Associate Director, Crisis, Data & Intelligence

Freud Communications Limited; Greater London; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Freud Communications Limited is seeking an Associate Director for its crisis and issues practice, focusing on data, intelligence and investigative work to underpin senior counsel. The role involves turning complex information into clear, actionable advice for global clients across multiple sectors.

You will work on high-profile issues, develop monitoring dashboards, and provide evidence-led counsel in high-pressure environments, including 24/7 crisis support where required.

Qualifications

• Substantial experience in corporate communications, issues management or crisis communications.
• Experience using data and intelligence to inform communications decisions.
• Ability to produce landscape reports and risk assessments for senior audiences.

Responsibilities

• Build, manage and interpret media and social monitoring dashboards using data to track narratives and risk.
• Combine monitoring with wider intelligence sources to map the reputation landscape.
• Conduct investigative due diligence on individuals and organisations using public records.
• Create and present reports with evidence-led recommendations for senior stakeholders and clients.
• Provide immediate communications support on live issues, including out-of-hours responses.
• Collaborate with crisis leads to shape response strategies grounded in data and insights.
• Stress-test crisis strategies through workshops and scenario planning.

Skills

Crisis communications

Data-led insights

Media intelligence

Investigation techniques

Stakeholder management

Narrative analysis

Job description

We are looking for an Associate Director to join our crisis and issues offering, with a particular focus on the data, intelligence and investigative work that underpins effective senior counsel. This role will suit someone who is used to operating in highly sensitive situations, who is intellectually curious, forensic in their approach and able to turn complex information into clear, actionable advice.

The successful candidate will work across high-profile issues and crises for global businesses across a range of sectors, senior leaders, organisations and individuals. They will help clients understand the reputation landscape around them by combining media intelligence, social listening, search insight, emerging platform analysis and investigative due diligence. They will be expected to identify narratives, influence networks, audience behaviour, risk trajectories and potential reputational vulnerabilities and translate those findings into practical communication strategies.

This person will be part of our day-to-day crisis operation, supporting clients on live issues, preparedness work and reputation management. They will play an important role in developing our use of technology, data and investigative techniques, helping to build robust monitoring dashboards, interrogate outputs, stress-test assumptions and provide evidence-led counsel in pressured environments.

Key Responsibilities

• Build, manage and interpret media and social monitoring dashboards, using data to track narratives, influence, sentiment, audience behaviour, escalation patterns and emerging reputational risk.
• Combine monitoring outputs with wider intelligence sources, including search insight, LLM monitoring, social platforms, public databases and third-party data, to create a fuller picture of the reputation landscape.
• Conduct investigative due diligence on individuals and organisations, covering media and social coverage, and other publicly available records.
• Create and present reputation, issues and communications landscape reports, bringing together analysis, metrics, evidence-led recommendations and practical implications for senior internal stakeholders and external clients.
• Provide immediate communications support on live and emerging issues, acting as a trusted point of contact for senior clients, supporting out-of-hours response where required and helping to cover a 24/7 crisisoffering.
• Work closely with the Business Partner or crisis lead to assess risk, agree priorities, shape response strategies and develop positioning, messaging and narrative frameworks grounded in data, intelligence and stakeholder insight.
• Stress-test client crisis strategies through issues workshops, scenario planning and crisissimulations, bringing external intelligence, data-led insight and clear judgement into the process.
• Advise global businesses, challenger brands, senior leaders and individuals on media management, reputation protection and issues preparedness, while continuing to build strong networks with colleagues, journalists, online influencers, analysts, professional advisers and other relevant third parties.
• Embrace our cornerstones of Love & Work, bringing passion, resilience, collaboration and a commitment to belonging into the way we work with clients and each other.

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

• Substantial experience in corporate communications, issues management or crisis communications, gained in an agency environment or a busy in-house team ideally with some exposure to FMCG, Health and Tech.
• Practical experience of data-led communications, media intelligence, social listening, AI-enabled monitoring or crisis technology platforms.
• Excellent investigative instincts, with the ability to interrogate public information, sense-check sources, identify reputational risk and separate signal from noise.
• Experience producing landscape reports, due diligence summaries, risk assessments or insight-led recommendations for senior audiences.
• Direct experience supporting high-profile issues or crises for corporate clients, business leaders, brands, organisations or individuals.
• Strong understanding of the media, social and digital landscape, including how issues develop and elevate across channels.
• A proactive, intellectually curious and resilient mindset, with genuine enthusiasm for crisis, reputation, data and investigative communications work.