Senior PR & External Comms Manager

The Senior PR & External Communications Manager will lead Shoosmiths’ external profile, media strategy, reputation activity, strategic events, paid media approach and social media strategy. The role will create structure, discipline and clear planning around external communications, moving the firm from reactive press office activity to proactive reputation-building across earned, owned, social and paid channels. It will shape compelling narratives, amplify Shoosmiths’ distinctive voice, and ensure PR and social media work together to strengthen recognition of the firm’s expertise, ambition, leadership and market position. The role will fully own the strategic direction, governance, planning, performance and reputation impact of social media, ensuring social activity is integrated with media relations, campaigns, thought leadership, sponsorships, events and issues management.

Key responsibilities

• Lead the external communications and social media strategy, creating clear plans, priorities and reporting rhythms aligned to the 2030 strategy, corporate narrative and reputation objectives.
• Own Shoosmiths’ social media strategy, governance, channel approach, tone, escalation routes, measurement and performance expectations.
• Build proactive media, reputation and profile-building activity across national, international, business, legal trade, sector, regional and specialist media.
• Lead communications for major announcements, campaigns, partnerships, sponsorships, strategic milestones and issues management, including messaging, media handling and social response planning.
• Ensure PR and social media are planned together, with media moments amplified through social content and social insight used to strengthen PR opportunities, messaging and reputation management.
• Develop executive and partner profile-building activity, including media briefing, commentary, social visibility, thought leadership opportunities and media training.
• Oversee strategic events, ensuring they support reputation, relationship-building, campaign priorities, client engagement and firmwide objectives.
• Line manage the Social Media Executive and work with Marketing Operations, Brand and Creative, Editorial and Clients & Markets to deliver integrated external communications.
• Lead horizon scanning, media monitoring, competitor tracking, social listening, coverage analysis and measurement frameworks that demonstrate quality, reach, sentiment, engagement, impact and ROI.
• Manage agency, freelance, paid media and event budgets, ensuring external support is well briefed, well controlled and measured for value.

Skills and experience

• Significant experience in external communications, media relations, corporate reputation or integrated social media.
• Strong judgement on media, social media, reputation, issues and stakeholder sensitivity.
• Proven ability to develop proactive media campaigns, social media activity and profile-building programmes.
• Strong understanding of how PR and social media complement each other, including how earned media, thought leadership, events and executive profile can be amplified through social channels.
• Experience advising senior leaders and partners, including spokesperson briefing, media training and profile-building.
• Strong writing, messaging, media handling and social content judgement.
• Experience using events, paid media, digital channels and campaign amplification as part of integrated external communications.
• Ability to create clear planning, measurement and reporting approaches that demonstrate communications impact and ROI.
• Experience managing agencies, external advisers, budgets and campaign spend.

Success measures

• High-quality, relevant media coverage and social media activity support the firm’s reputation, priority leaders, partners, sectors and strategic themes.
• Shoosmiths’ distinctive voice and external narratives are visible across relevant channels, with message pull-through reflected in coverage, content, social engagement and campaign reporting.
• External communications and social activity are supported by clear planning structures, reporting rhythms, prioritisation processes and a proactive pipeline aligned to firmwide priorities and market opportunities.
• Earned, owned, social, paid and strategic events activity is integrated effectively, with clear objectives, audience outcomes and measurable value.
• PR activity is amplified through social media, and social insight is used to strengthen external communications planning, issues management and campaign performance.
• Reputation campaigns demonstrate impact and return on investment through agreed metrics, including quality, sentiment, audience relevance, reach, engagement, business impact and value delivered.
• Budgets, agency performance and external support are managed through clear objectives, disciplined oversight, effective reporting and evidence of impact.

Shoosmiths is the law firm clients choose for excellent service, incisive thinking and above all for our ability to focus on what matters. From offices across the UK and Brussels, we support some of the world’s most exciting and ambitious businesses; amazing clients making an impact. We empower our people to be their authentic selves and deliver together in supportive teams committed to excellence and innovation. The first top 50 law firm to achieve ‘Platinum Standard’ Investors in People, our values and culture are not just words on our website but are the heartbeat of the firm.

We have an outstanding benefits package to complement our competitive remuneration system. In addition to the competitive salaries, great working environment and high-quality work, we believe that all staff should be rewarded for their commitment to the continued success of the firm through a comprehensive and flexible range of benefits.

Shoosmiths is proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. Disability Confident is a government scheme designed to encourage employers to recruit and retain disabled people and those with long term conditions. As part of our accreditation, we commit to interviewing any applicants with a disability who meet the essential criteria for each vacancy. We are committed to ensuring our recruitment process is inclusive and accessible to and usable by everyone.