External Communications Manager

The Dot Group•New York, NY

About The Position

Dot is a group of businesses focused on redefining student living and supporting more than one million students each year. Its portfolio includes Global Student Accommodation (GSA), Yugo and Student.com, operating across 180+ cities in 30 countries with more than 2,000 people. Dot describes its values as pioneering, purposeful and positive. The External Communications Manager leads delivery of external communications for Dot and its portfolio companies, translating the Group’s communications strategy into plans and outcomes across media relations, public affairs, corporate communications, digital content and events. Working closely with the Global Head of Communications, the role owns delivery, contributes to strategy, serves as a senior media voice and advises leaders on reputation. It is also a first line of defence when issues arise across the Group’s international markets. The role covers communications planning and execution; proactive and reactive media relations; corporate and investor-related announcements; public affairs and policy communications; issues and crisis response; insight, measurement and reporting; corporate websites, social channels and content; Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO); events and spokesperson positioning; and coaching more junior colleagues. Crisis communications may require responding to live incidents across time zones and outside normal working hours. In the first year, success includes delivering the communications plan with a rolling 90-day calendar; establishing tested crisis protocols, scenario playbooks and an out-of-hours rota; launching media and social listening with regular insight reporting; measuring growth in quality coverage and share of voice; creating a public affairs monitoring and positioning framework; delivering corporate and investor announcements in partnership with Investor Relations; establishing a GEO baseline and improving AI search visibility; and taking ownership of defined areas of the following year’s strategy.

Requirements

8–10 years of experience in external communications, in-house or agency, with a track record of leading delivery of communications plans.
Communications experience across more than one region, such as the UK, Europe, Middle East, US or APAC, including work across time zones and cultures.
Excellent writing and editing skills, with the ability to adapt tone for different audiences.
Strong, established media relationships and a track record of securing quality coverage.
Proven issues and crisis management experience, with sound judgement under pressure.
Corporate or B2B media experience in at least one of real estate, financial services, or hospitality and leisure.
Understanding of institutional investor audiences and real estate investment, and experience working alongside Investor Relations, Finance or Legal on corporate announcements.
Exposure to public affairs, government relations or policy communications.
Willingness to work flexibly, including outside normal hours and across time zones when issues arise.
Delivery-focused, able to move quickly from plan to action, prioritise effectively and achieve results with a lean team.
Commercially minded and curious about the business, with an interest in building and owning strategy over time.
Confident and credible when advising senior leaders, and able to challenge constructively.
Calm, with sound judgement under pressure.
Insight-led, comfortable with data and able to explain its implications clearly.
Able to influence without authority across brands, functions and countries.
Global mindset and cultural awareness.
Ability to coach and develop others.

Nice To Haves

B2C communications experience in an operational, customer-facing business.
Experience using media and social listening tools and translating data into insights and recommendations.
Video storytelling experience, including planning, scripting and directing content.
Experience with GEO, SEO or AI search visibility.
Sustainability or ESG communications experience.
Additional languages relevant to Dot’s markets.

Responsibilities

Translate the Group’s external communications strategy into an annual plan with clear priorities, owners and measures.
Own delivery of the plan, balancing priorities across brands and markets and focusing on impact.
Contribute to strategy, narratives and messaging frameworks, taking increasing ownership of defined strategic areas over time.
Apply the Group messaging framework across businesses while preserving each brand’s voice and telling a consistent Group story.
Partner with brand and marketing teams to align commercial priorities and identify cross-brand opportunities.
Coordinate with Internal Communications so colleagues hear significant news first and announcements are consistent internally and externally.
Run a proactive and reactive press office and build senior media relationships internationally.
Lead campaigns, announcements and thought leadership programmes from idea through to media coverage.
Draft and approve press releases, statements, Q&As, briefing notes and leadership content.
Prepare and brief spokespeople, including media training and interview preparation.
Deliver communications for GSA and Group corporate activity, including capital raises, joint ventures, acquisitions, disposals and other milestones.
Work with Investor Relations, Legal and Finance to ensure investor-facing messaging is consistent, accurate, timely and protects commercially sensitive information.
Monitor policy and regulatory developments in priority markets and assess their implications for the business.
Develop policy positions, briefings and key messages with the Global Head of Communications and business leaders.
Coordinate consultation responses and Dot’s participation in sector forums and coalitions.
Support issues and crisis communications planning, protocols, scenario playbooks and holding statements.
Identify reputational risks early and advise on mitigation with Legal, Compliance, Operations and brand leaders.
Lead communications responses to live incidents across time zones, including outside normal working hours.
Run post-incident reviews and keep protocols tested and up to date.
Support regular reputational risk reporting to leadership and the Board.
Turn data insights into clear recommendations; set KPIs against an agreed baseline and report performance against business outcomes.
Oversee corporate websites and social channels, ensuring accuracy, consistency and governance in line with brand guidelines and tone of voice.
Oversee written, visual and video content creation.
Lead GEO to improve how Dot and its brands appear in AI-powered search tools.
Shape the events, speaking and awards programme across industry, investor, higher-education and policy moments.
Oversee event communications, spokesperson positioning and follow-up content.
Coach and develop more junior colleagues, building writing, media and insight capability across the team.
Deliver the first-year success measures, including communications planning, crisis readiness, listening and insight reporting, coverage and share-of-voice growth, public affairs positioning, corporate announcements, GEO improvement and ownership of defined strategy areas.