Senior Press Officer, Womenswear

Christian Dior Couture offers more than a beautiful brand to our clients; we invite them to be part of the heritage, to share our passion for luxury and to be part of the Dior family. We look for the same desire in our employees, to have enthusiasm and passion about being part of the House of Dior.

The Senior Press Officer will be responsible for implementing the PR strategy for the Women’s and Baby universes and ensuring all related PR activity is in line with the overall global image of Dior. The main responsibilities will include:

• Supporting the Head of Press in the creation and implementation of the strategy for all UK Womenswear collections and product launches.
• Proactively securing maximum editorial exposure, securing covers and pitching qualitative feature stories across Haute Couture, Ready to Wear, Leather Goods & Accessories and Baby Dior.
• Managing the communications and activities, within company guidelines, for Print, Digital, VIP dressing, influencer activation & Events.
• Developing and managing the PR Coordinator, VIP Coordinator, PR Assistants and interns on product management, sample movement and PR communication.

Additional responsibilities include:

• Carrying out any additional duties as directed by the PR Director.
• Demonstrating excellent product and range knowledge.
• Complying with Dior values.
• Maintaining the highest standards of housekeeping and retail standards within the Press Department.
• Being aware of all Company’s policies and procedures.

Editorial Duties:

• Working with Head of Press to create and implement the print + digital strategy for placement of Haute Couture, Women’s RTW, Accessories and Baby Dior, new product launches and major initiatives.
• Developing the strategy in line with global guidelines and targets as well as specific market requirements aligning with the Merchandising team on product deliveries.
• Proactively securing editorial coverage in all key magazines, newspapers and digital outlets aligning with global product focuses, UK strategy and market needs and monitoring and reporting the ROI.
• Maintaining and developing loyal relationships with editors, stylists and influencers.
• Managing the Women’s PR Coordinator to ensure that all UK editorial requests are fulfilled and liaised on with the Paris team.
• Sending out press releases across all product categories.
• Managing weekly and monthly editorial reports and maintenance of editorial archives.

VIP & Events:

• Implementing the press strategy of HC and RTW Dior shows for the UK attendees: press, celebrities and influencers in line with global focuses and targets.
• Managing and strategically placing the print and digital articles supporting the collections and incorporating key messaging.
• Managing inviting of guests and overseeing of itineraries and travel organization.
• Overseeing organization of runway shows: seating, photographers and backstage confirmations for Paris and International shows.
• Attending women’s shows 4x yearly in Paris to manage press as well as other international and national travel.
• Converting dressing opportunities into editorial and content opportunities.
• Aligning on influencer strategy with global focuses whilst proactively identifying and cultivating new and emerging talent.
• Supporting product launches with a 360 approach collaborating cross departmentally with Marketing, Merchandise, Events and PCD.
• Planning and executing PR events world-wide and locally including press days, store openings, exhibitions.
• Developing and implementing the PR strategy for internal UK & Ireland events, new store openings and Pop-Up locations to support the marketing & sales objectives.
• Managing budgets for all PR activities.
• Managing seasonal gifting process from identifying list, ordering product and distribution.

Sample & Showroom Duties:

• Managing collation and submission of the press sample orders.
• Managing the PR + VIP Coordinators to ensure maintenance of stock and presentation of UK showroom / organization of stock cupboards.
• Managing the PR Coordinator to ensure stock database and contact databases on GPS system are well maintained and kept up to date.

Experience Requirements:

• Extensive PR & Communications experience with a minimum of 7 years.
• A minimum of 5 years experience in similar roles within the UK Press industry that included managing and building relationships with key editors, stylists and influencers.
• Excellent writing, organization, management, negotiating, communication and relationship building skills as well as ability to prioritize needs are essential.
• Strong knowledge of the fashion industry, trends and competitors and knowledge of the retail industry.
• Team player with initiative to proactively achieve goals.
• Ability to multitask and work against tight deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) is required.
• Hands-on experience with PR management software and media monitoring tools is essential (Launchmetrics, Lefty, Cision).
• Writing skills and ability to articulately communicate essential.
• Sound understanding of UK media and retail landscape.
• Administrative and office management experience.
• Attention to detail and demonstration of initiative.