Pulse is Africa’s leading innovative media company, informing and engaging Africa’s young audience - and providing expansive media reach and creative marketing solutions to partners. We run news websites and social channels and marketing and production across Francophone and Anglophone West Africa and East Africa.
We are recruiting to fill the position below: Job Title: Senior PR Lead & Strategic Communications Manager
Location: Maryland - Lagos Employment Type: Full-time
Responsibilities Strategic Communications Advisory (Global Scope):
Executive Positioning & Advisory: Provide C-suite strategic counsel to group principals and investment leadership on key messaging, narrative positioning and risk mitigation.
Executive Visibility: Curate and secure 2 to 4 high-value global speaking and thought leadership engagements per quarter for group executives, overseeing prep briefs, messaging and post-event media amplification.
Owned Channel Governance: Maintain consistent, high-impact positioning across corporate websites and executive social platforms (specifically LinkedIn).
Earned & Paid Media Leadership: Shift client presence from announcement-heavy news to authoritative commentary and standing thought leadership across top global and regional outlets.
Crisis & Reputation Management: Establish and maintain a proactive crisis posture in coordination with legal and corporate governance teams, daily tracking developments and preparing spokespeople.
Pan-African Media & Editorial Execution:
Multi-Market Campaign Delivery: Execute the end-to-end editorial pipeline for brand launches, partnerships, platform entries and senior hires across 12 key African markets (including Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, DRC, Francophone Africa and others).
High-Impact Placements: Deliver 10 to 15 authoritative stories or features per quarter across regional business, tech and sports platforms, prioritizing message quality and relevance over low-value volume.
Broadcast Engagement: Secure at least 2 meaningful broadcast opportunities per quarter across respected national or continental news networks.
Localized Adaptation: Translate and tailor press materials into market-relevant formats (including managing Francophone market translation where required).
Dedicated South Africa Workstream Oversight:
Local Operations Coordination: Direct and align with an on-the-ground South Africa PR resource through weekly alignment calls to drive local execution.
Targeted Media & Broadcast: Secure monthly editorial mentions across authoritative South African news, business, and cultural platforms, along with a dedicated broadcast presence.
Digital & AI Discoverability: Optimize digital PR strategies to ensure strong search engine and AI-assistant discoverability via high-authority media mentions.
Ecosystem Building: Document existing industry relationships and strategically expand networks across regional sports, entertainment, technology and cultural sectors.
Governance, Reporting & Scope Management:
Operating Cadence: Chair 1 weekly communications strategy call with group leadership and principals; lead 1 weekly Africa delivery call with local market teams; lead 1 weekly dedicated South Africa operational call.
Performance Reporting: Produce comprehensive monthly reports that clearly separate Advisory Metrics (reputation, access, presence) from Execution Metrics (reach, sentiment, share of voice, broadcast hits).
Commercial Scope Protection: Actively manage account economics by distinguishing recurring advisory scope from out-of-scope project work (e.g., paid syndication, influencer activations, white papers, physical tours) and scoping them separately.
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Client Trust & Retention: Quality and timeliness of strategic counsel provided to C-suite principals.
Editorial Commitments: Achievement of 10–15 quarterly top-tier features and at least 2 continental broadcast features.
South Africa Market Delivery: Consistent monthly placements, broadcast hits and weekly delivery rhythm.
Risk & Escalation Efficiency: Speed and accuracy in detecting, escalating and mitigating potential reputational risks.
Scope & Commercial Discipline: Effective resource coordination and identification of expanded project scopes.
Requirements
Experience: 7+ years in senior PR, corporate communications, or agency account management, with a track record of driving pan-African media strategies.
Media Network: Established relationships across tier-one African media platforms, broadcast houses, and editorial leads (with strong West, East and South African market familiarity).
Strategic Judgement: Proven discretion and confidence working directly with senior investment principals, C-suite executives, and reputationally sensitive topics.
Digital Literacy: Familiarity with digital media analytics, sentiment monitoring, share-of-voice tracking, and search/AI-driven discoverability dynamics.
Languages: Full professional fluency in English (written and verbal) required. Working knowledge or fluency in French is highly advantageous for Francophone market coordination.
What We Offer
Competitive salary based on experience
Hybrid work options
Health Insurance Cover
Group Life Insurance cover
Contributory Pension Scheme
Annual Bonus
Telecommunication allowance