Executive Director - Public Relations

Overview

Key Responsibilities

• Architect and scale a high-performing, multi-functional PR team across consumer, corporate, government, and emerging practice areas.
• Build a culture of ownership, collaboration, and excellence — with clear structures, accountability, and genuine career development.
• Own senior client relationships as a trusted strategic advisor; develop holistic, insight-led communications strategies that address real business challenges.
• Lead high-value pitches with world-class storytelling and presence — and grow accounts through expanded scope and cross-sell.
• Own the P&L with full accountability for revenue, gross profit, utilisation, and margin discipline across all accounts.
• Drive new business development and market expansion through thought leadership, strategic partnerships, and agency positioning.
• Collaborate proactively with advertising, social, media, events, and experience teams — bringing PR thinking into integrated planning and elevating collective client outcomes.
• Embed AI, data intelligence, and next-generation tools into the PR offering to drive measurable impact and operational efficiency.
• Bring cultural intelligence and genuine understanding of the political, governmental, and commercial landscape of the Middle East to every client relationship and programme.
• Who you are:
• An experienced, ambitious communications leader — energised by the challenge of building something great.
• You have done this before, you know what good looks like, and you know how to get there.
• A builder: You have built multi-functional PR practices before and are looking for the right platform to do it again at wider scale.
• Full-spectrum practitioner: Real, hands-on experience across consumer, corporate, government, and crisis communications.
• Strategic advisor: You think in systems, not just campaigns — translating client complexity into communications strategy that moves the dial.
• Storyteller & dealmaker: Exceptional narrative instinct and the presence to command a pitch room; your proposals are compelling and impossible to ignore.

Qualifications & Skills

• 15+ years in PR and communications, with significant senior leadership experience in an agency environment
• Proven track record of building and scaling multi-functional PR teams across practice areas
• Broad sector experience: consumer, corporate, and government/public sector; crisis management a strong advantage
• Full P&L ownership with strong understanding of agency commercial models and profitability drivers
• Exceptional new business and pitch credentials — a natural storyteller who wins in the room
• Experience within integrated agency structures, collaborating across advertising, social, media, events, and experience disciplines
• Deep understanding of the Middle East market; Arabic–English bilingual capability preferred but not essential
• At Viola Communications, we pride ourselves on serving clients from diverse backgrounds and with a vast range of experiences.
• We are dedicated to fostering a team of exceptional individuals who bring unique perspectives created by their different life paths.
• With representation from over 20 nationalities across our business units, we are an Equal Opportunity Employer that values and cultivates cultural diversity among our employees.
• We recognize and appreciate the exceptional strengths and experiences that each person brings, and we believe that by embracing differences, we can inspire and generate remarkable ideas collectively.
• Our commitment to diversity and inclusion not only aligns with our moral compass but also reinforces Viola's strength as a whole.
• *We appreciate all applications received.
• Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.*