Brand Partnerships, PR & Social Lead

DEBENHAMS; Manchester; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 115,000; Full time

Job summary

Debenhams is seeking an experienced, culturally connected Head of Partnerships, PR & Social to lead how the Debenhams brand shows up beyond our own campaigns. Reporting to the Brand Director, you'll own the strategy across PR, partnerships, influencers and social, building fame, conversation and reach for one of Britain's most recognised retail brands.

This is a 12 Month FTC, based at our Debenhams HQ - Dale Street. Manchester, 5 days a week.

Qualifications

• Significant senior experience across PR, partnerships, influencer, social or brand activation.
• Strong consumer PR experience and an excellent understanding of the UK media landscape.
• Proven experience developing high-impact brand partnerships.
• Experience leading social strategy across major consumer platforms.
• Experience creating standout events, launches and experiential activations.
• Strong commercial judgement and experience managing meaningful budgets.
• The ability to connect brand activity to measurable business outcomes.
• Brilliant relationship-building, influencing and negotiation skills.
• Experience leading high-performing teams and external agencies.
• A strong instinct for culture - what's happening now and what's coming next.

Responsibilities

• Own the consumer PR strategy for the Debenhams brand, building awareness and positive conversation.
• Identify stories and moments to generate standout earned media coverage.
• Build strong relationships with fashion, beauty, home, lifestyle and consumer media.
• Lead our PR agency relationships with clear objectives and ROI.
• Develop proactive PR plans around key brand moments and launches.
• Collaborate with Brand Director to align PR with the Debenhams narrative.
• Identify opportunities for senior brand spokespeople and commentary.
• Own press events, media moments, launches and brand experiences.
• Monitor sentiment, coverage and share of voice to inform future activity.
• Support reactive PR and reputation management when required.
• Develop and deliver the Debenhams partnership strategy with brand and commercial value.
• Lead partnership negotiations from idea to activation.
• Identify partnerships that drive brand fame and customer acquisition.
• Measure performance and ROI to improve future investments.
• Own the influencer and creator strategy across fashion, beauty, home and lifestyle.
• Build a network of creators aligned with our brand and customers.
• Develop ambassador relationships and manage agencies for impact.
• Spot emerging creators and measure reach, engagement and traffic.
• Set the strategic direction for Debenhams across social channels and grow communities.

Skills

Senior brand leadership

PR strategy

Partnerships & collaborations

Influencer & creator marketing

Social media strategy

Negotiation

Job description

Debenhams is seeking an experienced, culturally connected Head of Partnerships, PR & Social to lead how the Debenhams brand shows up beyond our own campaigns. Reporting to the Brand Director, you'll own the strategy across PR, partnerships, influencers and social, building fame, conversation and reach for one of Britain's most recognised retail brands.

This is a 12 Month FTC, based at our Debenhams HQ - Dale Street. Manchester, 5 days a week.