Senior PR Executive

Do you have a way with words? Would you like to join the fast-paced heart of BD, Marketing and Communications at a future facing, dynamic law firm? If so, join CMS in London as a Senior PR Executive!

About us

CMS is a Future Facing firm with more than 80 offices in over 45 countries and 5,800+ lawyers worldwide. We combine deep local market understanding with a global perspective. We are passionate about building strong relationships with our clients, our people, and the communities we work in.

We take a bold, dynamic, and agile approach to ensure our clients are able to face the future with confidence. We are driven by emerging technologies such as generative AI and readily embrace the possibilities it opens up for developing new and better ways of working.  Our aim is to inspire, impact and support our clients and our people, helping them to maximize their potential and thrive.

About the role

As a key member of the Communications Team, this role supports the development and delivery of PR activities across the UK, Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Asia Pacific. It is a dynamic role with an international focus, and you’ll be working with colleagues across our global offices. 

You will be a strong writer, with a keen eye for detail and a knack for storytelling. You will delight in the challenge of securing positive coverage and building strong relationships with key journalists. We are looking for candidates with a genuine interest in PR and communications.

This role will report into the Senior PR Manager, although working relationships will extend to the most senior members of the firm as well as with a wide variety of internal stakeholders. 

In this role, you can expect to get involved in a variety of work including:

• Support the Senior PR Manager on implementing PR campaigns.

• Draft, edit and proofread press releases (and corresponding internal updates), working directly with partners and other key stakeholders.

• Manage day-to-day press enquiries and build relationships on behalf of the firm with key press contacts.

• Proactively identify and generate story ideas relevant to the firm’s priority areas, and to pitch these ideas to relevant press and secure positive press coverage.

• Arrange and brief partners and other internal stakeholders for press interviews and other profile-raising opportunities, including drafting briefing notes.

• Take a leading role on the firm’s participation in the key legal awards programmes, including tracking deadlines, drafting/editing submissions, and reporting on participation. 

• Build and maintain press contact lists on our media database.

• Monitor and track the firm’s press coverage (using media monitoring tools) and the firm’s PR-related activities.

• Produce regular reports on the firm’s press coverage and PR-related activities.

• Support the Senior PR Manager on preparing responses to legal press surveys.

• Demonstrate/develop confident advisory skills, able to make recommendations to internal stakeholders on PR and communications best practice. 

• Demonstrate/develop an excellent understanding of the legal and trade press.

• Build strong relationships with key internal stakeholders including the Business Development, HR, Responsible Business (ESG), Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging, and Legal Operations teams. 

• Be an active member of the communications team, prepared to support other communications projects during busy periods.

About you

We will invest in your ongoing training and development to support your professional goals and help you to thrive in your role from day one. Our opportunities are open to all suitably qualified applicants, so to be considered for this role, you must meet the following skills and experience:

• Graduate or equivalent with strong communications skills

• Experience within a professional or financial services environment, whether in house or agency side

• Proactive and collaborative attitude

• Extremely well organised, strong prioritisation and co-ordination skills

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

• Strong attention to detail and quality of work, capable of generating first drafts that require minimal revision

• Strong analytical skills, able to process and interpret large amounts of detailed information and turn it into crisp, concise, and engaging content 

• Ability to maintain confidentiality and handle sensitive information appropriately

• Fully IT literate with knowledge of Microsoft Office products 

• Good interpersonal skills – a polite, professional and positive manner

What’s in it for you?

We want to reward you today and help you plan for tomorrow. We appreciate that everyone is different, therefore we have designed a benefits system that offers choice and flexibility based on individual needs and lifestyles. To name a few, these include:

•    Competitive basic salary (reviewed annually)
•    Flexible, hybrid working policy
•    Generous bonus scheme
•    Up to 25 days holiday (rising to 28 days with service)
•    Holiday exchange scheme
•    Private medical insurance
•    Enhanced parental leave
•    Reasonable adjustments and accommodation for disabled talent in accordance with the Equality Act 2010.

If you would like to read more information regarding our range of benefits, please visit our Rewards & Benefits page on our website.

Equal opportunities

At CMS, we place diversity and inclusion at the centre of our culture and the heart of our organisation. As a firm we recognise, celebrate, and embrace the diverse talent our society has to offer because we know that to solve big problems, we need the best and brightest minds available to us.  In support of this goal, we commit to actively breaking down barriers which stand in the way of those from diverse backgrounds and play our part in levelling the playing field. 
 
As a Future Facing Firm, we strongly believe that a career in law should be open to people from all walks of life, because not only does diversity of thought and experience make our firm a stronger and more sustainable business, but it also makes it a more rewarding place to work.
 
When recruiting, we prioritise attracting talented people and we actively promote a flexible working environment which enables all our team members to thrive. If you see a role you are interested in, but don’t feel you meet 100% of the criteria we encourage you to still consider making an application. We also welcome applications from those who may be looking to return to the workforce after a career break. 
 
We are proud to say our leadership in creating an inclusive working culture has been celebrated and recognised externally, including being listed for a number of years in the Times Top 50 Employers for Women and the Social Mobility Index.
 
We are a Level 2 Disability Confident Employer, and we actively encourage applications from people with disabilities, whether visible or invisible. We are committed to promoting equality of opportunity throughout our recruitment process and in every element of the employee life cycle. If you require assistance, or if you would like to discuss any accessibility requirements or adjustments as part of the recruitment process, please contact a member of the TA team at TalentAcquisition@cms-cmno.com who will be happy to support you.

Ready to apply? Here are the next steps.

We look forward to receiving your application online via the CMS careers site. Please contact our Talent Acquisition team if you have any questions. 

Please note that we have a preferred agency panel in place. Only applications submitted via the portal at the point of instruction will be accepted.

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