Director of Public Affairs, Tech & Innovation Opportunity
Our client is an international communications agency dedicated to technology and innovation. For twenty five years, they have built campaigns that drive growth, shape reputations and create momentum across every channel, from paid and earned to owned.
They do not just talk about AI, they build with it. Proprietary AI tools now sit at the heart of how the agency works, freeing teams from friction and delivering faster results suited to today’s challenges.
Their international network lets them take on ambitious, large scale mandates, while their locally sized offices let them move fast and stay entrepreneurial. They believe great agencies are built on great people: people with real expertise, a clear point of view and the ambition to grow. Their French office currently counts 22 people.
The Role: Director of Public Affairs
We are looking for a Director of Public Affairs. This is an entrepreneurial, founding role: you will build the agency’s public affairs offering from a blank page, drawing on its existing strengths (Tech expertise, client portfolio, PR and digital know-how) to create a genuinely differentiated proposition.
Reporting directly to the agency’s Executive Management, you will work across teams in France and internationally. Your goal is to turn public affairs into a new, recognised service line for the agency.
Key Responsibilities
- Defining the positioning, value proposition and offer catalogue for a new Public Affairs practice, aligned with the agency’s Tech DNA
- Building packaged offerings spanning regulatory monitoring, institutional influence strategy, relations with French and European public authorities, advocacy and regulatory support on AI, data and digital platforms
- Mapping the agency’s existing client base and embedding public affairs into ongoing recommendations and contract renewals
- Leading prospecting and new business development for the practice, including tenders and bespoke commercial proposals
- Providing senior strategic counsel to client leadership on institutional and regulatory issues
- Overseeing delivery quality, stakeholder relationships and case management across public affairs mandates
- Building the agency’s profile in this space through thought leadership, publications and events, while maintaining a strong institutional network
What You’ll Bring
- Proven experience in public affairs or institutional relations, gained in consultancy, agency, an institution, a company or a ministerial cabinet
- A strong grasp of French and European decision making processes
- Sensitivity to Tech regulatory issues across digital, data, AI and platforms
- A commercial and entrepreneurial mindset, with the ability to build an offering, sell it and grow a portfolio
- Excellent relationship building, advisory and representation skills, with an established institutional network a strong advantage
- Fluent French and English, with ease in a European environment considered a plus
Apply for this Director of Public Affairs Role
To find out more or apply, please get in touch with a copy of your CV below.
Hanson Search Group is a global talent consultancy providing executive search, recruitment and leadership advisory services. Built on more than twenty years of trusted relationships, we operate as a connected global platform of specialist practices with expert consultants embedded in key markets. Explore more about corporate communications practice in London here.
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Head of Corporate & Brand Communications, Europe
Camille Chevallier: With over 20 years of senior communications experience across Europe, Camille has held leadership roles at agencies and in-house organisations including Publicis, TBWA, MullenLowe, Eurostar and Expedia — working across Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam and London. At Hanson Search,...
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