Frontier tech/ Science Communications Consultant

Milltown Partners; City Of London; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A global advisory firm is seeking a Communications Advisor in London to develop and execute impactful communications strategies. The ideal candidate will have at least four years of experience in science communications, an ability to translate complex information for diverse audiences, and strong project management skills. The firm values collaboration and is committed to a supportive work environment, offering competitive salary and professional development opportunities.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Discretionary bonuses

Professional development opportunities

Private healthcare insurance

26 days annual leave

4% employer pension contribution

Qualifications

• At least 4 years of communications advisory experience, focusing on frontier tech.
• Demonstrable ability to assess communications challenges strategically.
• Experience managing a team and project deliverables.

Responsibilities

• Create integrated communications plans for clients.
• Tailor advice to meet individual client needs.
• Produce compelling written content for significant communications moments.

Skills

Excellent command of written and verbal English language

Experience communicating complex scientific concepts

Project management skills

Intellectual curiosity

Media handling skills

Tools

Factiva

Meltwater

Claude

Gemini

Job description

Overview

Milltown Partners is a global advisory firm working with influential organisations and individuals on the public policy and communications challenges that define their reputations. We are looking for a communications advisor who brings at least 4 years of experience in science communications, with a proven track record of translating complex information into compelling narratives for a range of audiences.

THE CONSULTANT ROLE

Consultants are the driving force behind our work. They are trusted advisors who are able to shift the reputation of our clients, in line with agreed strategy and priorities. They apply their knowledge and insights to commercial challenges, and will help Milltown Partners continue to innovate in the space of frontier tech and science communications. They drive work across the whole team in a way that makes the most of everyone’s skills and experience, supporting more junior colleagues to develop and deputising for Directors and Partners when required.

A successful candidate in this role will have the ambition, expertise and network that enables them to provide specialist communications advice to our growing frontier tech and science client base across the UK and Europe.

Responsibilities of the Consultant

Communications strategy: drawing on deep knowledge of channels and audiences to identify how best to position clients and tell their story

Working with client team leads to set the strategy and priorities for client work

Creating integrated communications plans to guide the execution of the agreed strategy

Applying an understanding of how to deliver client objectives using strategies and tactics to reach target audiences on appropriate channels

Designing and interrogating client asks and designing research briefs to ensure that all advice is underpinned by insights

Tailoring the style and content of advice to meet the needs and expectations of individual clients

Confidently and transparently discussing AI-enhanced work with clients and explaining value-add

Going above and beyond the brief to suggest the most creative solutions

Advising: earning the trust of a variety of clients and providing recommendations that are understood and accepted

Advising in a variety of formats (written or verbal) and choosing the most effective format for the client, at the right time

Producing compelling written content and driving the execution of significant communications moments for clients (e.g. media briefings, speeches, owned channels and events)

Reading a wide breadth of materials, from government consultations to research papers and broader news to understand the issues clients are facing in order to inform our advice

Using research and AI tools (including Factiva, Meltwater, Claude and Gemini) to conduct insight generation, support complex deliverables and enable innovation

Drawing on a deep knowledge of audiences and channels to identify how best to position clients and achieve their communications goals

People Management: supporting the wellbeing of the team and encouraging everyone to perform, learn and develop

Developing project plans for client teams and ensuring work is delivered in a timely and high quality manner

Managing the work of junior colleagues, and supporting their professional development through coaching and mentoring

Encouraging continuous learning and development, including the delegation of tasks and the provision of constructive feedback

Contributing to the business: applying knowledge of how the firm and clients generate revenue to improve the quality of our advice and analysis

Applying knowledge of the commercial context in which clients operate to ensure our advice furthers their business objectives

Understanding how Milltown operates as a business (e.g. team profitability) and beginning to contribute to internal projects

Demonstrating restlessness about spotting growth and development opportunities for the business (e.g. finding new ways to help clients, ways to run teams efficiently or share knowledge internally)

Using personal interests and/or former experience to contribute to the continued growth of the business, both potential new business opportunities and development opportunities for the team

