Managing Director, Public Affairs

Ankura is a team of excellence founded on innovation and growth.

Practice Overview:

Red Flag Global, part of the Ankura group, is a multi-award-winning strategic communications and public affairs agency that delivers tailored analysis, trusted counsel, and winning strategies to help clients navigate their most critical challenges in the Americas and around the world. Our approaches transform how clients strategize to achieve their objectives, communicate, and influence outcomes. Founded in 2013, Red Flag represents and advises some of the world’s leading companies, industry associations, and non-profit organizations from offices including Washington DC, Dublin, Brussels, London, and Cape Town.

Ankura is a global expert advisory firm employing more than 2,500 professionals, working on projects in 115 countries and doing business in 45 languages.

Role Overview:

The Managing Director of Public Affairs will lead high-stakes engagement campaigns and provide high-level counsel to our diverse roster of clients. The ideal candidate is a campaign-style operator who understands the critical intersection of government relations, strategic communications, and grassroots advocacy. Drawing on a background in political campaigns, government, or agency work, you will be responsible for designing and executing multi-channel public affairs programs that influence legislation, shape public opinion, and protect corporate reputation.

This position is offered for full-time work with arrangements for hybrid working.

Value Proposition:

Join the premier integrated platform where your expertise in global influence (Red Flag) directly informs and shapes high-stakes financial and operational outcomes (Ankura). This role offers the unique opportunity to move beyond pure advocacy and apply your Policy & Advocacy skills to financial risk and corporate transformation outcomes. You will be an essential leader in the firm’s combined strategy, leveraging policy intelligence and campaign data to inform commercial strategy, operational decisions, and investment risks. This role offers a clear path to leadership within a rapidly expanding, highly specialized Global Strategic Advisory group.

Responsibilities:

Strategic Program Leadership: Develop and execute comprehensive local, state, and national multi-issue programs. You will be responsible for the “holistic” health of client campaigns, integrating earned media, digital advocacy, and stakeholder engagement.

Client Counsel: Serve as a trusted advisor to Fortune 500 companies and major trade associations, helping them navigate complex regulatory and legislative environments.

Stakeholder Engagement: Build and manage coalitions of diverse stakeholders and oversee tactics designed to mobilize grassroot/grasstop audiences to take action on critical policy issues.

Crisis & Issues Management: Provide rapid-response strategic guidance to clients facing reputational threats or legislative hurdles, demonstrating experience where internal organizational crisis management (Ankura) necessitated simultaneous external reputational and policy defense (Red Flag).

Business Growth: Contribute to the firm’s growth by identifying organic expansion opportunities with existing clients and participating in new business pitches.

Multidisciplinary Collaboration: Ability to fluidly lead teams that include forensic accountants, data scientists, policy experts, and media strategists to deliver unified, “end-to-end solutions”.

Requirements:

Experience: 8–10+ years of experience in public affairs, government relations, political campaigns, or strategic communications. Agency experience is a strong plus.

Campaign Mindset: A proven track record of running “campaign-style” operations—whether for a political candidate or a corporate issue. Must be comfortable moving fast and adjusting strategy in real-time.

Communication Skills: Exceptional writing and presentation skills, with the ability to distill complex policy issues into compelling narratives for broader audiences.

Leadership: Experience mentoring junior staff and proven leadership capabilities for managing diverse, geographically dispersed teams.

Other Requirements or Required Information can be added here

Sector Expertise: Strong preference for candidates with specific experience in the Energy and Manufacturing sectors. Fluency in the policy challenges and industrial language unique to these verticals is highly valued.

Credentials: Advanced degrees in Law (JD), Public Policy (MPA/MPP), International Relations, Finance, or Communications are highly valued.

Ankura is an Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against based on disability. Equal Employment Opportunity Posters, if you have a disability and believe you need a reasonable accommodation to search for a job opening, submit an online application, or participate in an interview/assessment, please email [email protected] or call toll-free +1.312-583-2122. This email and phone number are created exclusively to assist disabled job seekers whose disability prevents them from being able to apply online. Only messages left for this purpose will be returned. Messages left for other purposes, such as following up on an application or technical issues unrelated to a disability, will not receive a response.

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