relations to have a material impact on share price and market performance.

A team of external communications professionals will be led by this individual, aligning messaging on major projects and ensuring a consistent narrative to external audiences.

• To coordinate external messaging and implement external communications plans around major projects and significant business announcements working in partnership with internal teams.
• Proactively identify issues on which Arcadis can comment or develop a view on, coordinating a response with the business leading experts and ensuring desired coverage is achieved.
• To enhance and protect Arcadis' corporate reputation, including providing strategic advice on crisis and reputation management and ensuring that processes are in place and regularly tested.
• To play an integral role in shaping the overall strategic direction of Arcadis globally in corporate communications.
• To oversee the development of newsworthy Arcadis content, including press releases, corporate content, and related collateral, interview opportunities, opinions, viewpoints, case studies, and other related materials.
• To establish relationships with, and understanding of, target media across different industry sectors, financial and investors, national and regional.
• To establish strong relationships with key internal stakeholders.
• Supported by a team, to work closely with global communications directors and country marketing & communications leaders to identify and leverage in-country stories globally and execute media opportunities for global spokespeople locally.
• To provide advice and coaching to senior management, ensuring they are prepared to deal with the media and any written content is in line with Arcadis' view.
• Routinely audit communications channels, tactics, and define processes and procedures to ensure consistency of Arcadis' approach to external communications globally.
• To provide editorial direction and oversight across all written content, ensuring consistency of Arcadis' tone of voice and brand messaging.

Media / Corporate Communications

• Protect, promote, and enhance Arcadis' corporate reputation.
• Produce high-quality written media and associated content.
• Support senior leadership in scouting, preparing, and managing media opportunities such as interviews.
• Support Investor Relations with stories for quarterly and annual reports, shareholder and analyst meetings, etc.
• Media and social media monitoring, supported by a team.
• Co-manage Arcadis' direct, day-to-day relationships with international and trade journalists, ensuring Arcadis is the go-to commentator on key themes.
• Support the development of digital content that delivers increasing levels of engagement across key external audiences.
• Improve the visibility of the Arcadis brand in line with clear deliverables and measures.

Content Creation

• Provide strategic communications counsel for Global leadership, writing or approving messages, talking points, scripts, presentations, etc.
• Work together with Marketing CoE and Country teams to translate campaigns and client project case studies into relevant, newsworthy content, targeting key audience groups across various platforms.
• Oversee content pipeline and work with global communications directors to co-produce external communications content (viewpoints, campaigns, whitepapers) for use across Global channels.
• Provide editorial oversight of all written content to ensure consistency of brand, message, and tone of voice.
• Find creative ways to position Arcadis.

Qualifications & Experience

We seek an experienced communications leader who can work in a fast-paced international environment, collaborating with a professional marketing communications community and senior company leadership to achieve ambitious goals.

• Extensive experience of corporate communications and content creation either in-house or agency.
• Educated to degree level.
• Communications skills – high quality of written and oral communication; passion for storytelling.
• A strategic thinker with a strong interest in current affairs.
• A curious mind that understands business – ability to translate commercial business goals into ideas that can generate publicity.
• Proven track record in producing content that has generated high-quality media coverage in trade and national media.
• Experience of working in a demanding corporate environment, on a broad range of topics, with a great variety of internal and external stakeholders.
• Experience in managing media relations.
• Strong interest in social media and professional experience in creating content for use on social channels (organic and paid).
• Business skills - experience in liaising with senior business executives and other internal stakeholders, strong business acumen, ability to provide a strategic link between communications activities, brand and business goals.
• Personal - professional, reliable, flexible, collaborative, personable, organized, enthusiastic, punctual, and with a positive attitude to work.
• Breadth of experience : Working internationally, across different industries and business lines and/or functions, managing projects impacting people/ issues/solutions across organizational boundaries.
• Leading transformation : Ability to bring people on a journey to the unknown, creating a sense of stability and security in uncertain times, avoiding change fatigue.
• Managing change : Managing change e.g. divestments or mergers/acquisitions, or leading change into other market/services or products, operating with new business models, turning around underperforming businesses, programs or teams and driving standardization and automation at scale.
• People management : Creating high performing teams, communicating vision and purpose, engaging others and ensuring aligned objectives. Caring for employee wellbeing and recognizing and celebrating success.
• Mobilizing talent : Embracing new workforce profiles and planning approaches, attracting and developing talent, leveraging talent in different markets, catalyzing a movement.
• Living our purpose : Mentoring and sponsoring people coming through the business and from outside. Proactively supporting communities and social initiatives, and showing attention for the planet and sustainability.