Job Description

JOB REQUISITION

PR Manager Benelux

LOCATION

GROOT-BIJGAARDEN

ADDITIONAL LOCATIONS

JOB DESCRIPTION

Part of the International Business Public Relations (PR) team and Robert Half’s larger global Corporate Communications team, this hands-on role develops and implements the PR strategy, acting as the day-today contact for the external PR agency that supports execution at scale while contributing to the company’s overall external communications initiatives with a goal of raising the profile of Robert Half and its divisions to all media and stakeholders while maintaining the integrity of the organization’s corporate identity.

Specific responsibilities

Agency Management

• Coordinate with PR agency on clear expectations around agency deliverables, timelines, and minimum monthly output, and support delivery of agreed outputs in line with priorities and timeline.
• Track agency utilization and spend against retainer, flagging variances and providing input on optimisation.
• Provide input and feedback on agency output, including monthly coverage and Share of Voice reporting and quarterly strategic reviews. 
• Support agency briefings on major thought leadership programs (e.g. Salary Guide), well in advance of launch, ensuring sufficient time for high-quality delivery. 
• Support alignment on priorities and timelines and escalate issues to PR leadership as needed.

Media Relations

• Collaborate with the International Business PR team on the development of the International Business media relations strategy, including contributing to key themes, messaging, and the development of ideas to generate all-region and local coverage.
• Work closely with line manager and PR agency to develop, coordinate, and implement the PR strategy for the region, positioning Robert Half as an industry thought leader and proactively securing media coverage across all lines of business in all markets.
• Serve as the day-to-day contact for PR agency, ensuring clear briefings, aligned priorities, and efficient ways of working to support the execution of the PR strategy, while monitoring activity and results.
• Develop and maintain strong working relationships with Tier 1 national and trade journalists relevant to Robert Half’s business, working with the support of PR agency on pitching and briefings independent of major campaigns.
• Maintain up-to-date journalist databases and forward feature lists to support proactive media engagement and PR activities.
• Work with PR agency to proactively identify and pitch commentary opportunities to relevant media on market trends, employment data, and economic developments, acting quickly on breaking news and agenda-relevant stories.
• With the support of PR agency, lead campaign pre-launch pitching to Tier 1 and vertical press, including embargoed briefings where appropriate.
• Monitor and respond to relevant media enquiries received in-house or through PR agency, assessing appropriateness and routing to the correct spokesperson list.
• Develop and maintain spokespeople biographies and approved corporate photography.
• Working with PR agency, map out topics for the global or international PR survey program.
• Represent the region on global company PR calls to discuss and manage the global PR program.
• Escalate issues and be the first point of contact in all issues management situations and, in partnership with PR leadership, draft holding statements, and ensure media policy is circulated to Field in times of crisis.
• Support the global survey program for your region/country to identify and create strong news release angles and shape PR strategy.
• Maintain positive relationships with media monitoring platforms, ensuring coverage data is accurate, complete and free of irrelevant entries.

Spokesperson and Interview Management 

• Brief PR agency on all campaigns and reactive opportunities, providing the data, context, and direction needed to produce high-quality output. 
• Act as the primary in-house point of contact for interview preparation, managing all aspects of the process from opportunity assessment through to post-interview debrief, in collaboration with PR agency.
• With PR agency support, conduct full reputational and topic risk assessment for each media opportunity before progressing, escalating to line manager where appropriate.
• Work with PR agency to develop detailed spokesperson briefing documents tailored to individual journalists, topics, and outlet tone, covering key messages, anticipated questions, lines to avoid, and supporting data.
• Validate all spokesperson quotes with line manager, relevant business leadership, and legal/compliance (if required) before dissemination.
• Attend interviews (in person or remotely) to provide on-site support and ensure message alignment.
• Provide structured written or verbal feedback to spokespeople following media appearances to drive continuous improvement.
• Identify media training needs and coordinate delivery with internal and external resources to ensure all spokespeople are regularly trained.

Content Writing and Editing

• Work with PR agency to write, edit, and proofread a full range of PR content to a high standard, including press releases, media pitches, commentaries, opinion pieces, blogs, bylined articles, and media briefs.
• Provide first-line review of all PR agency-produced content including press releases, pitches, media briefs, and commentaries before seeking senior PR approval to ensure accuracy, brand alignment, and editorial quality. 
• Support the International Business thought leadership programs from a local perspective (e.g., the annual Salary Guide, among others), including content development.
• Ensure all written content is accurate, on-brand, editorially sharp, and tailored appropriately for each outlet and audience.

Reporting, Analytics and Budget Management 

• Produce quarterly quantitative and qualitative metrics to measure the success of the PR program.
• Support local PR budget management, tracking monthly expenditures, flagging variances, and helping to ensure all spend is within approved parameters.

Corporate Communications Responsibilities

• Point of contact for regional charity programs.
• Support HR with work on Great Place to Work program.
• Promote company accolades, awards, and initiatives to the Field in an appropriate manner.
• Collaborate with Field and/or executive leadership to identify region-specific accolade and leadership recognition opportunities and support the creation of nomination packages and external promotion for any awards and recognition.
• Collaborate with Marketing team to create presentation material at conferences and, where necessary, provide host scripts for all Robert Half client events.

Requirements

• Excellent written, verbal, interpersonal, and public speaking skills.
• 5 to 7 years of experience in PR and communications in a recruitment consultancy agency, professional services firm or related B2B field, including PR agency management experience.
• Full understanding of media needs and media relationships in your region, including proven relationships with Tier 1 media.
• Degree qualified, with postgraduate qualification in Public Relations and Communications preferred.
• Experience working for a U.S. company and a business with an international reach preferred.
• Demonstrated record of successfully securing national and international media coverage as well as local and trade press to gain positive, business-related coverage.
• Demonstrated ability to manage crisis PR communications, in collaboration with senior PR leader.
• Exceptional writing, editing, and proofreading skills.
• Ability to influence and communicate effectively with a variety of professionals from senior leadership to staff level.
• Ability to provide media training and coaching to senior-level spokespeople, including preparing for interviews (radio, television, phone, and face-to-face).
• Strong reporting and ROI skills.
• Written and spoken ability in Dutch and French; business communication ability in English.

Ideal industry experience

• Recruitment/staffing firm, Big 4, banking/financial services, legal, professional/business services.
• Publicly listed firm or large multinational organization with presence across several geographies around the globe.
• Ability to work well with colleagues and peers across several geographies and time zones.
• PR agency background with clients aligned to banking, financial services, recruitment, or other professional services firms.