The Role
The role involves providing strategic communications advice, creating communication plans, managing junior colleagues, and contributing to business growth by leveraging insights in frontier tech and science contexts.
Summary Generated by Built In
We are looking for a communications adviser to join our London team who has expertise in frontier tech and innovative science storytelling. This role is designed for people who can bring about 4-7 years relevant experience with a proven track record of translating complex information into compelling narratives for a range of audiences and who are ready to drive exciting work for the most interesting emerging technology companies in the UK.
THE CONSULTANT ROLE
Consultants are the driving force behind our work. They are trusted advisors who are able to shift the reputation of our clients, in line with agreed strategy and priorities. They apply their knowledge and insights to commercial challenges, and will help Milltown Partners continue to innovate in the space of frontier tech and science communications. They drive work across the whole team in a way that makes the most of everyone’s skills and experience, supporting more junior colleagues to develop and deputising for Directors and Partners when required.
A successful candidate in this role will have the ambition, expertise and network that enables them to provide specialist communications advice to our growing frontier tech and science client base across the UK and Europe.
RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE CONSULTANT ROLE
Communications strategy: drawing on deep knowledge of channels and audiences to identify how best to position clients and tell their story
Working with client team leads to set the strategy and priorities for client work
Creating integrated communications plans to guide the execution of the agreed strategy
Applying an understanding of how to deliver client objectives using strategies and tactics to reach target audiences on appropriate channels
Designing and interrogating client asks and designing research briefs to ensure that all advice is underpinned by insights
Tailoring the style and content of advice to meet the needs and expectations of individual clients
Confidently and transparently discussing AI-enhanced work with clients and explaining value-add
Going above and beyond the brief to suggest the most creative solutions
Advising: earning the trust of a variety of clients and providing recommendations that are understood and accepted
Advising in a variety of formats (written or verbal) and choosing the most effective format for the client, at the right time
Producing compelling written content and driving the execution of significant communications moments for clients (e.g. media briefings, speeches, owned channels and events)
Reading a wide breadth of materials, from government consultations to research papers and broader news to understand the issues clients are facing in order to inform our advice
Using research and AI tools (including Factiva, Meltwater, Claude and Gemini) to conduct insight generation, support complex deliverables and enable innovation
Drawing on a deep knowledge of audiences and channels to identify how best to position clients and achieve their communications goals
People Management: supporting the wellbeing of the team and encouraging everyone to perform, learn and develop
Developing project plans for client teams and ensuring work is delivered in a timely and high quality manner
Managing the work of junior colleagues, and supporting their professional development through coaching and mentoring
Encouraging continuous learning and development, including the delegation of tasks and the provision of constructive feedback
Contributing to the business: applying knowledge of how the firm and clients generate revenue to improve the quality of our advice and analysis
Applying knowledge of the commercial context in which clients operate to ensure our advice furthers their business objectives
Understanding how Milltown operates as a business (e.g. team profitability) and beginning to contribute to internal projects
Demonstrating restlessness about spotting growth and development opportunities for the business (e.g. finding new ways to help clients, ways to run teams efficiently or share knowledge internally)
Using personal interests and/or former experience to contribute to the continued growth of the business, both potential new business opportunities and development opportunities for the team
Experimenting with, and implementing AI-powered workflows that improve team efficiency and can be shared more widely
Contributing to a collaborative and inclusive work environment
Giving and receiving regular feedback to individuals at all levels in the firm
Actively seeking input or assistance from others and reflecting their contributions in the work
Demonstrating allyship to all colleagues
Supporting the wellbeing of everyone on the team
Must-have skills and experience
- Excellent command of written and verbal English language
- At least 4 years of communications advisory experience with a focus on frontier tech and/or science companies and issues - ideally in consultancy, Government, or within a technology company or research organisation
- Experience communicating complex, technical scientific concepts to non-technical audiences
- Demonstrable ability to take a strategic approach to assessing communications challenges and opportunities
- Understanding of different audiences and channels that resonate with stakeholders across the R&D ecosystem (including researchers, media, policymakers, civil society)
- Experienced media handler with an ability to drive proactive storytelling, respond to reactive issues and build strong relationships
- Experience building advisory relationships with different stakeholders (including technical teams/engineers) in order to deliver strategic counsel and insight
- Experience of project management, including planning and delivering work against agreed goals, timetable and budget.
