Director, Public Affairs | Strategic Communications

FTI Consulting; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 1,200,000 - 2,000,000; Full time

Job summary

FTI Consulting in Johannesburg is seeking a Director for its Public Affairs practice to lead day-to-day client delivery, advise executives, and manage high-stakes engagements across regulatory and reputational issues.

You will work with senior leadership to grow the practice, develop strategic campaigns with government stakeholders, and mentor junior staff while expanding relationships across clients and partners in Africa.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Political Science, Law, Economics, International Relations or related field.
• Demonstrable substantive experience in public affairs, government relations, or strategic communications.
• Strong, current knowledge of South Africa's political economy, national and provincial government processes, regulatory bodies, and the media.
• Demonstrable experience managing client engagements and contributing to new business efforts.
• A growing network across government, business, civil society, and media.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication, with the ability to engage at executive level.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a senior day-to-day advisor on complex public affairs mandates under practice leadership.
• Support senior leadership in advising client executives and government stakeholders.
• Design and execute integrated campaigns across policy engagement, media, and stakeholder coalitions.
• Translate political and regulatory developments into actionable strategic advice.
• Lead components of client proposals and RFP responses.
• Develop trusted relationships and grow existing client accounts.
• Coach and mentor junior staff and ensure output quality.
• Collaborate across FTI's global network on multi-market engagements.

Skills

Public affairs expertise

Client advisory

Government relations

Strategic communications

Networking across sectors

Executive communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Political Science, Law, Economics, International Relations or related field

Advanced degree preferred

Job description

Who We Are

FTI Consulting is the leading global expert firm for organizations facing crisis and transformation. We work with many of the world’s top multinational corporations, law firms, banks and private equity firms on their most important issues to deliver impact that makes a difference. From resolving disputes, navigating crises, managing risk and optimizing performance, our teams respond rapidly to dynamic and complex situations.

At FTI Consulting, you’ll work side-by-side with leaders who have shaped history, helping solve the biggest challenges making headlines today. From day one, you’ll be an integral part of a focused team where you can make a real impact. You’ll be surrounded by an open, collaborative culture that embraces diversity, recognition, professional development and, most importantly, you.

About The Role

We are seeking a Director for our Public Affairs practice in South Africa. This role offers a strong platform of active clients and mandates in motion, alongside a high-performing team already in place. Working closely with practice leadership, the successful candidate will take day-to-day ownership of client relationships, manage complex engagements, and contribute to the practice's continued growth.

You will support senior leadership in advising client executives and government stakeholders on regulatory, reputational, and policy issues — applying strong fluency in South Africa's political economy to deliver clear commercial and strategic outcomes for clients. That fluency spans the business–government interface, policy architecture, parliamentary and regulatory processes, and Tier 1 media.

As a senior team member within FTI's South Africa practice, you will take ownership of day-to-day client delivery while building your profile as a public affairs practitioner and developing towards broader commercial and strategic responsibility.

The position will be filled in line with FTI Consulting's culture, values and Employment Equity policy and plan.

What You’ll Do

Client Advisory

• Serve as a senior day-to-day advisor on complex public affairs mandates, working under the direction of practice leadership on policy advocacy, government relations, reputational risk, and crisis response
• Support senior leadership in providing counsel to client executives and senior government stakeholders
• Contribute to the design and execution of integrated campaigns across policy engagement, media, and stakeholder coalitions
• Translate political and regulatory developments into actionable strategic advice

Business leadership

• Participate in new business pursuits, including leading components of client proposals and RFP responses
• Contribute to profitable account management and identify opportunities to organically grow existing client relationships
• Contribute to FTI's presence in market-facing forums, media, and thought leadership platforms
• Own daily client interactions and proactively develop trusted relationships

Team involvement

• Coach and mentor junior staff, conveying clear expectations and assimilating team members to deliver quality client work
• Ensure quality and consistency across outputs
• Collaborate across FTI's global network on multi-market engagements

How You’ll Grow

We are committed to investing and supporting you in your professional development and we have developed a range of programs focused on fostering leadership, growth and development opportunities. We aim to promote continuous learning and individual skills development through on-the-job learning, self-guided professional development courses and certifications. You’ll be assigned a dedicated coach to mentor, guide and support you through regular coaching sessions and serve as an advocate for your professional growth.

As you progress through your career at FTI Consulting, we offer tailored programs for critical professional milestones to ensure you are prepared and empowered to take on your next role.

Basic Qualifications

What You Will Need to Succeed

• Bachelor's degree in Political Science, Law, Economics, International Relations or related field; advanced degree preferred
• Demonstrable substantive experience in public affairs, government relations, or strategic communications, with a track record of managing complex client engagements
• Strong, current knowledge of South Africa's political economy, national and provincial government processes, key regulatory bodies, the transformation policy landscape, and the media environment
• Demonstrable experience managing client engagements and contributing to new business efforts
• A growing network across government, business, civil society, and media
• Exceptional written and verbal communication, with the ability to engage at executive level

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior consulting or advisory firm experience, with exposure to business development processes
• Familiarity with African markets beyond South Africa, particularly in the context of investment, infrastructure, or policy advisory
• Emerging thought leadership presence, published commentary, speaking engagements, or sector recognition

FTI Consulting is committed to Employment Equity and as such, preference will be given to candidates from designated groups, as defined in the Employment Equity Act, 55 of 1998.