Senior Media Relations Manager

About the organisation: Our client is well established in the financial services sector and based in London. The opportunity: This is a rare opportunity to lead media relations for a well-known UK financial services business, acting as the organisation's primary point of contact with journalists, editors and broadcasters. You'll be working at the heart of a high-performing Corporate Affairs function and providing senior-level counsel on reputation and issues management. Main responsibilities:

• Lead the organisation's media relations strategy, developing and delivering a proactive media engagement plan.
• Provide senior counsel to leadership on media issues, reputational impact and mitigations.
• Lead the day-to-day management of media interactions, with clear escalation processes for organisational issues.
• Play a central role in the organisation's crisis and issues management process, advising on media response.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with key journalists, editors and broadcasters.
• Manage third-party media agency relationships to support delivery of the media plan. Key skills and experience required:
• Proven experience in media relations, with established relationships across broadcast, national, regional, trade and specialist media.
• Experience planning, developing and executing media strategies, both proactively and reactively.
• Experience working in and with corporate communications, public affairs and marketing teams.
• Excellent writing, editing and presentation skills, with the ability to communicate complex information clearly.
• Strong analytical and data literacy skills, able to turn information into clear, compelling media messages.
• Experience managing media during high-pressure or crisis situations. How to apply: To apply, please submit a copy of your CV via our portal. Application deadline: Thursday 17 September 2026 Ellwood Atfield is the leading headhunter for corporate affairs, communications, policy, and advocacy. An employee-owned boutique search firm, we help you hire the most senior leaders and everyone who reports to them. We promise to connect talented people, smoothly and efficiently.