Director, Schillings Communications

Schillings; Greater London; On-site; GBP 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Schillings Communications seeks an experienced Director of Strategic Communications to lead high-stakes client engagements—from crisis management to public policy—advising senior stakeholders and shaping narratives. You will collaborate with experts across Schillings to deliver strategic outcomes and protect client interests.

The role requires extensive experience, sound judgement, and the ability to operate autonomously in complex, ambiguous situations while growing the practice and deepening

Qualifications

• 12+ years of experience in strategic communications or related field.
• Experience with high-profile crisis work for demanding clients.
• Ability to build trusted senior client relationships and manage stakeholders.
• Strong commercial awareness and autonomous decision-making in ambiguous environments.

Responsibilities

• Deliver high-quality client outcomes and manage profitable, well-run matters.
• Build trusted senior relationships with clients and Schillings Partners.
• Lead the delivery of client matters, scoping, budgeting and timely execution by teams.
• Support practice growth and foster collaboration across disciplines.
• Develop junior colleagues and uphold high standards across work and delivery.

Skills

Senior stakeholder management

Strategic communications

Crisis management

Client relationship building

Commercial acumen

Autonomy

Job description

Schillings handles high stakes situations for an international clientele: wealthy people, successful companies and other high-profile organisations across the world. These high stakes threats or opportunities affect reputation, privacy and security. Uniquely, Schillings deploys capabilities in five areas to address these challenges: intelligence, law, communications, security and diplomacy.

Schillings is a collaborative and welcoming place to work, with a positive culture, strong values and a developed service ethic. We require commitment, diligence, agility and professionalism, and in return provide competitive packages, stimulating challenges and interesting work. We are committed to sharing learning and creating development opportunities so you can progress your career with us. Our people’s career trajectories and average longevity at Schillings underline this. Join us and become part of our story.

Schillings Communications

Founded in 2023 to help clients navigate the new terrain of scrutiny, Schillings Communications’ work spans agenda-setting campaigns and public policy, to crisis management and long-term senior counsel. We advise global corporates, internationally influential principals and family offices through geopolitical and generational change. We proactively shape narratives and engage stakeholders to build and protect our clients’ interests.

Schillings Communications’ clients have featured on the front and back pages, while Founding Partners Victoria O’Byrne and George Pascoe-Watson were recognised as leaders in the PR Week Power Book 2026 and Spear’s 500 index for reputation management.

Job Title: Director, Strategic Communications

Reporting to: Partners

Job Purpose:

Schillings are looking for an experienced Director to join our Strategic Communications business, adding breadth and depth to our multidisciplinary skillset. Schillings Communications provides senior counsel during high-stakes situations, rather than steady-state PR. Under the guidance of the Partners leading the practice, you will work collaboratively with experts across Schillings to proactively devise and execute communications strategies that protect our clients' reputations and enable clients to deliver their objectives.

The successful candidate will bring extensive experience, sound judgement and a measured approach to complex situations. They will be comfortable operating with autonomy, building credibility quickly with senior stakeholders and navigating ambiguity with confidence. They will recognise opportunities to add value for clients, demonstrate strong commercial awareness and help strengthen and deepen client relationships.

Role Accountabilities:

The Director will be expected to deliver high-quality client outcomes, build trusted senior relationships, manage profitable and well-run matters, contribute to practice growth, and raise standards across multidisciplinary teams.

• Senior communications counsel: Acts as a senior expert in strategic communications, advising on complex, high-stakes client situations and providing clear, practical and commercially astute counsel. Demonstrates sound judgement, remains calm under pressure and brings a measured approach to sensitive and rapidly evolving situations.
• Client and stakeholder management: builds trusted senior relationships with clients and Schillings Partners, manages demanding stakeholder environments, anticipates needs and ensures the highest standard of client care and communication.
• Technical ability: Excellent in the tradecraft of strategic communications, demonstrating outstanding strategic and critical thinking skills. Confidently navigates ambiguity, assesses risks and opportunities, exercises sound judgement and develops thoughtful, effective solutions to complex client challenges.
• Client engagement management: Owns the effective delivery of client matters, acting as project lead to ensure work is appropriately scoped, commercially managed and delivered by high-performing teams. Takes ownership, creates momentum and drives matters forward while balancing client needs, commercial considerations and risk.
• Commercial ownership: Manages budgets, profitability, resource allocation, time management, risk and billing discipline, exercising sound judgement to identify and address potential issues. Demonstrates a strong understanding of clients' commercial priorities and is able to identify opportunities to deepen relationships and broaden support where appropriate.
• Practice growth: Supports partners in developing the business by strengthening operations, identifying opportunities for growth (of existing client relationships, mandates or new business development initiatives) and fostering effective collaboration across disciplines.
• People leadership and standards: Develops the skills and experience of junior colleagues, delegates effectively and role models high standards, accountability and excellence across client work and team delivery.
• Multidisciplinary delivery: works confidently with experts from across the business with a clear understanding of how legal, investigations, security and diplomacy, digital resilience and strategic communications capabilities can be combined to provide holistic solutions that solve complex client problems.
• Firm contribution: Acts as an ambassador for Schillings and its values, contributing positively to the firm’s culture, reputation and strategic objectives and guiding others to do the same. Actively participates in relevant external events.

Knowledge, Skills, and Experience Required:

• 12+ years of relevant experience working agency side, or alternatively in a high profile/dynamic business or public sector organisation. Ideally has a blend of consultancy and in-house experience.
• Experience of strategic communications and high-profile crisis work for demanding and exacting clients or stakeholders. Strong judgement assessing client situations to offer a strategic and tactical response to clients and partners.
• Demonstrable ability to build trusted senior client relationships, manage demanding stakeholders, anticipate client needs and provide clear, confident counsel in high-stakes situations.
• Demonstrates sound professional judgement, strong commercial awareness and a measured approach to decision-making. Comfortable operating autonomously in complex and ambiguous environments, with a track record of identifying opportunities, building credibility with senior stakeholders and driving successful client outcomes.
• Strong understanding of the media landscape, digital channels and the role of communications in shaping and protecting reputation.
• An inspiring people manager, project manager and communicator who delegates effectively and is strongly results focused. Able to work effectively across disciplines and contribute to a unified, multidisciplinary client offer.
• Commercially minded, entrepreneurial and showing a high degree of personal initiative and drive to grow the business and deliver for clients. Evidence of contributing to client growth, whether through expanding existing relationships, developing mandates or supporting new business opportunities.
• Collaborative, with a proven ability to set, maintain and role model high standards, building accountability, quality and excellence across client work and team delivery.

Life at Schillings

Given our bold and innovative business strategy, it is not surprising that Schillings has a very strong culture. The atmosphere is highly collaborative and focused on excellence. We have worked hard over the years to develop a coaching culture. Schillings has adopted a set of values to put at the heart of this and they reflect the intention and tenor of our ambitious plans. They are: ‘Innovative; Bold; United; and Excellent’. Our client list speaks for the outstanding results that have been delivered over many years and the task now is to grow without losing any of the commitment to delivering for clients or our service ethos. Finding people who share our values and can thrive in this environment is key to our success.

It takes a unique mix of people to create something truly great. We appreciate that diversity of thought, background and culture creates the best environment to truly innovate, solve problems and achieve our goals. We welcome candidates from all backgrounds – if you are driven and want to achieve your best then we will give you the platform and support to succeed.

Please let us know if there are any extenuating circumstances we should consider, or any adjustments we may need to make to our selection process, when making your application.

Find our candidate privacy notice here, Candidate Privacy Notice (schillingspartners.com)