Head of Digital PR in Manchester

We're Hiring

We are looking for a Head of Digital PR to join Deviation | The Search Everywhere® Agency, here is everything you need to know:

Search is changing. Fast. Coverage, conversation and citation/recommendation now shape how brands get found and chosen, across Google, social, forums and AI-driven search alike.

We want someone to take the reins and shape what future‑proofed earned media actually looks like within our digital PR discipline and how it works across a search everywhere landscape.

So, who are we after:

A search‑literate PR leader with agency experience, a track record of campaigns that land coverage (not just links), and the instinct to spot a cultural moment before the rest of the market does. Someone who's led a team, owned client relationships, and gets the commercial side as much as the creative.

What you'd own:

Our earned media discipline, end to end... From strategy to creative direction. You'd lead a growing team of PR specialists. And, you'll work with our wider teams on how we innovate digital PR as part of our proprietary 'Search Everywhere' framework model.

Manchester-based (hybrid/remote).
Salary Range: £57,000 - £65,000 (with company bonus scheme)

Clear progression, training budget, generous holidays, and a culture built on trust and autonomy.

Posted by: Ashley Liddell, Co-Founder

At Deviation, we’re not just following where search is going, we’re defining it.

Earned media has become one of the most powerful levers in organic discovery.

Coverage, conversation, and citation now shape how brands are found — across Google, social platforms, forums, and generative search alike.

We’ve built a strong, established Digital PR offering.

Now we’re looking for a Head of Digital PR to drive it forward and shape what future‑proofed PR looks like for our clients.

You live and breathe search‑first creative PR.

You understand how media landscapes evolve, and you know how to build campaigns and stories that don’t just earn links, but drive genuine search visibility and brand authority.

About the Role

The Head of Digital PR owns the strategic vision, leadership, and development of Deviation’s earned media discipline.

You’ll lead a brilliant, agile team of PR professionals, hold our key client relationships, and ensure our work remains best‑in‑class as the industry shifts beneath it.

This role blends creative instinct, operational leadership, and commercial acumen — perfect for a PR leader who understands not just journalists and news cycles, but search, algorithms, and culture .

You’ll be responsible for evolving our frameworks and SOPs, leading innovation around AI and generative search, supporting commercial growth, and keeping Deviation’s earned media work ahead of the curve.

What You Will Need

• 5+ years’ experience in Digital PR or earned media within an agency environment — with a proven track record of leading and scaling campaigns.
• Leadership experience: directly managing, coaching, and developing PR executives and managers.
• Search‑literate: a deep understanding of how coverage impacts SEO, organic performance, and brand authority.
• Strong commercial acumen — comfortable with retainer management, budget allocation, forecasting, and client retention.
• A proactive problem solver who spots roadblocks and campaign dips before they happen, and arrives with solutions.
• Hands‑on with the modern PR toolkit: Buzzstream, ResponseSource, Roxhill, JournoResources, Glimpse, Ahrefs/Semrush, Google Trends, and coverage tracking platforms.
• Integrated thinking: a strong grasp of how social media, influencer amplification, and broader media relations feed into modern Digital PR.
• Confident communicator with experience leading pitches, presentations, and senior client conversations.

Key Responsibilities

Strategy & Client Partnerships

• Craft and oversee search‑first PR strategies that plug seamlessly into wider search and organic performance goals.
• Lead client relationships end to end — from onboarding and pitch delivery through to monthly reporting — communicating with clarity, confidence, and authority.
• Run an always‑on reactive function, spotting cultural moments and media opportunities for clients before the rest of the market does.
• Troubleshoot and pivot campaigns that hit a slow patch, stepping in with bold creative alternatives rather than waiting for performance to recover.

Creative & Media Excellence

• Set the creative bar for the department — ideas that win awards, earn national coverage, and make every other agency say “let’s do that”.
• Guide the team on story angles, media hooks, and high‑impact pitching across both modern digital PR and traditional media relations.
• Own quality control at scale, ensuring ideation is top tier, pitches cut through the noise, and media lists are tight.
• Report and discuss coverage clearly and transparently, showcasing quality, relevance, and search impact — not just volume.

Team Leadership & Development

• Lead, mentor, and empower a small, talented team of PR professionals, fostering a culture of high performance and continuous learning.
• Set solid campaign plans, clear workflows, and defined expectations so the team always knows what success looks like.
• Maintain and evolve our PR Standard Operating Procedures so processes stay streamlined and quality stays consistent as we scale.
• Run 1-2-1s, appraisals, and progression plans, and support hiring end to end — from writing specs and interviewing to onboarding top‑tier talent.

Commercial Growth & Retainer Health

• Own the commercial performance of the Digital PR function, including forecasting, team utilisation, and contribution to agency revenue.
• Partner with our Client Services Director to keep campaigns on budget, manage resource allocation, and protect long‑term client retention.
• Lead new business efforts for PR‑led opportunities, from creative concepting through to pitch delivery.
• Contribute to client retention by driving best‑in‑class performance, innovation, and measurable impact.

Integration, Innovation & Thought Leadership

• Work seamlessly with our Search Everywhere®, Social, and Client Services teams to deliver joined‑up strategies that hit client growth targets.
• Champion the role of earned media within the Search Everywhere® proposition, ensuring PR drives discoverability across search, social, and AI‑driven systems.
• Lead internal training sessions that keep the whole agency ahead of the curve on digital PR tactics, media relations, and search integration.
• Stay plugged into search updates, AI developments, media trends, and social integration, translating what’s happening into proactive client advice.
• Represent Deviation externally as a voice on the future of earned media, and develop proprietary IP — frameworks, research studies, or trend reports — that strengthens our authority in the industry.