Job Title
Press Officer
Ref #
32619
Date posted
Monday, October 2, 2023
Country
United Kingdom
Location
Woking
Business area
Sales
Department
Sales Europe
Position level
G - Qualified Senior
Working time
Full Time
Contract type
Permanent
Working pattern
9am - 6pm Monday to Friday
Background

No restraints. No limitations. We don’t simply push boundaries. We completely rethink them. McLaren Automotive exists to create breath-taking performance road cars.

With innovation at the core of all we do, every challenge starts with the same question. How can we do it better? This restless spirit runs right through McLaren Automotive. And the search for perfection is evident in everything we do.

Purpose of Role

To support the McLaren UK regional sales and marketing function with raising awareness of the McLaren brand and its product in key UK media outlets. The individual will have primary responsibility for UK Press Fleet management, regional and Retailer PR programs and event management and have the objective of delivering positive sentiment and share of voice. 

The role reports directly into the UK Head of Market, part of the Europe, Middle East and Africa region, with a dotted line into the Global Head of PR. The candidate will work closely with UK Regional key stakeholders to focus on the needs of the region. The candidate will be the key contact for the Central PR team (including Social media) to ensure strategy and activation alignment.

Due to the nature of the role and the demands of the role, flexible working arrangements and travel are anticipated.

Principal Accountabilities
  • Increasing brand awareness and advocacy through the creation of comprehensive UK media activities for product launches and product lifecycle sustainment.
  • Assisting the UK Market Director with budget allocation and in managing the administration of the UK PR market budget.
  • Developing a thorough understanding of McLaren products and processes in order to manage effective media relationships, resulting in high-impact press coverage measured against competitors
  • Ensure Central PR team alignment on all UK PR initiatives in the brand’s home-market.
  • Assisting with the collation of all regional reports and analysis including media measurements, press clippings, internal business updates. National and Tier 1 being covered off by Central PR team.
  • Assisting the Central PR team in maximising McLaren's editorial share of voice, creating desire and aspiration by generating positive editorial comment focused
  • Developing and maintaining a detailed, relevant regional media list of automotive, business and lifestyle contacts across UK.
  • Working alongside the Central PR team with all international programs to follow-up and understand the UK market representation.
  • Maintaining regular contact with the UK retail partner network and UK Marketing Manager to source potential news stories of interest and defining the best communication platform: social, release, notification, internal…
  • Supporting the UK Retailer Network with media management and exposure, taking their story ideas and activating appropriately (local or national), generating news regionally.
  • Creating a UK Retailer Newsletter sharing the best articles with UK retail partners to sustain interest, provide content that can be used as CRM, keep partners updated on the feedback from the press on the McLaren brand and range.
  • Overseeing the management and administration of the UK press fleet including being one of the points of contact with media for loans and test drives, ensuring a high utilisation percentage, in close coordination with the central press fleet manager.
  • Working closely with the UK retail partner network to ensure a professional delivery and handover process of the McLaren fleet, by optimising the media drives by region.
  • Supporting the UK team with all regional and test drive programs
Knowledge, Skills and Experience
  • Strong knowledge of the UK media landscape and established relationships with, and history of working directly with those in UK; established network of contacts in the home-market.
  • Experience in core communications skills, including presenting, writing for print and online media, internal reporting, and agency/supplier management.
  • Experience of working within dynamic and change-oriented teams.
  • Experience in managing a budget.
  • A proactive mindset that has generated creative solutions to strategic and tactical business challenges, supporting the market goals.
  • General understanding of design and engineering attributes of supercars and of the history of global supercar development.
  • For the position advertised, experience in the automotive and/or luxury industries.
  • Fluent written and spoken English
Personal Attributes
  • Professional and credible brand ambassador.
  • Ability to mix confidently with senior journalists, senior management and the calibre of customers and VIPs who are clients of McLaren.
  • A winning mentality and can-do attitude - demonstrating great drive to achieve outstanding results.
  • The ability to maintain a consistent high level of work and professional output in times of change.
  • Ability to easily adapt to new situations, to persuade different audiences and effectively pitch stories to media.
  • Ability to brief team and spokespersons, reflecting a belief in the company objectives and decisions.
  • A good level of commercial acumen supporting budget ambitions and understanding the broader business context of automobile production, sales and after sales.
  • Ability to work well within a team environment and communicate clearly with the team.
  • Ability to raise potential risks and propose related solutions for decision.
  • Comprehensive knowledge of/experience in PowerPoint; Excel; Word.
  • Driving license; based in the UK.