Experimenting with, and implementing AI-powered workflows that improve team efficiency and can be shared more widely

Contributing to a collaborative and inclusive work environment

Giving and receiving regular feedback to individuals at all levels in the firm

Actively seeking input or assistance from others and reflecting their contributions in the work

Demonstrating allyship to all colleagues

Supporting the wellbeing of everyone on the team

Must-have skills and experience

• Excellent command of written and verbal English language
• At least 4 years of communications advisory experience with a focus on frontier tech and/or science companies and issues - ideally in consultancy, Government, or within a technology company or research organisation
• Experience communicating complex, technical scientific concepts to non-technical audiences
• Demonstrable ability to take a strategic approach to assessing communications challenges and opportunities
• Understanding of different audiences and channels that resonate with stakeholders across the R&D ecosystem (including researchers, media, policymakers, civil society)
• Experienced media handler with an ability to drive proactive storytelling, respond to reactive issues and build strong relationships
• Experience building advisory relationships with different stakeholders (including technical teams/engineers) in order to deliver strategic counsel and insight
• Experience of project management, including planning and delivering work against agreed goals, timetable and budget.
• Experience managing a team and pushing work to the appropriate level
• Intellectual curiosity to develop subject matter expertise in new topics, and share that with colleagues
• A highly motivated team member who values collaboration and has a desire to seek out feedback in order to learn and develop
• Commitment to contributing to a supportive and inclusive culture

Desirable skills and experience

• A strong existing network of contacts in science media and/or key opinion formers
• Understanding of the policy and governance issues affecting companies working at the frontier of technology

What we offer in return

• Competitive and fair base salary determined through annual industry benchmarking. Salary bands are transparent internally and backed by a robust compensation philosophy.
• Discretionary twice-yearly bonuses. We want everyone at Milltown to share in our collective success and feel ownership of our growth.
• Professional development opportunities. You will partner with your Development Coach and have access to our programme of internal training, alongside external events and subscriptions to a broad range of content and media.
• iPhone and Apple MacBook
• 26 days annual leave, plus English Public Holidays and Christmas closure, which is in addition to your personal allowance
• 4% employer pension contribution
• Private healthcare insurance with Bupa for yourself and children
• Enhanced paid time off for new parents (for all parents and all routes to welcoming a child)
• An Employee Assistance Programme with 24/7 access to online, phone or face-to-face counselling
• Annual eye test and annual flu jab
• ClassPass membership
• Income Protection insurance
• Death in Service insurance
• 3-day week in the office hybrid policy (Monday, Tuesday & Thursdays mandatory)
• Variety of team events, such as charity socials, external speakers and firm celebrations

ABOUT US

Milltown Partners is a global advisory firm working with influential organisations and individuals on the communications and public policy challenges that define their reputations. We are an Employee Ownership Trust which means that we’re fully independent and will remain so; the people who work here own the company and share in its success. We will continue to do what we've always done: take the long view, build a business aligned to our values, invest in our people and their development, and innovate to improve the quality of our advice by combining our deep sector-specific knowledge and research-driven approach.

Our clients are leaders in their field: groundbreaking technology companies and their founders; global businesses and their CEOs; prominent individuals and renowned institutions. We work with them to understand and manage their political, regulatory and policy challenges and opportunities. Technology and innovation are at the heart of our business and problem-solving approach, and we root our strategies in data insights and research on the audiences that matter, messages that work, and communications channels that deliver.

DIVERSITY, EQUALITY & INCLUSION AT MILLTOWN

Creating a diverse, equitable and inclusive environment is core to our values, culture and success as an employee owned business. We want to empower everyone in the team to share their best thinking and ideas, feel valued and know they are having an impact and belong in the business, regardless of their background, age, gender, race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation or disability. We have an ambitious DEI programme managed by a global leadership team of volunteers with three global company commitments to: improve representation of minority groups, enhance everyone's sense of inclusion and support underrepresented communities through pro bono work. Underpinning these commitments is a focus on what it means to have a DEI culture and how to measure that in our approach to growth, attracting talent and the impact of our work for clients.