Senior Director, M&A and Activism Communications

We are currently looking for a Senior Director to join our M&A, Activism and Governance team. The Senior Director will be expected to develop and execute client engagements related to friendly and hostile M&A, IPOs, spin-offs, strategic partnerships, joint ventures, activism defense preparation, proxy contests, short attacks, ESG activism and shareholder proposals, among other special situations.

The practice engages with all FTI Strategic Communications offerings, so the individual will be expected to have an interest in cross-stakeholder communications and be able to work collaboratively across practices.

The individual will work with a team to service and advise clients and will have comfort advising senior level clients (e.g. head of communications, head of investors relations). The individual will also participate in new business development initiatives including directly pitching engagements as well as networking among potential referral sources.

The individual will be a key part of developing the practice and will be expected to support the marketing of the practice internally and externally, development of best practices, further recruitment of new team members and setting a culture for the team.

- Have a thorough understanding of each client's business, market, investment thesis, culture and communications practices across IR, PR and Public Affairs

- Serve as a lead project manager on high intensity, fast moving situations with an ability to coordinate across functional areas (PR, IR, digital, public affairs, global regions, etc.) keeping account leads, clients and the broader team aware of deliverables, strategy and timelines

- Write and revise a range of key documents such as strategy memos, multi-stakeholder communications, social media copy, press releases and investor presentations

- Engage with sell-side analysts and investors on behalf of clients, as directed

- Collaborate with equivalent practitioners from legal, financial and proxy advisers

- Perform detailed and accurate research to underpin all client projects and deliverables as well as develop and deliver best practice policies and programs.

- Work with colleagues in other practices to ensure the execution of a cohesive, multi-disciplinary communications program

- Support the development of the practice itself by being an enthusiastic partner, staying up to speed on emerging best practices, demonstrating creativity in how the team can evolve and helping the team stay informed on competitor activity

- Develop professional networking relationships with corporate management teams, investment bankers and specialized law firms to drive new business opportunities for FTI

- Work with colleagues to produce business pitch materials, create tailored sales presentations and attend new business pitches

- Take an active role in new business meetings as part of the preliminary pitch team

- Identify opportunities and proactively initiate efforts to market the practice through thought leadership, research, prospecting or networking

- 5+ years of relevant post-graduate professional experience

- Ability to travel to clients and to FTI office(s) as needed

- Agency background with a focus on capital markets, corporate communications or investor relations, strongly preferred

- Excellent written and oral presentation skills - both in a large group and smaller meetings

- Proven advanced writing skills, particularly with complex documents and persuasive messaging such as proposals, press releases, op-eds, research reports, etc.

- Ability to concisely articulate and competently support a company's core narrative

- Analytical skills to identify and diagnose key issues, misperceptions and factors impacting a company's perception (valuation, governance, reputation) as well as the communications solutions to fix/mitigate them

- Ability to learn new concepts quickly and possess a service-oriented attitude

- Demonstrated history of project management during a major corporate event

- Developed ability to multi-task across client programs, firm initiatives and sales opportunities

- Ability to recognize, explore and use a broad range of ideas and practices, thinking logically and creatively without influence from personal bias

- Capacity to adjust behavior to meet client needs and personalities and to establish positive relationships with a wide variety of individuals both internally and externally

- Ability to execute a project from concept to conclusion and assist with managing all levels of employees, including support staff, peers and senior managers

- Ability to effectively utilize AI tools to enhance productivity