Public Affairs Executive

175 years ago, our founder Thomas Cook began this company with a vision to ‘broaden the mind of others and break down the partition walls of prejudice.'

Once describing himself as ‘the willing and devoted servant of the travelling public,’ Thomas Cook was a true pioneer of the travel industry, opening up a world of new destinations and new travel experiences to everyone. By obtaining the best services and prices for his customers, he laid the foundations of the company that still bears his name today.

Thomas Cook is now one of the world’s leading leisure travel groups, supported by around 22,000 colleagues and operating from 15 countries.

Our vision today remains true to Thomas Cook’s ambitions - to be the world’s most loved holiday company.

Job Role: Group Public Affairs Executive

Location: London-Aldersgate

Job purpose: To support the Group Head of Public Affairs in the implementation of Thomas Cook Group’s public affairs strategy in key source and destination market Governments.

Key accountabilities and decision ownership:

As a major part of this role, you will be required to support the Group Head of Public Affairs in the implementation of the Group’s public affairs strategy, promoting the Group position at a local, national, and international level. You will also be monitoring political developments across the Group’s source markets – with a focus in Westminster, Brussels, and Berlin – to identify emerging issues of relevance to the business.

Part of the role will be to coordinate the Group’s engagement programme with parliamentarians and officials across source markets, with a focus in Westminster, Brussels, and Berlin as well as working hard to develop and maintain network of political and civil servant contacts. It’s also really important to develop and manage the materials to support the Group’s outreach and policy positions and undertake analysis on key policy and political matters- providing timely updates to senior management colleagues.

You will be asked to assist in the delivery of integrated communications and public affairs strategies, manage local political engagement across the UK business’s retail portfolio and often will be required to coordinate the organisation of public affairs events, including MP visits and attendance at the UK political party conferences.

Skills, know-how and experience:

Must have:

• Excellent oral and written communication skills. 
• Detailed knowledge of the UK and EU political systems and the public affairs tools available.
• Experience engaging with political stakeholders.
• Ability and confidence to effectively brief senior colleagues through written and verbal briefings.
• Ability to explain complex messages through a clear narrative and to tailor communications for different audiences.
• Energy and enthusiasm with self-starter mentality and desire to progress.

Preferred:

• Experience working in the UK or European institutions.
• Knowledge of the German language

Technical / professional qualifications:

• University Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent

Key performance indicators:

• Ownership of the Group’s political engagement coordination.
• Growing profile and footprint of the Group’s Public Affairs function.

Life at Thomas Cook is fast-paced and full of opportunities. We’re a leading international travel company that believes in empowering our people, so when you join us, you’ll be given the chance to create, learn and innovate. You’ll also be given the support and training you need to develop your career in the direction you choose.

As you might expect, our holiday benefits are something special. We’ll give you an allowance towards your holiday every year, depending on how long you’ve been with us.  There are also special last minute employee deals, which give you the opportunity to pick up a holiday at an outstanding price. Working for Thomas Cook, you can travel the world for less.

We also offer a flexible benefits package that gives you a range of options to ensure your benefits match your lifestyle.