Head of Partner Communications

At McLaren, our mission is to set the standard for high performance in sport. And everyone, in every part of the team, has a role to play. So if you want to test your ideas with the world watching… And measure your progress in milliseconds… And play your part in racing history… You belong here. High performance starts with you.

Purpose of the Role:

• The McLaren Racing Corporate Communications Team works across all racing series and oversees all partner, licensing, brand and sustainability comms as well as influencer engagement. The team is also responsible for the executive speaking programme and presence at key industry events including The World Economic Forum in Davos, Cannes Lions, SWSX and New York Climate Week.

• This role oversees communications for our partners and sponsors including Mastercard, Google, OKX, DP World, Allwyn, NEOM, Jack Daniels, Hilton and Monster. It is responsible for the planning and execution of partner communications, in support of the business’ wider strategic commercial objectives and to deliver value and impact for both our sponsors and McLaren Racing.

• The role works closely with other key teams within the business e.g., the partnerships team, digital and social and the wider commercial team – to help deliver impactful comms and activations.

Role Dimensions:

Based in Woking at the McLaren Technology Centre for a minimum of 4 days a week with the option of working from home 2 days a week, and reporting to the Director of Corporate Communications. Some international travel required to fulfil this role effectively. This role currently has two direct reports.

Principal Accountabilities:

Working with the wider Comms team and reporting into the Director of Communications, key responsibilities include:

• Build and deliver a proactive annual comms road map for key partners, working closely with the Comms Director to maximise opportunities and unlock value for both partners and McLaren Racing.

• Supporting the retention and growth of McLaren’s partnerships under the guidance of the Director of Corporate Communications and senior partnerships stakeholders, delivering on the objectives of the Partner Communications Strategy.

• Providing the day-to-day lead on any media or communications activity delivered in collaboration with McLaren Racing’s corporate partners (across Formula 1, IndyCar, WEC and esports).

• Manage the overall partner media engagement programme, ensuring delivery against agreed departmental objectives and leveraging the McLaren partner network to deliver media coverage in diverse non-racing media sectors (e.g., tech, lifestyle, business).

• Management of partner announcements – including new partnerships, extensions, expansions, and significant partnership campaign launches – from planning stage through to delivery and reporting.

• Overseeing McLaren’s brand positioning in our partners’ content and public engagements – including reviewing briefs, briefing stakeholders, and overseeing content and event delivery with the wider commercial team.

• Amplify priority partner activations at and away from track via a targeted media engagement programme.

• Supporting the Director of Corporate Communications in risk management and issues handling.

• Support the Comms Director on the Executive speaking programme for partner events and conferences including Davos, Cannes Lions, Dell Tech World and VivaTech.

• Providing a trusted, established liaison between other teams in the commercial business: Comms, Digital, Partnerships, Licensing, Business Development and Events departments, in relation to partner activity, media events and comms and digital campaigns.

• To oversee the production of high-quality written material in the form of press releases, internal communications announcements, reports, spokesperson briefing documents often for C-level executives across the business, panel events, and media correspondence.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience:

• Experience in a busy communications environment within a specialist communications/partner/media/brand role.

• Partner relations – developing relationships with partners, managing partner communication enquiries, drafting partner materials, identifying proactive partner opportunities, managing reactive responses to inbound partner enquiries.

• Senior personnel/stakeholder engagement – dealing with senior team personnel and stakeholders, across McLaren Racing.

• This role will suit an applicant with strong organisational skills and coordination capabilities.

• A proactive approach to managing workload, able to work well under pressure and accustomed to working to tight deadlines in a fast-paced department.

• Excellent communication skills – both written and verbal – and able to represent McLaren Racing well in any capacity.

Personal attributes:

• Ability to work in an extremely fast-paced environment and juggle a high volume of ongoing projects and tight deadlines.

• Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to confidently communicate with stakeholders of all levels of seniority throughout the business.

• Excellent writing skills with a keen attention to detail.

• A true team player who relishes being part of a values driven organisation.

• An inquisitive and self-starting nature, with the ability to manage own workload independently.

The ability to build strong and meaningful relationships with key stakeholders both internally and externally and at all levels.

What McLaren can offer?

We constantly strive to be better tomorrow than we are today. Our ambition is to be the most pioneering and exhilarating racing team in the world, and our collective task is to set the standards for high performance in sport. We show up every day with energy and enthusiasm, ready to play our part.

We encourage and support diversity, equity and inclusion. We will actively promote a culture that values difference and eliminates discrimination in our workplace.

McLaren Racing is based at the iconic McLaren Technology Centre (MTC) near Woking. Our state of the art, sustainable campus offers many facilities including a gym, restaurant and indoor and outdoor break-out areas, as well as direct access to park and common land. The MTC is connected to Woking mainline station via regular shuttle buses, from which London Waterloo is a 30 minute train ride.

We offer a comprehensive package of benefits including private healthcare, car schemes, life insurance and generous pension contributions.

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