Vice President, Corporate and Public Affairs - Financial Communications

Wpp Group; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 75,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work model

Competitive benefits package

Job summary

Burson, part of WPP, seeks a strategic, client-facing Vice President to lead high-stakes financial communications, including earnings and investor relations support for Fortune 500 companies and startups.

The role requires deep experience in investor narratives, executive communications, and market positioning, with a track record of guiding complex initiatives and managing multidisciplinary teams.

Qualifications

• 10-12 years of experience in financial communications, investor relations, or strategic communications consulting.
• Experience advising publicly traded and Fortune 500 companies on financial communications.
• Strong understanding of public company reporting, earnings cycles, and investor expectations.
• Proven ability to develop investor narratives and executive communications.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic counsel to senior executives and board stakeholders on high-stakes financial communications.
• Lead communications strategy around earnings announcements and investor events.
• Develop investor narratives and executive speeches for earnings cycles, IPOs, and M&A activity.
• Mentor and lead cross-functional agency teams to deliver integrated communications programs.
• Drive business development and client expansion opportunities in financial communications.

Skills

Executive presence

Strategic communication

Investor narratives

Cross-functional leadership

Mentoring

Education

MBA

CFA

Investor relations certification

Tools

Bloomberg

FactSet

AlphaSense

Capital IQ

Job description

Who we are:

Burson, part of WPP, is the global communications leader built to create value for clients through reputation. With highly specialized teams, industry-leading technologies and breakthrough creative, we help brands and businesses redefine reputation as a competitive advantage so they can lead today and into the future. When you work at Burson, you are part of a global community of lifelong learners who thrive at the edge of innovation.

WPP (LSE/NYSE: WPP) is the trusted growth partner for the world's leading brands. We unite cutting-edge media intelligence and data solutions, world-class creativity, next-generation production, transformative enterprise solutions and expert strategic counsel in a single company - powered by exceptional talent and our agentic marketing platform, WPP Open, to help our clients navigate change, capture opportunity and deliver transformational growth. For more information, visit WPP.com

For more information visit bursonglobal.com and follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram.

More about the role:

Burson is seeking a strategic, client-facing seasoned Vice President to lead high-stakes financial communications, including earnings and investor relations support, corporate reputation initiatives, and narrative development for Fortune 500 publicly traded and emerging growth companies, as well as startups. The Vice President will also play a significant role in the market positioning and internal/external amplification of this specialty offering within the firm's Corporate and Public Affairs practice.

The Vice President will serve as a senior counselor to C-suite executives, investor relations teams, legal counsel, and communications executives across a portfolio of leading clients in the technology, entertainment, retail, and broader corporate sectors. This individual will help shape market-moving narratives, provide strategic counsel on business-critical issues, and lead multidisciplinary agency teams and clients responsible for developing and executing integrated communications programs.

This role is ideal for an experienced communications leader with deep experience developing investor narratives, advising executive leadership teams, and managing complex communications surrounding earnings, Investor Days, IPOs, M&A activity, corporate transformations, and reputational challenges.

Success in this role requires exceptional writing ability, executive presence, strong financial acumen, strategic communications, sound judgement under pressure, and a demonstrated ability to navigate complex stakeholder environments.

What you'll do:

Strategic Client Counsel & Offering Positioning

• Serve as a trusted advisor to senior executives, investor relations teams, corporate communications leaders, and legal counsel on high-profile business, financial, and reputational matters.
• Counsel clients on communications opportunities and risks associated with earnings announcements, strategic transactions, executive transitions, corporate transformations, activist situations, regulatory matters, and other sensitive issues.
• Develop executive-level messaging strategies that effectively communicate business performance, growth strategy, corporate purpose, and long-term value creation.
• Present strategic recommendations directly to C-suite leaders and board-level stakeholders.
• Contribute to the continued enhancement, positioning and promotion of this specialized offering within the external marketplace and to internal teams.

Financial Communications & Investor Relations

• Lead communications strategy around quarterly earnings announcements, investor presentations, and other financial events.
• Partner closely with investor relations teams to develop compelling investor narratives that resonate with analysts, shareholders, and financial media.
• Provide strategic counsel and content development support for Quarterly earnings cycles, Investor Days, Capital markets events, IPOs and public company debuts, Mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures, Corporate restructurings and transformations, and Shareholder engagement initiatives.
• Support clients through milestone corporate moments, including IPOs, bell-ringing events, significant listings, and other high-profile market events.
• Translate complex financial results, business performance, and strategic initiatives into clear and compelling stakeholder narratives.

