Head of Marketing & Communications

CarTrawler group; Dublin; Hybrid; EUR 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

CarTrawler seeks a global Head of Marketing & Communications to set strategic direction, lead brand and external communications, and drive the success of our flagship conference and events. You will guide governance, messaging and executive visibility across channels while partnering with senior leaders to deliver commercial value.

You will report to the Chief Commercial Officer and be a key member of the Commercial Leadership Team, leading a high-performing group, shaping the narrative, and

Qualifications

• 10+ years’ relevant experience across marketing, strategic events, communications, PR and/or brand leadership.
• Experience leading flagship conferences or complex industry events from concept to delivery and evaluation.
• Experience leading corporate communications, media relations and reputation management, including reactive issues.
• Strong capabilities in positioning, narrative development and governance across multiple channels.
• Proven ability to advise, influence and communicate with C-suite executives and senior leaders.

Responsibilities

• Lead development and execution of marketing and brand strategy aligned with priorities and commercial objectives.
• Own brand strategy, positioning and external narrative across channels and experiences.
• Oversee content, digital marketing and thought leadership to build awareness and credibility.
• Provide strategic leadership for flagship conferences, events and sponsorships with measurable value.
• Own external corporate communications and PR strategy, including proactive media engagement.
• Collaborate with C-suite and cross-functional teams to translate business developments into brand priorities.

Skills

C-suite communication

Brand leadership

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Event & conference leadership

Strategic marketing

Job description

Tech that takes you places

We’re CarTrawler, the global travel tech company behind seamless connections between people, places and possibilities. From powering car rental to creating smarter ways to move, we make travel smoother for millions worldwide. Our culture is built on curiosity, collaboration and craic where every idea counts and every journey matters. Ready to make an impact? Let’s go places together.

Now part of Expedia Group B2B, CarTrawler is entering an exciting new chapter, bringing together our deep expertise in car rental, ground transportation and insurtech with Expedia Group’s global scale, technology and extensive travel platform.

The Head of Marketing & Communications is responsible for setting the strategic direction and leading the delivery of CarTrawler’s marketing, brand and external communications agenda, strengthening our market positioning, protecting our corporate reputation and supporting commercial priorities. The role also provides ownership & delivery of CarTrawler’s flagship annual conference, industry events & sponsorships ensuring excellent execution and measurable business value.

As custodian of the CarTrawler brand, the role will own its positioning, identity and narrative, guiding its evolution and ensuring clarity and consistency across external touchpoints and within a broader corporate brand ecosystem. The role will lead corporate communications and public relations, acting as a trusted adviser to senior leaders on external messaging, media engagement and sensitive or reactive communications matters.

Reporting to the Chief Commercial Officer, the role is a member of the Commercial Leadership Team and CarTrawler’s Heads of Community. It requires strong strategic judgement, the ability to influence senior stakeholders and the leadership capability to empower a high-performing team.

Your Journey starts here!

What you’ll do as Head of Marketing and Communications:

Marketing and Brand Strategy

• Lead the development and execution of CarTrawler’s marketing and brand strategy, aligned with company priorities, partner needs and commercial objectives.
• Act as custodian of the CarTrawler brand, owning its strategy, positioning, identity, value proposition and external narrative across key channels and experiences.
• Guide brand evolution and alignment within a broader corporate brand ecosystem, collaborating across teams to maintain clear brand governance, consistent messaging and a coherent market presence.
• Oversee integrated content, digital marketing and thought leadership programmes that build awareness, strengthen industry credibility and support commercial goals.

Strategic Events, Sponsorships and Brand Activation

• Provide strategic leadership and oversight of CarTrawler’s flagship annual conference, ensuring the team and agency partners deliver an exceptional experience aligned with partner and commercial objectives.
• Lead and take overall accountability for the successful delivery of CarTrawler's flagship annual conference, ensuring an exceptional experience aligned with overall objectives through effective leadership of internal teams and agency partners.
• Oversee conference content, executive and partner engagement, event delivery risks and post-event evaluation through clear governance, ownership and decision-making.
• Direct a focused programme of industry events, sponsorships and brand activations, prioritising opportunities based on strategic relevance, audience engagement and return on investment

Corporate Communications and Reputation

• Own and lead CarTrawler's external corporate communications and PR strategy, including proactive media engagement, corporate announcements, partnership communications, executive visibility and corporate reputation management.
• Act as the primary point of contact for reactive media enquiries and reputational issues, coordinating responses and providing timely, sound counsel on sensitive or business-critical matters.
• Advise senior leadership on corporate narrative, messaging, communications risks and opportunities, ensuring an appropriate and consistent external voice.
• Build strong working relationships with communications counterparts, PR agencies and relevant external stakeholders to coordinate communications and approvals effectively.

Strategic Leadership and Stakeholder Engagement

• Contribute as a member of the Commercial Leadership Team, bringing strategic marketing and communications expertise to business planning and decision-making.
• Build trusted relationships with C-suite leaders and senior stakeholders, confidently influencing, challenging and advising on complex priorities.
• Partner across Commercial, Business, Product, People and other functions to translate business developments into coherent brand, marketing and communications priorities.

Team Leadership and Operational Excellence

• Lead, coach and develop a high-performing Marketing team, setting clear priorities, empowering ownership and maintaining high standards of quality and accountability.
• Oversee marketing budgets, resources, agency partnerships and performance measures, prioritising investment and demonstrating commercial value.
• Provide clear direction and sound judgement in a changing environment, ensuring continuity, effective cross-functional collaboration and delivery through others.

What you’ll bring to the team:

• 10+ years’ relevant experience in across marketing, strategic events, communications, PR and/or brand leadership.
• Proven ownership of large-scale flagship conferences or complex industry events, from strategic concepts and content through to delivery and evaluation.
• Proven experience leading corporate communications, media relations and reputation management, including reactive issues and sensitive or high-profile announcements.
• Strong strategic brand capability, including positioning, narrative development and governance across multiple channels and complex stakeholder environments.
• Demonstrated ability to advise, influence and communicate credibly with C-suite executives and senior leadership teams, exercising discretion and sound commercial judgement.
• Excellent people leadership skills with a track record of building, developing and empowering high-performing teams and delivering results through others.
• Proven ability to operate effectively in complex, evolving organisational environments, navigating ambiguity, managing competing stakeholder priorities and exercising sound strategic judgement.
• Strong commercial acumen, stakeholder management, agency leadership, creativity and attention to detail.

Hybrid Working & Eligibility:

Our hybrid working policy requires employees to work onsite at our CarTrawler Dublin office a minimum of 2 days per week.

Applicants must have an existing right to work in Ireland without the requirement for employment permit sponsorship to be considered for this role.

At CarTrawler, we’re proud to be an equal opportunities employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for everyone. No matter your background, identity, or life experience, if you’re passionate about what you do, you’ll be welcomed here.