External Communications Manager

The Dot Group•Austin, TX

About The Position

Dot is a group of businesses focused on student living, including Global Student Accommodation (GSA), Yugo and Student.com. Its portfolio spans more than 180 cities in 30 countries and is supported by more than 2,000 people. Dot describes its approach as pioneering, purposeful and positive, with an emphasis on sustainable growth and long-term value. The External Communications Manager will lead delivery of external communications for Dot and its portfolio companies, translating the Group communications strategy into plans and results 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 and takes increasing ownership of defined strategic areas over time. The postholder will serve as a senior media voice, advise leaders on reputation and help manage communications issues across the Group’s international markets. The role also involves corporate and investor-related communications, policy monitoring, crisis response, measurement, oversight of digital channels and content, event communications, and coaching junior colleagues. Success in the first year includes delivering the communications plan, establishing tested crisis protocols and regular insight reporting, growing quality media coverage, creating a public affairs framework, supporting corporate announcements, improving AI search visibility, and taking ownership of 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 communications plan delivery.
Communications experience across more than one region, including working 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 working hours and across time zones when issues arise.
Delivery-focused, able to move quickly from plan to action, prioritise effectively and get results with a lean team.
Commercially minded, curious about the business, and keen to build and own strategy over time.
Confident and credible when advising senior leaders, with the ability to challenge constructively.
Calm and able to exercise sound judgement under pressure.
Comfortable using data to develop clear recommendations and explain their implications.
Able to influence without authority across brands, functions and countries.
Global mindset and cultural awareness.
Able 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 insight 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, and own delivery of the plan.
Contribute to strategy, narratives and messaging frameworks, taking increasing ownership of defined strategic areas over time.
Apply the Group messaging framework across businesses while allowing each brand to speak in its own voice.
Work 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 inside and outside the business.
Run a proactive and reactive press office and build and maintain senior international media relationships.
Lead campaigns, announcements and thought leadership programmes, and draft and sign off 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 and timely, and commercially sensitive information is protected.
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.
Translate data and other insight into clear recommendations, set KPIs against an agreed baseline, and report performance against business outcomes.
Oversee corporate websites and social channels for accuracy, consistency and governance in line with brand guidelines and tone of voice.
Oversee written, visual and video content creation.
Lead Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) to improve Dot and its brands’ visibility in AI-powered search tools.
Shape the events, speaking and awards programme across industry, investor, higher-education and policy opportunities.
Oversee event communications, spokesperson positioning and follow-up content.
Coach and develop junior colleagues, building writing, media and insight capability across the team.