Role: Partnerships & External Affairs Director
Duration: 18 Month Fixed-Term Contract
Location: Dublin / Ireland / Hybrid
A national public body with a high-profile public safety mandate is seeking an experienced senior leader to step into a critical executive role on a fixed-term basis. Reporting directly to the CEO and sitting on the Executive Leadership Team, this Partnerships and External Affairs role will lead strategic partnerships, communications, public affairs, stakeholder engagement, campaigns, education outreach, and new income generation initiatives at a pivotal time for the organisation. This is a high-impact position requiring strong political acuity, commercial awareness, and the ability to lead in a fast-paced, high-stakes environment.
Responsibilities:
- Develop and deliver a national and EU partnership strategy.
- Lead marketing, communications, PR and major campaigns.
- Drive stakeholder engagement across government, political and community sectors.
- Strengthen brand, reputation and public impact.
- Build sustainable partnerships and funding streams.
- Oversee crisis and high-profile media communications.
- Lead and develop a multi-disciplinary team.
- Contribute to enterprise-wide strategic direction as part of the Executive Team.
Requirements:
- Senior leadership experience in communications, public affairs, partnerships or external relations.
- Proven experience navigating government and political environments (including EU engagement).
- Strong track record in strategic development and implementation.
- Experience leading high-performing teams.
- Commercially astute with strong business development capability.
- Calm, credible and decisive in complex or sensitive situations.
- Experience within public sector, regulatory, NGO, advocacy or mission-driven environments is highly desirable.
