Director of Communications

Group Director - Communications & Reputation ManagementRemote - some time in London office, potentially some travel£140-170k basic + bonus & benefitsWe are partnering with a scale-up global payments and FX business to appoint a senior communications leader who will build its corporate profile, strengthen stakeholder trust and protect its reputation as it enters a period of growth. The group serves consumers, businesses and corporate clients through cross-border payments, remittance, FX and last-mile liquidity in both established & emerging markets.Reporting directly to the Group CEO & working closely with the wider leadership team, you will shape the corporate narrative, advise senior leaders and build a communications function that supports the maturity and ambition of the business.

Responsibilities

• Corporate positioning and media relations: develop a clear group narrative and consistent messaging for banks, partners, investors, media and customers.
• Build relevant media relationships, lead proactive coverage and manage press enquiries, briefings and corrections.
• Prioritise the credibility and relevance of coverage, with clear evidence behind external claims.
• CEO and stakeholder communications: advise the CEO and senior leaders on reputation and public positioning. Produce speeches, opinion pieces, interview briefings and thought leadership.
• Develop corporate materials for significant partnerships, market entry and licensing milestones, coordinating sensitive statements with legal and compliance.
• Issue and crisis management: prepare the business for service incidents, complaints, adverse media and other reputational risks through monitoring, escalation plans and clear response protocols.
• Provide calm advice under pressure and coordinate communications with the CEO, operational leaders, legal and compliance.
• Ensure licensing, regulated capabilities and other sensitive claims receive appropriate verification and approval before release.
• International communications and partnerships: coordinate communications across markets, maintaining consistent group standards while respecting local audiences and context.
• Turn strategic partnerships, sports sponsorships and community initiatives into credible corporate stories, working closely with Marketing.
• Support internal communications around leadership decisions, major milestones and organisational change.
• Build the function, measure impact and own the communications plan, agency relationships and budget, developing the team and processes as the business grows.
• Equip authorised spokespeople with clear briefings and media training.
• Measure coverage quality, stakeholder confidence and response effectiveness, reporting useful insights to the leadership team.Your background:
• Substantial senior communications experience within regulated financial services, banking, payments, fintech or a closely related sector.
• A strong record of advising CEOs and senior executives on reputation, media positioning and sensitive decisions.
• Established relationships with relevant financial services, business and technology media, supported by demonstrable communications outcomes.
• Direct experience leading issues and crisis communications, with the judgement to balance speed, accuracy and commercial needs.
• International experience and cultural awareness. Exposure to global + UK + emerging markets would be valuable.
• Exceptional written English and the ability to produce high-quality executive and media materials quickly.
• Experience building a communications function and managing agencies, budgets and teams while remaining close to delivery.
• Experience in remittance, FX, EMIs or cross-border payments would be particularly relevant. Licensing, market-entry, investor communications and partnership experience would also be useful.