Public Affairs Manager (SA) at Publicis Groupe

Publicis Groupe is looking for a Public Affairs Manager (SA) (full-time or part-time).
The Public Affairs Manager (South Africa) will serve as our client's on-the-ground public affairs POC, supporting all stakeholder engagement activities in the country.
The role is responsible for providing strategic public affairs counsel, stakeholder intelligence, political and regulatory insight, and execution support to ensure effective engagement with government, regulators, industry bodies, business leaders, community stakeholders and strategic partners.
The Public Affairs Manager will help build trusted relationships, anticipate stakeholder risks, coordinate engagement activities, and support successful regulatory engagement.


Responsibilities

Strategic Public Affairs


Provide strategic advice on South Africa's political, regulatory and stakeholder landscape.
Advise leadership on stakeholder sentiment, engagement opportunities and reputational considerations.
Identify emerging political, policy and regulatory developments that may impact
Input into public affairs strategies to support regulatory approvals.


Stakeholder Engagement


Build and maintain trusted relationships with key government ministries, regulators, public agencies, industry associations, business leaders and other influential stakeholders in alignment with the marketing/comms team.
Coordinate and facilitate meetings leadership and senior government or regulatory officials.
Support relationship management before, during and after formal engagements.


Stakeholder Intelligence


Conduct comprehensive stakeholder mapping across government, regulatory bodies, industry associations, business organisations, labour representatives and community stakeholders.
Continuously monitor stakeholder positions, priorities and influence.
Provide regular intelligence reports highlighting emerging issues, risks and opportunities.
Track changes in the political and regulatory environment that could impact the client.


Executive Support


Prepare executive briefing books, stakeholder profiles, biographies and meeting packs.
Develop key messages, speaking points and engagement objectives for senior leadership.
Produce post-meeting reports, action trackers and stakeholder engagement summaries.
Ensure follow-up actions are completed in a timely manner
Identify opportunities to build constructive relationships with industry associations, chambers of commerce and strategic business networks.


Issues and Risk Management


Identify political, regulatory and stakeholder risks early and recommend mitigation strategies.
Support the development of engagement plans for sensitive or high-profile stakeholders.
Escalate material issues to leadership as appropriate.
Monitor public policy developments that may affect the business.


Programme Governance


Maintain stakeholder engagement databases, relationship trackers and issues logs.
Produce regular reporting dashboards for project leadership.
Track engagement outcomes against agreed objectives and milestones.
Support governance processes for public affairs activities


Qualifications


Degree in Public Policy, Political Science, Communications, International Relations, Law, Business, or a related field


Additional information


Knowledge of an African language is preferable as well as experience in:
Governmental affairs
Energy or resources sector
South African market knowledge