Narrative Development & Executive Communications

• Craft high-impact narratives and messaging platforms that shape perception among investors, employees, media, policymakers, and other key stakeholders.
• Lead development of Earnings materials, Investor presentations, CEO and executive speeches, Shareholder communications, Employee communications, Strategic messaging frameworks, Crisis communications materials, Board and leadership briefing documents.
• Serve as a senior writer and editor for high-stakes communications where precision, judgment, and speed are critical.
• Distill complex business issues into clear, persuasive, and audience-specific communications.

Media Relations & Market Visibility

• Develop proactive and reactive media strategies surrounding financial news and corporate events.
• Lead external communications programs that support key business milestones, financial announcements, and corporate reputation objectives.
• Cultivate and leverage relationships with financial, business, technology, and corporate reporters.
• Serve as a senior advisor on media engagement strategy, spokesperson positioning, and risk management.
• Support selective media outreach and pitching efforts, particularly with business, financial, and trade media.

Team Leadership & Account Management

• Lead multidisciplinary account teams across financial communications, corporate reputation, public affairs, executive communications, and crisis management assignments.
• Oversee project planning, timelines, budgets, and resource allocation to ensure flawless execution across multiple complex engagements.
• Drive collaboration among agency specialists, client stakeholders, legal advisors, investor relations teams, and executive leadership.
• Mentor and develop junior team members while fostering a culture of excellence, collaboration, and continuous growth.
• Contribute to business development efforts, client expansion opportunities, and strategic agency initiatives.

Experience that contributes to success:

• 10-12 years of experience in financial communications, investor relations, corporate communications, public relations, or strategic communications consulting.
• Demonstrated experience advising publicly traded and Fortune 500 companies on financial communications and business-critical issues.
• Strong understanding of public company reporting, earnings cycles, investor expectations, and financial market dynamics.
• Proven ability to develop investor narratives and executive communications that support enterprise value creation.
• Significant experience supporting or leading communications surrounding earnings announcements, Investor Days, IPOs, M&A transactions, and major corporate milestones.
• Exceptional writing, editing, and storytelling capabilities, including experience developing high-stakes communications for executive audiences.
• Experience counseling senior executives and serving as a client-facing strategic advisor.
• Strong executive presence and the ability to confidently engage with C-suite and board-level stakeholders.
• Demonstrated success leading cross-functional and multidisciplinary teams.
• Excellent project management, organizational, and client service skills.
• Ability to thrive in fast-paced, high-pressure environments while managing multiple priorities simultaneously.

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior agency experience leading complex corporate, financial, or special situations accounts.
• Established relationships with financial, business, technology, and corporate media.
• Experience advising clients in the technology, entertainment, retail, consumer, or broader Fortune 500 sectors.
• Familiarity with financial intelligence platforms and research tools such as Bloomberg, FactSet, AlphaSense, or Capital IQ.
• MBA, CFA, investor relations certification, or related financial communications expertise is a plus.

Burson is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to particular characteristics. We are committed to fostering a culture of respect in which everyone feels they belong and has the same opportunities to progress in their careers.

#LI-MG1

Individual compensation varies based on job-related factors, including location, business needs, level of responsibility, experience, and qualifications. We offer a competitive benefits package; click here for more details: https://mybenefits.wpp.com/public/welcome.

The base salary for this position at the time of this posting may range between:

$75,000-$180,000 USD

You belong at Burson:

Our vision is for Burson to be the leading 'academy company' for creative communications professionals and emerging leaders. We provide a dynamic environment where ambitious colleagues come to elevate their skills, expand their networks, and ultimately, produce the best solutions for today's leading brands. Our commitment to your growth is reflected in our robust benefits and people programs, which include professional development opportunities, mentorship programs with industry leaders, a vibrant and inclusive company culture fostering collaboration and innovation and packages designed to reward and retain top talent. We invest in our people because we believe their success is our success.

At Burson, we're an agency of learn-it-alls. We recognize that the things we do best, creativity and communications, require a level of nuanced understanding. That's why it's imperative for us to hire extraordinarily talented people of all backgrounds and identities. Without that we can't do the essential work of inspiring bold ideas, fostering constructive dialogue, cultivating meaningful experiences, and driving innovation and creativity for our partners. Your unique point of view-your talent-is what makes you a #BursonPerson, and it's how we deliver exceptional results for our clients, together.

We believe the best work happens when we're together, fostering creativity, collaboration, and connection. That's why we've adopted a hybrid approach, with teams in the office around four days a week. If you require accommodations or flexibility, please discuss this with the hiring team during the interview process.