Blakeney is looking for a Director to play a leading role in our Public Affairs practice as it enters its next phase of growth.
What we are looking for
As a Director, you will be a senior leader within Blakeney’s Public Affairs team, working closely with the Managing Director and wider leadership group.
You will operate as a trusted senior adviser to clients, a visible leader internally, and a key contributor to Blakeney’s reputation, revenue, and long-term direction. You will be expected to lead – not just deliver – whether that is through a policy specialism, a sector focus, or a particular public affairs capability.
This is a role with breadth, influence, and accountability.
What you will do
Provide senior political counsel:
- Deliver high-quality, senior-level public affairs advice across Blakeney’s client base
- Lead relationships with our most important clients, acting as a calm, credible and trusted adviser
- Bring a strong, active network across Westminster – including established relationships with individuals in the current UK Government – and deploy those relationships intelligently for clients
- Offer clear political judgement, foresight, and insight, particularly in high-pressure or politically sensitive environments
Lead and shape our offer
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Establish yourself as a senior leader within Blakeney in:
- a policy area (e.g. energy, infrastructure, regulation),
- an industry sector, and/or
- a core public affairs capability
- Help shape and deliver an agreed strategy to grow Blakeney’s Public Affairs offer
- Play a meaningful role in wider business strategy and long-term planning alongside senior leadership
Drive revenue and commercial growth
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Take responsibility for growing revenue through:
- proactive new business activity
- expanding existing client relationships
- pitching and proposal leadership
- Translate political insight and strategic thinking into clear, valuable client propositions
- Own the quality, sustainability, and commercial performance of the work you lead
Lead people and build capability
- Line-manage and mentor colleagues where appropriate
- Help identify and develop talent within the team, acting as a role model for client leadership and judgement
- Contribute to building Blakeney’s senior leadership bench for the future
- Support a culture of high standards, collaboration and continuous improvement
Build reputation and partnerships
- Strengthen Blakeney’s reputation in political, policy and industry circles
- Develop and maintain partnerships with external networks that enhance the quality of our client counsel
- Act as an ambassador for Blakeney with partners and prospective clients
You are likely to have:
- Significant experience in public affairs, politics, consultancy, or a closely related field
- A strong personal reputation and network within Westminster, including credible, current relationships inside Government
- Experience providing senior counsel to organisations facing political, regulatory, or reputational challenge
- The confidence and authority to lead major client relationships independently
- A strong commercial mindset, with experience contributing to – or owning – revenue growth
- Experience leading people, setting direction, and building capability
- Sound judgement, discretion, and the ability to simplify complex political situations for clients
You may come from a consultancy, government, Parliament, party politics, or an in-house role – what matters most is your credibility, judgement and ability to operate at senior level.
Why Blakeney
- We work on issues that genuinely matter and are often in the public eye
- We believe senior advice should feel senior – calm, confident and well judged
- We take an integrated approach, working closely with top-tier media and digital specialists
- We are ambitious, but deliberate – we care deeply about quality, culture and reputation
- This role offers real influence over clients, people, and the future direction of the practice
If you are a senior public affairs professional looking for a role where your political relationships, leadership and judgement will genuinely shape a growing business, we would love to hear from you.
About Blakeney
We are not an agency. We are an expert team of consultants that has worked for Prime Ministers and Secretaries of State, global media organisations, top-tier management consultancies, winning political campaigns, and FTSE 100 businesses. We build brands, shape policies, and fight for the people solving some of the world’s most complex problems. We do that using our market-leading expertise in media, government relations, communication strategy, and digital engagement.
Marketers and politicians have long understood that the best communications should change the way we think about the world. But corporate communications have lagged behind, often focusing on data at the expense of emotion, and short-term tactics at the expense of longer–term outcomes.
We started Blakeney to change that. Our approach aims to bring rigour, structure, insight, and emotional intelligence to the organisations and individuals who want to shift traditional narratives and drive the change today’s society needs.
From us, you can expect:
- A highly competitive salary
- An industry-leading benefits package with you in the driving seat
- 33 days a year of holiday allowance, including bank holidays
- Hybrid working so you can work in a way that suits you
- Top-tier health insurance
- Generous, simple, and transparent bonus scheme based on company and personal performance
- Lots of work socials and company events
- Active focus on personal development and your part in building our culture
- Training budget tailored to your overall career – not just our business plan
- A progressive approach to work-life with a focus on your physical and mental health (including mental health training, ‘Recharge Days’, time back to you for keeping fit and ways of giving back to society)
- Pension scheme