Vice President / Associate Director, Crisis & Risk

Position: Associate Director, Litigation Communications – Crisis & Risk

Location: London, Victoria

Contract: Full-time

Working pattern: Hybrid

Overview

We’re looking for an Associate Director with strong litigation communications, legal affairs and crisis communications experience to join our UK Crisis & Risk team. This senior client-facing role reports to the Head of UK Crisis and Risk. The role involves advising on complex legal, regulatory and reputational challenges, translating complex issues into clear communication strategies while respecting legal constraints.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide calm, clear litigation communications and legal affairs counsel to clients facing complex reputational challenges.
• Advise on communications strategy around active or potential litigation, regulatory scrutiny, investigations, disputes and other legally sensitive matters.
• Develop high‑quality client materials: risk assessments, stakeholder maps, scenario planning, messaging, Q&A, holding statements, briefing materials and escalation protocols.
• Work with lawyers, in‑house legal teams, senior executives and communications leaders to align strategy with legal objectives.
• Lead day‑to‑day client relationships across a varied portfolio of Crisis & Risk accounts.
• Provide strategic counsel across all stakeholder environments: media, regulators, policymakers, employees, investors, customers, campaigners and digital communities.
• Prepare clients for hearings, judgments, regulatory decisions, inquiries and other high‑pressure moments.
• Contribute to live crisis response, rapid counsel, issue assessment, messaging and coordination across teams and markets.
• Support integrated Edelman teams and the global crisis network on multi‑market challenges.
• Manage client work to a high standard: project management, quality control and deadline discipline.
• Support account financial management: forecasting, budgeting, hours allocation and servicing levels.
• Identify growth opportunities, contribute to new business and proposals.
• Build the UK litigation communications capability: develop internal knowledge, tools and relationships with legal partners.
• Coach and develop junior colleagues; support a collaborative team culture.

What You Bring

• Strong experience in litigation communications, legal affairs, crisis communications, corporate reputation or public affairs.
• Track record of advising clients or senior stakeholders on legally sensitive, high‑pressure or high‑profile issues.
• Clear understanding of how litigation, regulatory scrutiny and public reputation interact.
• Excellent judgment balancing legal risk, reputational risk, stakeholder expectations and commercial realities.
• Confident client counsel skills and the maturity to advise senior communications leaders, legal teams and executives under pressure.
• Strong writing ability with attention to detail and the capacity to produce disciplined materials at pace.
• Project and account management skills: managing deadlines, teams, budgets and client expectations.
• Interest in current affairs, business, law, politics, media and emerging reputational risks.
• Collaborative style, ability to work independently and coordinate well across teams.
• Experience with law firms, barristers, in‑house legal teams, regulatory specialists or disputes advisers is helpful.
• Legal training or qualification is welcome but not essential.

What Success Looks Like

• Trusted adviser to clients and teams on litigation communications and legal affairs.
• Helps clients make better decisions under pressure, produce work that withstands legal and reputational scrutiny.
• Strengthens Edelman’s reputation as a leading adviser on complex disputes, investigations and crises.
• Delivers high‑quality work across live issues, retained accounts, new business and the development of the litigation communications offer.

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