- Experience managing a team and pushing work to the appropriate level
- Intellectual curiosity to develop subject matter expertise in new topics, and share that with colleagues
- A highly motivated team member who values collaboration and has a desire to seek out feedback in order to learn and develop
- Commitment to contributing to a supportive and inclusive culture
Desirable skills and experience
- A strong existing network of contacts in science media and/or key opinion formers
- Understanding of the policy and governance issues affecting companies working at the frontier of technology
What we offer in return
- Competitive and fair base salary determined through annual industry benchmarking. Salary bands are transparent internally and backed by a robust compensation philosophy.
- Discretionary twice-yearly bonuses. We want everyone at Milltown to share in our collective success and feel ownership of our growth.
- Professional development opportunities. You will partner with your Development Coach and have access to our programme of internal training, alongside external events and subscriptions to a broad range of content and media.
- iPhone and Apple MacBook
- 26 days annual leave, plus English Public Holidays and Christmas closure, which is in addition to your personal allowance
- 4% employer pension contribution
- Private healthcare insurance with Bupa for yourself and children
- Enhanced paid time off for new parents (for all parents and all routes to welcoming a child)
- An Employee Assistance Programme with 24/7 access to online, phone or face-to-face counselling
- Annual eye test and annual flu jab
- ClassPass membership
- Income Protection insurance
- Death in Service insurance
- 3-day week in the office hybrid policy (Monday, Tuesday & Thursdays mandatory)
- Variety of team events, such as charity socials, external speakers and firm celebrations
ABOUT US
Milltown Partners is a global advisory firm working with influential organisations and individuals on the communications and public policy challenges that define their reputations. We are an Employee Ownership Trust which means that we’re fully independent and will remain so; the people who work here own the company and share in its success. We will continue to do what we've always done: take the long view, build a business aligned to our values, invest in our people and their development, and innovate to improve the quality of our advice by combining our deep sector-specific knowledge and research-driven approach.
Our clients are leaders in their field: groundbreaking technology companies and their founders; global businesses and their CEOs; prominent individuals and renowned institutions. We work with them to understand and manage their political, regulatory and policy challenges and opportunities. Technology and innovation are at the heart of our business and problem-solving approach, and we root our strategies in data insights and research on the audiences that matter, messages that work, and communications channels that deliver.
DIVERSITY, EQUALITY & INCLUSION AT MILLTOWN
Creating a diverse, equitable and inclusive environment is core to our values, culture and success as an employee owned business. We want to empower everyone in the team to share their best thinking and ideas, feel valued and know they are having an impact and belong in the business, regardless of their background, age, gender, race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation or disability. We have an ambitious DEI programme managed by a global leadership team of volunteers with three global company commitments to: improve representation of minority groups, enhance everyone's sense of inclusion and support underrepresented communities through pro bono work. Underpinning these commitments is a focus on what it means to have a DEI culture and how to measure that in our approach to growth, attracting talent and the impact of our work for clients.
Top Skills
Ai Tools
Claude
Factiva
Gemini
Meltwater
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The Company
What We Do
Milltown Partners is a global advisory firm working with influential organisations and individuals on the communications and public policy challenges that define their reputations.
Our clients are leaders in their field: groundbreaking technology companies and their founders; global businesses and their CEOs; prominent individuals and renowned institutions. Technology and innovation are at the heart of our business and problem-solving approach, and we root our strategies in data insights and research on the audiences that matter, messages that work, and communications channels that deliver.
We work as one team to ensure our clients can draw on our collective experience. The advice of our teams in London, Brussels, Dublin, San Francisco and New York is informed by everyone from our accomplished analysts to the founding partners, including leaders who have joined us from respected advisory firms as well as senior positions at Google, WhatsApp, The Royal Household, Uber, the British Government, Airbnb, the Financial Times, Manchester United or the BBC.
By combining our breadth of experience, deep sector-specific knowledge and a research-driven approach, we help our clients analyse and solve their most important communications challenges.
We are an Employee Ownership Trust. The people that work here own the company and share in its success. We're fully independent and will remain so. That means we can continue to do what we've always done: take the long view, build a business aligned to our values, invest in our people and their development, and innovate to improve the quality of our advice.
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