Position Overview:

The Associate Director will oversee and drive our external communications efforts. This role is pivotal in shaping the companys narrative, protecting its reputation, and ensuring consistent messaging across all stakeholder groups.

This role requires a former journalist with strong media relations, currently operating within the BFSI ecosystem, who can interpret complex financial and regulatory developments and translate them into meaningful narratives for internal stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities:

- Develop and execute a comprehensive corporate communication strategy aligned with business objectives.

- Serve as the primary architect of the companys brand voice, messaging framework, and narrative.

- Advise senior leadership on communication matters, reputation risks, and public affairs.

- Build and manage relationships with journalists and media outlets.

Insights & Strategic Advisory:

- Analyze media coverage to identify macro trends, regulatory shifts, competitive positioning, and reputational risks.

- Provide contextual interpretation of BFSI-related developments (e.g., RBI policies, market movements, sector outlooks).

- Translate insights into clear, actionable recommendations for business teams.

Editorial Excellence & Storytelling:

- Apply strong newsroom discipline to ensure reports are concise, accurate, and impactful.

- Curate and prioritize news based on relevance, credibility, and business impact.

- Maintain a consistent editorial voice aligned with organizational standards.

Reputation & Risk Monitoring:

- Track sensitive issues, emerging narratives, and potential crises in real time.

- Develop early warning mechanisms and escalation protocols.

- Partner with agency to manage crisis communication.

Stakeholder Engagement:

- Collaborate closely with business leaders and executive committee.

- Act as a thought partner to leadership on media perception and narrative shaping.

- Align reporting outputs with evolving business priorities.

Media Intelligence & Reporting Leadership:

- Own and drive the end-to-end media reporting framework across print, digital, TV, and social media.

- Design and deliver daily dashboards, weekly summaries, and monthly deep-dive reports for senior leadership.

- Ensure reporting goes beyond coverage tracking to include insightful analysis, sentiment mapping, and forward-looking perspectives.

Tools, Analytics & Innovation:

- Leverage media monitoring tools AI & Automation for efficient tracking and reporting.

- Introduce automation, dashboards, and data visualization to enhance reporting quality.

- Continuously refine formats to improve usability and decision-making impact.

Candidate Profile:

Experience:

- 10-15 years of total experience.

- Mandatory: Prior experience as a journalist (at least 5 years).

- Mandatory: Current or recent experience in the BFSI sector (banking, financial services, insurance, ratings, fintech).

Core Skills:

- Exceptional analytical and critical thinking ability.

- Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills.

- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

- Ability to synthesize large volumes of information into crisp insights.

- Strong editorial judgment and news sense.

Education:

- Bachelors degree in journalism, Mass Communication, Economics, Finance, or related field.

- Postgraduate qualification (MBA / Masters) preferred.

Leadership Expectations:

- Operate with high ownership and accountability.

- Influence senior stakeholders with data-backed insights and clear narratives.

- Drive continuous improvement and innovation in media intelligence practices.

- Mentor junior team members and build team capability over time.

Success Metrics:

- Quality and relevance of media insights delivered to leadership.

- Timeliness and accuracy of reporting.

- Effectiveness in identifying reputational risks early.

- Stakeholder satisfaction and adoption of insights.

- Innovation in reporting formats and tools.