External Communications Executive

About the Role

This is a hands-on role with broad exposure, suited to a strong writer with ambitions to develop experience across all elements of communications. You will deliver the Group's external communications day to day across Dot and its portfolio companies.

Key Responsibilities

PR and Media Relations

• Draft press releases, media pitches, statements, Q&As, and briefing notes.
• Build relationships with journalists across corporate, property, higher-education, investment, and consumer titles.
• Handle routine media enquiries and coordinate interviews and spokesperson requests.
• Prepare spokesperson briefing packs, researching journalists, outlets, and topics.

Insight and Listening

• Monitor media coverage, social conversation, and trends for the Group on key issues, including on platforms where students are active.
• Track policy and sector news to help shape our communications plans.

Website and GEO

• Keep the corporate website(s) up to date, accurate, and on brand using the CMS.
• Publish news, case studies, and campaign content, applying SEO, GEO, and accessibility best practice.
• Track how Dot and its brands appear in AI-powered search and answer tools, and flag inaccuracies.

Social Media and Content

• Plan and manage the social media calendar across channels.
• Write, edit, and publish content including articles, blogs, newsletters, and posts.
• Create and edit short-form video and visual content, and brief designers or videographers where needed.
• Use generative AI tools responsibly to work efficiently, in line with Group policy.

Events

• Coordinate logistics and communications for conferences, awards entries, and owned events.
• Prepare speaker materials and capture content for use across channels.

Risk Awareness

• Follow approval processes and brand guidelines for all external content.
• Spot and escalate emerging reputational risks quickly, in the media or on social platforms.
• Support issues and crisis responses, including monitoring, logging, and drafting holding statements.
• Join the out-of-hours rota when required.

Reporting

• Compile regular reports on coverage, website, and social performance, highlighting what's working and what to change.
• Maintain media, content, events, and stakeholder trackers.

Requirements & Tech Stack

Experience and Knowledge

• Up to 5 years in communications, PR, marketing, or journalism (ambitious graduates with relevant internships welcome).
• Excellent writing skills, with strong attention to detail and accuracy.
• Confident using social media professionally and creating engaging content.
• Comfortable working with data and explaining what it shows.
• Willingness to work flexibly, including out-of-hours support when issues arise.

Desirable

• Exposure to corporate / B2B media in real estate, financial services, or hospitality and leisure.
• Experience of B2C communications in an operational, customer-facing business.
• Video skills: filming, editing, and producing content for social.
• Experience with communications platforms, including media databases, listening, and analytics tools.
• Understanding of SEO, GEO, or AI search.
• Interest in international markets; additional languages a plus.

Personal Attributes & Competencies

• Organised, able to manage multiple projects and deadlines.
• Good judgement and awareness of reputational risk.
• Curious and insight-minded: notices what matters and asks 'so what?'
• Collaborative, working well across brands, teams, and time zones.
• Proactive and keen to learn.

What Success Looks Like In Year One

• Website and social channels consistently up to date, accurate, and on brand.
• Regular listening and insight summaries that the team acts on.
• A growing network of journalist contacts and regular secured coverage.
• AI search visibility tracked monthly, with inaccuracies flagged and corrected.
• Regular performance reports delivered on time.
• Trusted to draft external materials needing minimal edits.
• A reliable contributor during issues, handling routine enquiries with confidence.