External Communications Manager

About DotDot is home to a set of businesses united by a bold ambition: to redefine student living and support over one million students each year.Spanning 180+ cities in 30 countries, our companies include, Global Student Accommodation (GSA), Yugo and Student.com. Together, we bring global scale and local insight, powered by more than 2000 passionate people. We believe progress happens when people come together with purpose. We're committed to building long term value through everything we do. With three decades of continuous evolution, Dot's strength lies in how we work. We are pioneering, purposeful and positive, driving smart, sustainable growth across our portfolio. We connect expertise with opportunity to turn ideas into impact and momentum into lasting changeOur ValuesAt Dot, we live and work by our values every day: Pioneering: With three decades of groundbreaking achievements and a passion for international expansion, our distinctive proposition remains stronger than ever Purposeful: Every action we take is intentional, designed to align with our values and create lasting benefits for our people, communities, and the planet Positive: We tackle challenges with resilience and seek to create a supportive and empowering environment for our teams and communitiesRole PurposeYou will lead the delivery of external communications for Dot and its portfolio companies, turning the Group's communications strategy into high-impact plans and results across media relations, public affairs, corporate communications, digital content and events.Working closely with the Global Head of Communications, you will own delivery and move quickly, while building the experience to shape strategy yourself. You will be one of the Group's senior media voices, a trusted adviser to leaders on reputation, and the first line of defence when issues arise across our 30 countries.RequirementsKey ResponsibilitiesPlanning and deliveryTranslate the Group's external communications strategy into an annual plan with clear priorities, owners and measuresOwn delivery of the plan at pace, focusing on delivering impact and balancing the priorities of multiple brands and marketsContribute to the development of strategy, narratives and messaging frameworks, taking increasing ownership of defined areas of strategy over timeApply the Group messaging framework across all businesses so each brand speaks in its own voice to tell one Group storyWork in partnership with brand and marketing teams to align commercial priorities and spot cross-brand opportunitiesCoordinate with Internal Communications so colleagues hear significant news first and announcements land consistently, inside and outside the businessPR and media relationsRun a busy proactive and reactive press office Build and maintain senior media relationships internationallyLead campaigns, announcements and thought leadership programmes from idea to coverageDraft and sign off press releases, statements, Q&As, briefing notes and leadership content Prepare and brief spokespeople, including media training and interview preparationCorporate CommunicationsDeliver communications for GSA and the Group's corporate activity, including capital raises, joint ventures, acquisitions, disposals and other milestonesWork closely with the Investor Relations, Legal and Finance teams so investor-facing messaging is consistent, accurate and well timed, and commercially sensitive information is protectedMonitor policy and regulatory developments in our priority markets and assess what they mean for the businessDevelop policy positions, briefings and key messages with the Global Head of Communications and business leadersCoordinate consultation responses and Dot's participation in sector forums and coalitions Reputation, issues and crisisSupport on issues and crisis communications planning, protocols, scenario playbooks and holding statementsIdentify reputational risks early and advise on mitigation, working with Legal, Compliance, Operations and brand leadersLead the communications response to live incidents across time zones, including out of normal working hoursRun post-incident reviews and keep protocols tested and up to dateSupport regular reputational risk reporting to leadership and the BoardInsight, listening and measurementTranslate insight from data into clear recommendations Set KPIs against an agreed baseline and report on performance, aligning to clear business outcomes Digital, content and GEOOversee the corporate website(s) and social channels, ensuring accuracy, consistency and strong governance in line with brand guidelines and tone of voiceOversee content creation across written, visual and video formatsLead Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) to improve how Dot and its brands appear in AI-powered search toolsEvents and platformsShape the events, speaking and awards programme across industry, investor, higher-education and policy momentsOversee event communications, spokesperson positioning and follow-up contentDeveloping othersCoach and develop more junior colleagues, building writing, media and insight capability across the teamExperience and KnowledgeEssential8-10 years in external communications, in-house or agency, with a track record of leading the delivery of communications plansCommunications experience across more than one region (e.g. UK, Europe, Middle East, US, APAC), including working across time zones and culturesExcellent writer and editor, able to adapt tone for different audiencesStrong, established media relationships and a track record of securing quality coverageProven experience in issues and crisis management, with sound judgement under pressureCorporate / B2B media experience in at least one of: real estate, financial services, or hospitality and leisureUnderstanding of institutional investor audiences and real estate investment, and experience working alongside Investor Relations, Finance or Legal on corporate announcementsPublic affairs, government relations or policy communications exposureWillingness to work flexibly, including out of hours and across time zones when issues ariseDesirableB2C communications experience in an operational, customer-facing businessExperience using media and social listening tools and translating data into insight and recommendationsVideo storytelling experience: planning, scripting and directing contentExperience of GEO, SEO or AI search visibilitySustainability / ESG communications experienceAdditional languages relevant to our marketsPersonal Attributes & CompetenciesDelivery-focused: moves quickly from plan to action, prioritises well and gets results with a lean teamCurious about the business, commercially minded and keen to build and own strategy over timeConfident, credible adviser to senior leaders, able to challenge constructivelyCalm, sound judgement under pressureInsight-led: comfortable with data and able to turn it into a clear 'so what'Influences without authority across brands, functions and countriesGlobal mindset and cultural awarenessCoaches and develops othersWhat Success Looks Like In Year OneThe external communications plan delivered to agreed priorities, with a rolling 90-day calendar in placeA tested issues and crisis protocol, with scenario playbooks and an out-of-hours rotaThe media and social listening platform live, with a regular insight report that leaders act onMeasurable growth in quality coverage and share of voice in target media, against a baseline set in the first 90 daysA public affairs monitoring and positioning framework for priority markets and issuesCorporate and investor announcements delivered smoothly in partnership with Investor RelationsA GEO baseline in place and measurable improvement in how Dot and its brands appear in AI searchOwnership of defined areas of the next year's external communications strategyExplore all opportunities across the Dot Group at https://careers.thedotgroup.comBenefitsBonus scheme, Pension, Private Healthcare + other benefits.