Corporate & Policy Comms Contractor for one of the best known tech companies in the world in Watford

My client is one of the best known technology companies in the world, whose mission is making hardware, software and services that help people make the world a better place. It is looking for a senior corporate & policy comms practitioner to support its external communications and media relations, as they relate primarily to EU policy and legal matters.

The location for this role is flexible. Ideally it would be someone based in Brussels, able to bring an established network of Brussels media contacts. However, as a lot of this work can feasibly be done from London, my client is happy to consider candidates who are London-based, open to some travel to Brussels each month.

Either way you will sit within a genuinely joined-up pan-European corporate comms team and the focus remains the same: the key is having an understanding of, and appetite for, pan-European issues in the policy comms space, ideally tech policy.

This is a 12 month contract initially, however these contracts are frequently extended beyond this. The focus is on finding someone who will be the right fit, rather than filling an urgent gap, and as such they can look at people on longer notice periods.

The role requires someone with an excellent understanding of the EU policy environment, and preferably tech policy within that. Someone who lives and breathes meaty European Commission / government affairs work, and has experience working on high-profile or sensitive issues in a regulatory environment.

Perhaps the most attractive quality this opportunity possesses is that the scope for impact is huge. In comparison to other large companies this business has a very lean and flat comms function. Generally it houses experienced comms practitioners who are extremely self-sufficient and comfortable carrying plenty of responsibility, yet have no job snobbery, and are willing to get their hands dirty. There is only one person in Brussels currently, yet there's a huge volume of activity to get stuck into on the regulatory front.

Add in the fact this hire comes at a time when the business is rethinking how they do things from a comms perspective, and it's a fun time to come on board. With this in mind, the role will be best suited to someone who has the ability to work with ambiguity and on complex topics, who is skilled in multi-tasking and delivering under tight timelines, and who is able to adapt quickly to change.

As well as engaging with the media there will be a lot of strategic work around briefings, reports, messaging and major regulatory events. As such it's imperative this person has an aptitude for building formal and informal relationship networks inside and outside the organisation.

Given the absence of multiple layers of hierarchy the team is open to meeting people across a relatively broad salary and experience spectrum. However, as a guide the role is likely to pay somewhere in the region of €120,000 - €170,000.