Senior PR Lead & Strategic Communications Manager at Pulse Nigeria – Maryland, Lagos

Pulse is recruiting a Senior PR Lead & Strategic Communications Manager in Maryland, Lagos, to lead executive communications, reputation management and regional media campaigns.

Responsibilities

Strategic Communications Advisory (Global Scope)

• Executive Positioning & Advisory: Provide C-suite strategic counsel to group principals and investment leadership on key messaging, narrative positioning and risk mitigation.
• Executive Visibility: Curate and secure 2 to 4 high-value global speaking and thought leadership engagements per quarter for group executives, overseeing prep briefs, messaging and post-event media amplification.
• Owned Channel Governance: Maintain consistent, high-impact positioning across corporate websites and executive social platforms (specifically LinkedIn).
• Earned & Paid Media Leadership: Shift client presence from announcement-heavy news to authoritative commentary and standing thought leadership across top global and regional outlets.
• Crisis & Reputation Management: Establish and maintain a proactive crisis posture in coordination with legal and corporate governance teams, daily tracking developments and preparing spokespeople.

Pan-African Media & Editorial Execution

• Multi-Market Campaign Delivery: Execute the end-to-end editorial pipeline for brand launches, partnerships, platform entries and senior hires across 12 key African markets (including Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, DRC, Francophone Africa and others).
• High-Impact Placements: Deliver 10 to 15 authoritative stories or features per quarter across regional business, tech and sports platforms, prioritizing message quality and relevance over low-value volume.
• Broadcast Engagement: Secure at least 2 meaningful broadcast opportunities per quarter across respected national or continental news networks.
• Localized Adaptation: Translate and tailor press materials into market-relevant formats (including managing Francophone market translation where required).

Dedicated South Africa Workstream Oversight

• Local Operations Coordination: Direct and align with an on-the-ground South Africa PR resource through weekly alignment calls to drive local execution.
• Targeted Media & Broadcast: Secure monthly editorial mentions across authoritative South African news, business, and cultural platforms, along with a dedicated broadcast presence.
• Digital & AI Discoverability: Optimize digital PR strategies to ensure strong search engine and AI-assistant discoverability via high-authority media mentions.
• Ecosystem Building: Document existing industry relationships and strategically expand networks across regional sports, entertainment, technology and cultural sectors.

Governance, Reporting & Scope Management

• Operating Cadence: Chair 1 weekly communications strategy call with group leadership and principals; lead 1 weekly Africa delivery call with local market teams; lead 1 weekly dedicated South Africa operational call.
• Performance Reporting: Produce comprehensive monthly reports that clearly separate Advisory Metrics (reputation, access, presence) from Execution Metrics (reach, sentiment, share of voice, broadcast hits).
• Commercial Scope Protection: Actively manage account economics by distinguishing recurring advisory scope from out-of-scope project work (e.g., paid syndication, influencer activations, white papers, physical tours) and scoping them separately.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Client Trust & Retention: Quality and timeliness of strategic counsel provided to C-suite principals.
• Editorial Commitments: Achievement of 10–15 quarterly top-tier features and at least 2 continental broadcast features.
• South Africa Market Delivery: Consistent monthly placements, broadcast hits and weekly delivery rhythm.
• Risk & Escalation Efficiency: Speed and accuracy in detecting, escalating and mitigating potential reputational risks.
• Scope & Commercial Discipline: Effective resource coordination and identification of expanded project scopes.

Requirements

• Experience: 7+ years in senior PR, corporate communications, or agency account management, with a track record of driving pan-African media strategies.
• Media Network: Established relationships across tier-one African media platforms, broadcast houses, and editorial leads (with strong West, East and South African market familiarity).
• Strategic Judgement: Proven discretion and confidence working directly with senior investment principals, C-suite executives, and reputationally sensitive topics.
• Digital Literacy: Familiarity with digital media analytics, sentiment monitoring, share-of-voice tracking, and search/AI-driven discoverability dynamics.
• Languages: Full professional fluency in English (written and verbal) required. Working knowledge or fluency in French is highly advantageous for Francophone market coordination.

What We Offer

• Competitive salary based on experience
• Hybrid work options
• Health Insurance Cover
• Group Life Insurance cover
• Contributory Pension Scheme
• Annual Bonus
• Telecommunication allowance