Director, Public Affairs

The Opportunity

Teneo is seeking a high-calibre Director to join our team in Berlin. This is a senior, client-facing role for an experienced Public Affairs Director advisor. The successful candidate will bring a strong network across German blue-chip companies and listed businesses.

Role Overview

As a Senior Managing Director in Teneo Strategy & Communications business in Europe, you will be responsible for building trusted senior client relationships, developing new revenue opportunities, leading complex client mandates and contributing to the growth and reputation of the business.

Based in Munich or Frankfurt, you will work closely with Teneo colleagues across Europe and the global network to deliver integrated advice to clients. This will include collaboration with specialists in corporate reputation, crisis preparedness and response, public affairs, geopolitics, management consulting, risk advisory, people advisory, sustainability, digital and creative campaigning.

This role requires both strategic advisory excellence and a strong commercial mindset. The successful candidate will be expected to bring market credibility, senior relationships, origination capability and the ability to lead multidisciplinary teams through complex, high-profile and often sensitive client situations.

Key Responsibilities

Business Development and Market Growth

• Drive the growth of Teneo Europe’s Corporate and Crisis Communications business from Germany by originating, winning and leading high-value client engagements.
• Leverage an established network of senior relationships across German corporates and major organisations.
• Identify and convert new business opportunities across corporate communications, corporate reputation, issues management, crisis preparedness and response, and special situations.
• Help position Teneo as a premier corporate and crisis communications adviser in Germany and the wider European region.

Senior Client Counsel

• Act as trusted adviser to CEOs, supervisory and management boards, senior executives and communications and corporate affairs directors.
• Provide senior strategic counsel on corporate narrative, reputation, stakeholder engagement, issues management and crisis preparedness.
• Advise clients on how to communicate effectively with employees, media, government, regulators, customers, investors, partners and other key stakeholders.
• Bring judgement, discretion and confidence to high-pressure situations involving complex stakeholder dynamics, significant public scrutiny and reputational risk.

Corporate Communications and Crisis Situations

• Lead communications strategies around major corporate events, business transformation, leadership change, restructuring, litigation, regulatory scrutiny, operational incidents, cyber incidents, activism and other significant or sensitive situations.
• Advise clients on crisis preparedness, scenario planning, crisis governance, response strategies, messaging and stakeholder engagement.
• Work closely with legal advisers, public affairs teams, risk specialists, management consultants and other advisers to ensure communications strategies are aligned with broader business objectives and stakeholder considerations.
• Provide senior leadership in fast-moving and high-pressure situations involving intense scrutiny, competing stakeholder expectations and significant reputational risk.

Media, Reputation and Stakeholder Management

• Develop and execute media strategies involving German, European and international business, corporate and national media.
• Advise clients on reputation management, corporate positioning, proactive storytelling, executive positioning, crisis situations and complex issues.
• Help organisations build and protect trust with their most important stakeholders through clear, credible and consistent communications.
• Provide senior counsel on emerging reputational risks, stakeholder expectations and issues that may affect corporate licence to operate.

Skills and Experience

The successful candidate will bring:

• A strong track record in corporate communications, corporate reputation, crisis communications, issues management, strategic communications, corporate affairs or a related field.
• Significant senior-level experience, likely 15+ years, gained in an advisory firm, major corporation, consultancy, corporate affairs function, communications agency or other relevant environment.
• A proven record of originating and winning major client mandates.
• Deep understanding of the German corporate landscape, media environment, stakeholder expectations, reputational dynamics and the issues facing major businesses and their leaders.
• Strong experience advising CEOs, boards, senior executives and communications and corporate affairs leaders.
• Demonstrable experience in one or more of the following: corporate reputation, crisis preparedness and response, issues management, business transformation, leadership transitions, litigation and regulatory communications, activism, restructuring, cyber incidents or other special situations.
• An established senior network across German corporates, business leaders, communications and corporate affairs professionals, advisers, policymakers and media.
• Strong commercial judgement, including experience managing revenue, profitability, forecasting and client growth.
• The ability to lead complex, multidisciplinary teams and deliver high-quality work in demanding and high-pressure situations.
• Significant senior-level experience, likely, 15+ years, gained in an advisory firm, listed company, financial institution, investor relations function, consultancy or other relevant environment.
• A proven record of originating and winning major client mandates.

About Teneo

Teneo is the global CEO advisory firm. We partner with our clients globally to do great things for a better future.

Drawing upon our global team and expansive network of senior advisors, we provide advisory services across our five business segments on a stand-alone or fully integrated basis to help our clients solve complex business challenges. Our clients include a significant number of the Fortune 100 and FTSE 100, as well as other corporations, financial institutions, and organizations.

Our full range of advisory services includes strategic communications, investor relations, financial transactions and restructuring, management consulting, physical and cyber risk, organizational design, board and executive search, geopolitics and government affairs, corporate governance, ESG and DE&I.

The firm has more than 2,000 employees located in 50+ offices around the world.