International Media Relations Consultant

Technology Innovation Institute; Abu Dhabi; On-site; AED 180,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

ATRC in Abu Dhabi seeks an International Media Relations Manager to lead proactive engagement with global media, position ATRC's research and innovation, and shape the narrative beyond routine announcements.

You will monitor world trends, develop rapid-response opportunities, and build trusted journalist relationships across markets, including Europe and North America, with emphasis on thoughtful storytelling and crisis-ready messaging.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in international media relations, journalism, strategic communications, within a global organization or agency.
• Demonstrated ability to identify media opportunities through newsjacking and strategic storytelling.
• Experience building relationships with journalists across multiple markets and regions.

Responsibilities

• Lead proactive engagement with international media and position ATRC's research and innovations.
• Monitor global trends and identify opportunities to place ATRC in breaking news and industry conversations.
• Develop tailored pitches and thought leadership pieces for different markets.
• Coordinate with cross-functional teams to ensure messaging consistency and crisis readiness.
• Cultivate long-term relationships with journalists and editors across international markets.

Skills

Media relations

Journalism

Strategic communications

Newsjacking

Crisis communications

Job description

The International Media Relations Manager will lead ATRC's proactive engagement with international media, positioning the organization’s research, technologies, leadership, and innovation agenda across global conversations. The role goes beyond traditional media relations and requires exceptional news judgement, and the ability to identify compelling stories where others see only technical announcements.

The successful candidate will actively monitor global trends, identify opportunities to position ATRC within breaking news and emerging industry conversations, and cultivate trusted relationships with influential journalists across international markets.

Strategic Story Development & Newsjacking - Monitor global news, policy developments, geopolitical events, technology trends, and industry conversations to identify timely opportunities to position ATRC's experts, technologies, and research. Identify creative angles that elevate research announcements beyond product or technology launches. Develop rapid-response media opportunities around breaking news, emerging trends, and global conversations. Recommend thought leadership, commentary opportunities, opinion articles, and expert interviews aligned with current affairs.

Proactive International media engagement -Continuously research journalists, editors, publications, and editorial priorities to identify new engagement opportunities. Maintain detailed profiles of priority journalists, including areas of interest, previous interactions, preferred formats, and editorial focus. Build long-term trusted relationships with journalists by understanding their editorial priorities, reporting interests, and newsroom pressures. Develop tailored pitches for different markets.

Media Advisory and Strategy -Develop differentiated media engagement strategies for priority markets. Adapt messaging, and spokesperson positioning to suit regional editorial preferences. Assess opportunities and risks associated with proposed media and recommend when an engagement should be accelerated, delayed, or avoided based on geopolitical, regulatory, or organizational sensitivities.

Crisis & Cross-Functional Support -Work closely with the Media Intelligence Specialist to assess coverage tone and message pull-through. Coordinate with social media and digital teams to ensure alignment of messaging across platforms. Support media engagement during sensitive issues, crises, and reputational incidents, exercising sound judgement and escalating matters appropriately. Understand when issues require coordination with Government Affairs, Legal, or executive leadership before engaging externally. Protect organizational reputation by ensuring accurate, balanced, and responsible engagement on sensitive topics.

JOB SPECIFICATIONS:

5+ years of experience in international media relations, journalism, strategic communications, within a global organization or agency.

Demonstrated experience building relationships with journalists across the UK, Europe, North America, and other international markets.

Strong understanding of how different international media markets operate and proven ability to identify media opportunities through newsjacking, and strategic storytelling.

Experience managing sensitive, high-profile, or politically complex communications.

Strong research capability and intellectual curiosity, with the ability to quickly understand unfamiliar technical subjects.

Demonstrated success securing earned media through proactive outreach rather than reactive media relations.

Exceptional interpersonal skills with the confidence to engage and influence senior journalists and editors.

Proficiency in Arabic is an advantage; but not essential