What to Expect
Reporting to Head of Brand Marketing & Communications, this is an exciting opportunity for a proactive, dynamic and creative individual to join the Global Brand & Client Department at McLaren Automotive. Lead McLaren Automotive’s global earned narrative and reputation. You will run the press office end‑to‑end - building deep relationships with tier‑one automotive, business and lifestyle media; orchestrating product reviews and media experiences; shaping executive visibility; and safeguarding the brand through issues and crisis management. Working within Brand Marketing & Communications, you will integrate closely with Product, Racing, MSO & Services and Campaigns to ensure every earned moment is on‑brand, culturally resonant, and commercially effective. This role is the heartbeat of our earned storytelling - turning product truth, racing pedigree, and luxury values into international headlines that drive consideration and demand. You’ll design and deliver media strategies for launches and brand moments, from embargo planning to first‑drive programs, reviews and long‑lead features. You will also be the first line of defense on reputation: anticipating risk, equipping leaders with compelling messaging and responding with pace and precision. The standard is ultra‑luxury, discrete, meticulously crafted media experiences that feel rare and elevate McLaren’s desirability among UHNWIs and our broader audiences.
What You'll Do
Global earned media strategy & planning: Build multi‑-phase PR plans for brand and product moments, aligned to the annual marketing plan and market seasonality. Define media strategy including media tiering and sell-in approach globally.Press office leadership: Own day‑to‑day media relationship management across automotive, business and lifestyle, maintain a proactive pitch calenda and serve as trusted point of contact for editors, reviewers, presenters and opinion leaders.Executive profiling & thought leadership: Position McLaren leaders with high‑credibility narratives (technology, sustainability, design, performance, customer experience). Prepare briefs, messaging, op‑eds and interview prep.Issues & crisis management: Risk detection, holding statements, stakeholder alignment (Legal, Quality, Safety), and timely media responses. Conduct scenario planning and media training for spokespeople. Maintain incident logs.Content management: Lead the creation of press kits and assets and enforce craft and brand guardrails across every asset and all copy. Ensure accessibility and inclusivity in language and imagery.Manage the Media Website, ensuring content is up to date and relevant. Market enablement: Provide local teams and distributors with PR toolkits, localized press materials, media lists and training. Track adoption and execution quality versus the global plan.UHNW media experience design: Curate by‑invitation media immersions that reflect ultra‑luxury codes (privacy, concierge precision, rarity), often in partnership with MSO, lifestyle collaborators or private venues. Measure impact beyond volume - quality and influence first.Racing integration: Leverage F1, WEC and other motorsport moments, driver access and technical stories to amplify product credibility and heritage storytelling. Agency & budget stewardship: Brief and manage world‑class PR agencies and production/editorial partners against clear outcomes; optimize cost‑to‑impact and maintain high craft.Measurement & reporting: With Client Insights & Customer Journey, define earned‑impact metrics - tier‑one quality score, sentiment, share‑of‑voice in target sets, review impact on consideration, test‑drive requests and orders - and publish post‑campaign readouts with optimization actions.Approve global press materials and message maps for brand and product topics within established brand guardrails.Co‑own embargo and review program decisions (titles, timing, allocations) with the Head of Brand Marketing & Communications.
What You'll Bring
7+ years leading media relations/press office for luxury, performance automotive or adjacent ultra‑luxury sectors (watchmaking, private aviation, yachting, couture).Demonstrable success landing tier‑one global coverage and managing high‑stakes issues.Calm under scrutiny, editorially sharp, relationship‑led and commercially aware.Precision in craft, pace in delivery, inclusive collaborator who elevates cross‑functional partners.Deep understanding of UHNWI expectations and the ability to translate them into press experiences and narratives that feel rare and personal.Personal Attributes: Strategic, creative and dynamic thinker who can operate under pressure.Strong written and verbal communication skills.Comfortable handling, presenting and inspiring all levels of the organization.Extremely high level of attention to detail.Confident in dealing with challenging situations and relationships.Able to adapt in a fast paced, high-pressured, ever-changing environment.Ability to manage own workload with ownership, be proactive in seeking support and guidance where needed.Resilient, energetic, passionate and enthusiastic.Strong understanding and experience shaping & delivering media strategies and managing media relationships.Effective at working and collaborating within large teams.Capacity to multitask and work on projects with varied lead-times.A clear understanding of, and passion for the McLaren Brand and products is a key requirement.Knowledge of McLaren’s racing and road car heritage is a key requirement.
What We'll Do for You
We offer a wide – ranging benefits package, which includes:Structured career development framework25 days’ holiday, plus bank holiday. Annual buy & sell up to five daysEnhanced company pension schemeDiscretionary annual bonus awardPrivate medical insurance and health cash planLife assurance benefitAbility to apply for a sabbatical of up to one year after only two years’ serviceBenefits you can adapt to your lifestyle, such as discounted shoppingGenerous parental leave policiesA range of wellbeing initiatives, such as employee assistance programme and free financial & mortgage advice
Who Are We?
No restraints. No limitations. We don’t simply push boundaries. We completely rethink them. McLaren Automotive exists to create breath-taking performance road cars.It takes a community to do what we do. A diverse group of people with many areas of expertise, united by their passion to deliver visionary products and set new benchmarks. McLaren Automotive commits to equal opportunity for all. Diversity, Equality and Inclusion is at the heart of our impact, it drives our innovation and enables us to truly create something special. Join us on our journey.
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