Brand Communications & KOL Partnerships Manager

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Job Description

About the Role

We are looking for a commercially minded and strategically driven Brand Communications & KOL Partnerships Manager to lead our influencer, creator, celebrity, and PR talent ecosystem end-to-end.

Sitting at the intersection of Category, Communications, and Purchasing, this role combines brand strategy, communications excellence, relationship management, reputation stewardship, and commercial negotiation to build high-impact partnerships that drive both brand growth and business results.

As the internal owner of KOL and PR talent partnerships, you will be responsible for building a sustainable creator ecosystem, managing strategic talent relationships, and ensuring all partnerships are aligned with brand objectives, governance standards, and reputation management requirements. You will also serve as a steward of brand reputation, ensuring every partnership strengthens brand equity, protects consumer trust, and meets the highest standards of compliance and responsible communications.

This is an opportunity for someone who thrives in both strategy and execution, and who understands that the most valuable partnerships are not simply the most visible, but the ones that create meaningful impact for consumers, brands, and business growth.

What You'll Own

KOL & Talent Strategy

• Develop and lead KOL, influencer, and talent strategies that support brand, communication, and business objectives.
• Identify, source, and cultivate relationships with relevant KOLs, creators, celebrities, agencies, and talent managers.
• Build and maintain a diverse and future-ready creator ecosystem aligned with brand growth ambitions.
• Stay ahead of emerging trends, talent movements, audience behaviors, and market dynamics within the influencer landscape.

End-to-End KOL Partnership Management

Own the complete KOL partnership lifecycle:

Identification → Evaluation → Outreach → Negotiation → Contracting → Briefing → Execution → Measurement → Optimization

• Lead talent selection and partnership development from concept through execution.
• Build long-term strategic relationships with key talent partners and agencies.
• Ensure every partnership delivers against communication objectives, commercial expectations, and brand standards.
• Establish scalable ways of working and governance processes across the KOL ecosystem.

Brand Reputation & Communications Stewardship

• Own brand reputation and brand safety across all influencer, creator, and talent partnerships.
• Evaluate and approve partnerships based on brand fit, audience quality, values alignment, and reputational risk.
• Ensure all KOL activities comply with brand guidelines, governance requirements, industry regulations, and responsible communication practices.
• Partner closely with Communications and Corporate Affairs teams to maintain alignment with reputation and stakeholder priorities.
• Lead risk monitoring, issue management, and cross-functional escalation processes to protect consumer trust and brand equity.

Commercial & Negotiation Leadership

• Lead negotiations with talent, agencies, and representatives, balancing relationship management with strong commercial discipline.
• Partner closely with Purchasing to secure competitive commercial terms and drive investment efficiency.
• Negotiate talent fees, deliverables, exclusivity requirements, content rights, usage rights, amplification opportunities, and partnership structures.
• Challenge proposals constructively to maximize value while maintaining strong and sustainable relationships.
• Drive governance, transparency, and accountability across all talent investments.

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Partner closely with Category teams to translate business priorities into talent and creator strategies.
• Collaborate with Communications teams to maximize earned, owned, and social-impact opportunities.
• Work with Purchasing teams to ensure commercial excellence, contracting compliance, and investment optimization.
• Act as the connective point between Category, Communications, and Purchasing to create a seamless and best-in-class KOL operating model.
• Influence senior stakeholders through insights, recommendations, and performance-driven decision making.

Execution, Measurement & Performance

• Lead campaign execution from briefing and content development through publishing, amplification, and campaign closeout.
• Define success metrics and establish performance frameworks across influencer partnerships.
• Track, evaluate, and optimize KOL performance, effectiveness, and ROI.
• Build robust evaluation models that assess:
  • Brand fit
  • Audience quality
  • Reach and influence
  • Engagement
  • Content effectiveness
  • Business impact
  • Commercial value
• Translate learnings into stronger partnership strategies and investment decisions.

Who We're Looking For

• Significant experience in Brand Communications, PR, Influencer Marketing, KOL Partnerships, Talent Management, Brand Reputation, or related fields.
• Deep understanding of the influencer, creator, and media landscape, with a strong network of industry relationships.
• Proven track record managing complex partnerships and negotiating high-value talent agreements.
• Strong commercial acumen with experience managing significant marketing or partnership investments.
• Experience working across multiple stakeholder groups, particularly Category, Communications, Procurement/Purchasing, and external agencies.
• Strong understanding of brand governance, reputation management, risk mitigation, and responsible communications.
• Highly relationship-oriented, with the confidence and influence to negotiate effectively and challenge constructively when required.
• Strategic thinker with exceptional executional rigor and attention to detail.
• Comfortable operating with autonomy while managing multiple workstreams and stakeholders.
• Analytical and performance-driven, leveraging data and insights to inform talent decisions and investment choices.

Job Qualifications

A communications leader with a commercial mindset, a strong industry network, and a passion for building partnerships that drive meaningful business and brand impact.

Someone who can serve as the organization's KOL and PR powerhouse—bringing together strategic thinking, reputation stewardship, relationship leadership, and commercial excellence to identify the right talent, secure the right partnerships, and deliver measurable results from start to finish.

Most importantly, someone who understands that great partnerships are not about who is the most famous, but who is the most credible, relevant, and impactful partner for the brand—and how to unlock maximum value from every relationship.

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