Sr Vice President / Director, Crisis & Risk

Edelman is a voice synonymous with trust, reimagining a future where the currency of communication is action. Our culture thrives on three promises: boldness is possibility, empathy is progress, and curiosity is momentum. 

At Edelman, we understand diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) transform our colleagues, our company, our clients, and our communities. We are in relentless pursuit of an equitable and inspiring workplace that is respectful of all, reflects and represents the world in which we live, and fosters trust, collaboration and belonging.

Edelman is looking for a Senior Director to join our award-winning Crisis & Risk team in London – the global Centre of Excellence for Edelman’s crisis communications capability. This is a high-impact role at the heart of Edelman’s global crisis network, offering the opportunity to counsel leading global corporations, brands, and institutions through reputational challenges that matter.

Whether it's digital disinformation, marketing missteps, societal issues, litigation, executive transitions, cyber incidents or geopolitical events — our clients trust us to guide them through high-stakes moments with confidence, clarity, and compassion.
 

You’ll play a critical leadership role within our UK team, with direct responsibility for:

• Strategic Client Counsel: Serve as a senior advisor to C-suite leaders, boards, and corporate affairs teams, delivering sharp, forward-looking guidance in high-pressure scenarios.

• End-to-End Crisis Engagements: Lead issue identification, risk audits, scenario planning, stakeholder mapping, and live incident response across sectors and geographies.

• Brand Guardian Offer: Help evolve and grow Edelman’s proprietary Brand Guardian offer – our approach to supporting high-profile consumer brands with proactive and reactive risk management.

• Digital & Disinformation Expertise: Design and oversee digital-first crisis response strategies, including social media escalation, misinformation management, and integration of Edelman’s Counter Disinformation Unit (CDU).

• Media Handling: Oversee the development and approval of public statements, Q&A documents, and media responses for fast-moving, sensitive issues. Where needed, engage directly with journalists to shape the narrative.

• Training & Capability Building: Lead the design and delivery of executive training sessions, live simulations, and scenario-based workshops for global clients.

• Team Leadership: Mentor and develop junior colleagues, helping to build a high-performing, inclusive team that values creativity, collaboration, and curiosity.

• Commercial Growth: Drive business development in the UK and across EMEA, contributing to proposals, pitch strategy, IP development, and client expansion.
   

• Extensive experience in crisis communications, reputation management, or strategic advisory roles – preferably within a global consultancy or in-house corporate affairs function.

• Proven experience advising multinational brands – especially consumer-facing organisations – on complex, evolving issues such as societal risk, sustainability, marketing ethics, or brand safety.

• Deep understanding of the media landscape, digital risk, and stakeholder dynamics across regulators, consumers, employees, and shareholders.

• Demonstrated ability to work with senior leaders under pressure, providing calm, clear and courageous counsel.

• Experience developing and leading training programmes and internal crisis readiness strategies.

• Commercial acumen and ability to contribute to the growth of the business via new client acquisition, client retention and cross-sell of Edelman capabilities.

• Inclusive leadership style with a commitment to coaching and team development.

• Skilled communicator with excellent writing, presentation, and facilitation skills.
   

You’ll report into Edelman’s Managing Director, Crisis & Risk EMEA, working closely with peers across Edelman’s integrated practices – including Corporate Reputation, Public Affairs, Employee Experience, Digital, Creative, and our award-winning Trust and DXI insights teams. This role will also collaborate with our global network of 180+ crisis professionals across 60+ markets.

You’ll be part of a close-knit, high-performing team that works hard, supports each other, and shares a common goal: to help clients protect trust, do the right thing, and act with integrity — even in the most challenging situations.
 

Edelman is the world’s largest independent communications agency, driven by a belief in the power of trust and a commitment to meaningful impact. Our clients count on us to guide them through transformation — and we count on our people to challenge convention, think boldly, and collaborate across borders and disciplines.

We offer:

• A global platform with local autonomy

• Access to Edelman IP, including our annual Trust Barometer

• Inclusive leadership, learning, and coaching

• Opportunities for global secondments and cross-market collaboration

• A hybrid, flexible working environment

• A culture of transparency, creativity, and purpose
   

We are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your experience doesn’t perfectly align with every qualification, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.