Summary
The Public Affairs Programs and Protocol Manager is responsible for the strategic development, ownership, and execution of Public Affairs programs, high-level stakeholder engagements, and protocol activities.Job description
The role combines program leadership, government and institutional relationship management, executive engagement planning, partnership development, financial oversight, and content-driven Public Affairs initiatives. It supports the Company and Corporate Solutions Government Affairs (CSGA) business, operational and reputational objectives by creating engagement platforms such as events and roundtables, identifying strategic opportunities, and ensuring the professional management of senior government, institutional, diplomatic, and public affairs interactions.
RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES
Lead Public Affairs programs and initiatives aligned with CSGA and business goals.
Own Public Affairs programs, driving strategy, execution, engagement, and impact.
Build institutional partnerships and strengthen ESET’s public sector presence.
Develop opportunities in cyber policy, resilience, education, defense, and cross-sector cooperation.
Gather and analyze stakeholder input to support CSGA strategies and initiatives.
Measure program effectiveness and provide recommendations for improvement.
Ensure alignment of CSGA activities with company priorities and objectives.
Deliver engagement activities, including roundtables, workshops, and expert dialogues.
Oversee planning, logistics, communications, and protocol for key CSGA events.
Develop Public Affairs initiatives that enhance positioning, visibility, and stakeholder engagement.
Manage protocol for government, diplomatic, and high-level stakeholder engagements.
Prepare briefing materials for senior leadership meetings and external engagements.
Coordinate relations with government, institutional, and diplomatic stakeholders.
Identify and develop strategic partnerships and sponsorship opportunities.
Manage partnership and sponsorship activities from planning to evaluation.
Oversee budgeting, resource allocation, and financial management of CSGA activities.
Ensure compliance with internal policies, processes, and procurement requirements.
Coordinate and prioritize team activities to achieve business objectives.
OUR REQUIREMENTS
Education:
Master’s degree or equivalent experience, preferred European Studies, Political Science or International Relations
Experience:
8 years optimum ( 5 years minimum) in related field
Experience of working in or with government institutions,
Direct practical experience of protocol in a government setting.
Proven experience of public affairs project and programs management
Knowledge:
Excellent analytical, communication and presentation skills
Experience with online tools such as website event management and registration tools, analytics and data management
Experience of working with sensitive/confidential data related to government agencies
Experience of medium to large-scale program execution, e.g. international large scale events, global project coordination and multi stakeholder project coordination
Knowledge of government/public sector and particularly EU institutions, their functions and interactions
Excellent organization and coordination skills
Experience with protocol involving high level government officials – e.g. Ambassadors, presidents and senior ministers
Understanding of geopolitical situation, cultural sensitivities and potential sources of political issues in dealing with Government agencies/public sector
Language:
English – Fluent in written and spoken,
Native or Professional proficiency in Slovak/Czech.
French – Working business familiarity preferred
Other European languages an advantage
Communication:
Exceptional written skills, and ability to communicate professionally in English (or relevant other language where necessary) to high-ranking public officials and their offices, including understanding of protocol address, cultural sensitivities and methods of address.
Excellent grammar, vocabulary and reading comprehension in English language
Excellent spoken communication skills
Excellent negotiation and relationship management.
High-level of project management skills.
Professional presenting skills.
High-level of assertiveness where necessary but always maintaining polite and professional communications
Personal characteristics:
Solution-oriented mind-set
Well organized and results oriented
Flexibility and adaptability to changes
Ability to work well in a fast-paced, collaborative environment with colleagues and others from many cultures and backgrounds
Ability to work independently and reliably
Patience, perseverance, and drive for excellence
Creativity with ability to perform analytical thinking
Critical thinking - challenging the ""status quo""
Strategic thinking and “in context” thinking
Healthy self-confidence
High level of assertiveness and ability to teach
Strong self-awareness and openness to constructive feedback
Basic wage component (brutto): from 2 700 EUR/m. (brutto)
* The final basic wage component can be increased accordingly to individual skills and experience of the selected candidate.
* Performance bonus 2 times per year up to 15% of the basic salary paid for the evaluation period(usually 6 months).
#LI-DNI
Benefits
Health & well-being- BenefitPlus
- Healthcare (check-ups/annual programs)
- Multisport card
- Travel card "električenka"
- Supplementary pension saving
- Sick days
- Marriage allowance
- Childbirth allowance
- Parental contribution
- ESET family events (Family day, St.Nicholas)
- Refreshments in the office (fruits, coffee, soft drinks)
- Let´s get together breakfast
- Activity room, quiet room
- ESET events (Žranica, Christmas party..), teambuildings
- Loyalty allowance
- Loyalty extra days off
- Loyalty cake
- Loyalty glass award
- Refer a friend
- Christmas presents
- Discounts from external providers
Primary location
BratislavaAdditional locations
Time type
Full timeSkills Required
- Master's degree or equivalent (European Studies, Political Science, International Relations)
- Minimum 5 years experience in related field
- Optimum 8 years experience in related field
- Experience working in or with government institutions
- Direct practical experience of protocol in a government setting
- Proven experience in public affairs project and programs management
- Experience with website event management and registration tools, analytics and data management
- Experience handling sensitive/confidential data related to government agencies
- Experience executing medium to large-scale international programs and multi-stakeholder projects
- Knowledge of government/public sector and EU institutions, their functions and interactions
- Experience with protocol involving high-level government officials (Ambassadors, presidents, senior ministers)
- English - Fluent in written and spoken
- Native or Professional proficiency in Slovak or Czech
- French - Working/business familiarity
- Excellent analytical, communication, presentation, negotiation and relationship management skills
- High-level project management and professional presenting skills
- Budgeting, resource allocation and financial management of programs
- Ability to work independently, adapt, and operate in a fast-paced multicultural environment
ESET Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about ESET and has not been reviewed or approved by ESET.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Time off is viewed as strong, with added days off and vacation/PTO described positively. Policies around PTO appear to contribute meaningfully to overall value.
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Parental & Family Support — Parental benefits are highlighted as supportive, with enhanced parental leave referenced in multiple regions. This area is frequently cited as a standout element of the package.
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Flexible Benefits — Flexible work options such as hybrid schedules and flexible hours are emphasized and appear to be widely appreciated. Work-from-home flexibility is repeatedly highlighted as a strength.
ESET Insights
What We Do
For more than 30 years we have been here helping to watch over and protect progress. Over a billion users worldwide rely upon ESET’s solutions to stay secure from increasingly sophisticated digital threats. ESET´s award-winning IT security software and services provide protection in over 200 countries and territories worldwide, with its software localized into more than 30 languages. Meanwhile, the world continues to move forward at pace. When ESET was founded, the Internet was in its infancy. Now technology is part of everything we do and is central to the continued advancements in our society. Most of the time technology does just what it is supposed to, but in order to ensure continued progress in the digital age we need someone to question what’s going on in the background. And that’s why we are here – to continue protecting technology from threats, enabling everyone to fully embrace it’s potential and rely on it. Put simply - when technology enables progress, ESET is here to protect it. ESET - Progress. Protected. Visit www.eset.com to learn more
