Sr Vice President / Director, Public & Government Affairs

Edelman is a voice synonymous with trust, reimagining a future where the currency of communication is action. Our culture thrives on three promises: boldness is possibility, empathy is progress, and curiosity is momentum. At Edelman, we understand diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) transform our colleagues, our company, our clients, and our communities. We are in relentless pursuit of an equitable and inspiring workplace that is respectful of all, reflects and represents the world in which we live, and fosters trust, collaboration and belonging.

Senior Vice President, Public & Government Affairs Location: London Reporting to: President, UK, Public & Government Affairs

The Role Edelman is seeking a Senior Vice President to join its Public & Government Affairs team in London. This is a senior leadership role for an experienced public affairs, government or political practitioner who combines deep knowledge of the UK political and policy environment with excellent judgement, strong relationships and the ability to advise senior clients on complex business, political and reputational challenges. The role offers the opportunity to advise major organisations at the intersection of business, politics, policy and reputation, while helping shape the continued growth of Edelman’s UK Public & Government Affairs offer. We are open to candidates from a range of backgrounds. You may have held a senior role in government, Parliament, party politics or built your career in public affairs consultancy, or worked in-house. Whatever your route, you will bring strong political and policy instincts and the credibility, judgement and communication skills to become a trusted adviser to senior clients. As a Senior Vice President, you will lead significant client relationships and public affairs programmes, helping organisations anticipate and respond to political and policy change, manage complex issues and engage effectively with the stakeholders who matter to their business. You will also play an important role in the leadership and growth of the UK Public & Government Affairs team – developing talent, strengthening existing client relationships, creating new opportunities and bringing the best of Edelman to clients.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide trusted senior counsel
• Build strong relationships with senior clients, acting as a trusted adviser on political, policy, business and reputational issues.
• Provide clear, informed and actionable counsel that helps clients anticipate change, assess risk and opportunity, and make confident decisions.
• Bring strong political and policy judgement to complex and sensitive client challenges.
• Develop a deep understanding of clients’ businesses, sectors and priorities, ensuring our advice connects political and policy developments to the issues that matter most to them.
• Lead outstanding public affairs work Set the strategic direction for significant client engagements, from defining the challenge and approach through to execution and evaluation.
• Apply a sophisticated understanding of the UK political, policy and regulatory environment to develop relevant and effective public affairs strategies.
• Draw on strong knowledge of government, Parliament, political parties, regulators and the wider policymaking process to inform client strategy and engagement.
• Bring together expertise from across Edelman to address clients’ wider business and reputational priorities.
• Set a consistently high standard for strategic thinking, client counsel, written work and programme delivery.
• Develop people and the practice Coach and mentor colleagues, helping them develop the judgement, confidence and skills to become outstanding public affairs practitioners.
• Provide clear direction and constructive challenge while creating the space for teams to take ownership and perform at their best.
• Share expertise and perspectives across the practice, contributing to an ambitious, collaborative and inclusive culture.
• Work as part of the Public & Government Affairs leadership team to continually strengthen the team’s capabilities and the quality of its offer.
• Drive growth Identify opportunities to deepen existing client relationships and introduce Public & Government Affairs expertise to the wider client base.
• Play a senior role in priority new business opportunities, helping shape strategies, proposals and pitches.
• Build strong relationships across Edelman and bring together the right capabilities for clients and prospective clients.
• Use your political, policy, business and industry relationships, alongside Edelman’s wider network, to create opportunities and strengthen the firm’s external profile.
• Help shape the continued development and growth of Edelman’s UK Public & Government Affairs offer.

About You

You will be an established senior public affairs, government or political practitioner with excellent political judgement, an informed perspective on the UK policy environment and the confidence to advise senior decision-makers. Your experience may have been gained in an agency or consultancy, in-house, in government, Parliament or party politics – or through a combination of these. Direct agency experience is valuable but not essential. What matters is your ability to turn political and policy expertise into clear, relevant and practical advice for organisations operating in complex environments.

You will bring:

• Significant senior-level experience in UK public affairs, government, Parliament, party politics, policy or a closely related field.
• Deep understanding of the UK political and policymaking environment and the institutions, individuals and wider stakeholders that shape it.
• Excellent political judgement and the ability to interpret political and policy developments through the lens of an organisation’s business and reputation.
• The credibility and confidence to advise senior decision-makers on complex or sensitive issues.
• A track record of building trusted relationships with senior stakeholders.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to turn complexity into clear strategy and advice.
• A commercial mindset and the ability to identify opportunities, build relationships and contribute to business growth.
• The ability to lead, coach and develop talented colleagues.
• A strong and relevant network across politics, policy, business and/or industry.

We are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your experience doesn’t perfectly align with every qualification, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

It started with one man’s passion to make an impact through stories… 70 years later, we are the world’s largest communications firm, which fosters an environment where people feel empowered to take the kind of bold action that makes careers, reshapes industries, and creates the unexpected.

We are one global team, over 6,000 strong across 60 offices, grounded by our shared values.

We promise an experience where our employees see that boldness is possibility, empathy is progress, and curiosity is momentum.

Since Dan Edelman founded the firm in 1952, we have remained an independent, family-run business, and our culture is one that brings understanding, collaboration, and respect to our work and to each other.

Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) transform our colleagues, our clients, and our communities, and propel us forward as a company.

At Edelman, we are in relentless pursuit of a fair and inspiring workplace that is respectful to all, reflects and represents the world in which we live, and fosters trust and collaboration.

Each day and on each project, we strive to ensure that our colleagues feel a sense of true inclusion and belonging and can bring their best to their work— taking action and shaping impactful moments and movements within our company, on behalf of our clients, and in communities around the globe.

The relentless pursuit of excellence The freedom to be constantly curious The courage to do the right thing The commitment to positively impact society.

We grow our people We invite and celebrate differences Our reputation is our brand We’re global, yet local We offer more than just a career – we offer a place to grow, make a meaningful impact, and help drive change alongside some of the brightest minds in the industry.

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