Position
: Full Time & Permanent
Location: London / Gatwick Hybrid
Communication is at the heart of the strategy to cement the 50 Best brand’s position as the leading global and regional authority in the restaurants, bars, hotels and vineyards spaces, and to further establish the brand as a positive force in gastronomy – 50 Best is as much about building community within the hospitality sphere as it is about producing rankings – while delivering ROI-driven, multi-channel communication campaigns for its sponsors.
Due to exceptional growth, the need has arisen to hire an experienced in-house Senior PR & Communications Manager to work as part of the PR team alongside a team of five.
The role will involve managing our communications operations with our network of international PR agencies, managing our global communications plan in collaboration with the PR Director, and executing effective programmes to increase awareness and develop a positive, credible and influential brand image amongst the media. You will be expected to generate creative ideas for media engagement, manage project coordination, support and mentor a team of three, and to liaise with 50 Best internal teams to ensure smooth rollout of communication plans.
You will become an integral part of the 50 Best organisation, which as of 2026 will run more than 11 major events a year across the world, coordinating a multi-channel, multi-sponsor communications plan. The role will report directly to the Director of PR.
The role will include international travel and would therefore suit a candidate with interest and wide experience in international communication.
The successful candidate will need to be based in the UK for regular access to the company’s head office located in Gatwick and be required to work in person at the Gatwick office 1 day a week, and the London office two days a week.
You will provide senior-level PR support and leadership across the 50 Best brand portfolio. In addition to core event communications delivery, you will play a key part in developing brand-first publicity and partnership-led storytelling that strengthens the 50 Best brand year-round. This includes generating proactive ideas, supporting integrated communications around global partners and helping maximise the value of 50 Best’s commercial relationships through strategic PR that is proprietary to the brand. With 2027 marking the 25th anniversary of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, this role will help embed a more brand-first approach across communications, ensuring milestone moments are leveraged to build long-term brand equity.
What you will be doing:
Senior Leadership & Strategic Support
1. Engaging in autonomous decision-making and leadership in meetings, approvals, agency management and cross-team communication when required.
2. Providing senior counsel on sensitive or complex matters, including high-stakes partner enquiries, reputational risks and media narratives.
3. Surfacing risks, insights and opportunities early, bringing proactive thinking and forward planning into brand PR strategy.
External PR Agency Liaison
4. Establishing good working relations with all contracted PR agencies through regular contact.
5. Overseeing and maintaining the global PR timeline across all brands, ensuring clarity, consistency and high-quality execution.
6. Providing senior editorial oversight, feedback and sign-off for agency-drafted materials, messaging frameworks, FAQs and media kits.
7. Driving agency briefings, event PR management, and asset distribution (on-site or remote), ensuring excellence across awards cycles.
8. Working with the PR Director to set KPIs for agencies, aligning measurement with brand and partner requirements.
Brand Communications & PR Delivery
9. Leading on the development, writing and refinement of high-quality press materials, ensuring accuracy, clarity and brand voice consistency.
10. Owning specific non-event PR workstreams (e.g. strategic storytelling, brand reputation work, discovery content, thought leadership) to strengthening year-round brand visibility.
11. Reviewing and approving press materials, messaging and partner communications as delegated by the Director of PR.
12. Maintaining and building senior relationships with global media, identifying opportunities, managing enquiries and driving proactive outreach where required.
13. Overseeing media lists and distribution processes for announcements where agencies are not contracted.
Crisis Response & Issues Management
14. Supporting the Director of PR in crisis planning and response, including early risk identification, drafting of holding statements, scenario planning and cross-department coordination.
15. Acting as a senior point of contact for urgent media queries and sensitive partner situations, exercising sound judgement and discretion, with support.
Stakeholder Communication & Partner Liaison
16. Acting as a senior contact for partner-related communications, drafting responses to complex enquiries and ensuring alignment with commercial commitments.
17. Liaising with chefs, bartenders, hoteliers, sponsors and their PR teams with professionalism and confidence.
Brand-First & Partnership PR
18. Developing and delivering brand-first publicity initiatives that sit alongside the awards cycle, supporting the continued rollout and evolution of the 50 Best brand.
19. Generating proactive ideas and media opportunities that amplify 50 Best’s global partnerships, ensuring communications are led by the 50 Best brand rather than acting as partners’ PR.
20. Identifying and executing storytelling opportunities that maximise partnership value while remaining proprietary to 50 Best and aligned with brand positioning.
21. Working closely with Partnerships and Brand teams to ensure integrated communications planning and strong visibility for partners within 50 Best-owned narratives.
22. Bringing a creative, ideas-driven approach to year-round brand storytelling, helping to move communications beyond solely an event-delivery model.
Management & Administration
23. Helping to support a team of 3on day-to-day task execution and administrative duties.
24. Overseeing management of the Media Centre led by Assistant PR & Communications Manager and PR Account Executives.
25. Meeting team and company deadlines.
26. Communicating effectively and transparently with your team.
27. Attending weekly team meetings and reporting on activity.
28. Assisting the PR team in ensuring that all PR agencies preliminary and post-event PR reports are completed to a high standard and include all relevant data for partners.
General
29. Maintaining an awareness of hospitality industry news in relevant markets.
30. Reviewing publications and sharing relevant articles of interest with wider team.
31. Keeping abreast of relevant industry events where 50 Best should have a presence as well as media developments including changes to journalist’s roles and the changing media landscape, where possible.
Requirements
What you will bring:
32. 6-7 years previous experience working in communications and publications (agency or in-house).
33. Exposure to international communication including international PR, knowledge of media landscape outside the UK, managing PR events outside the UK.
34. Experience in PR event communication with significant attendance.
35. A proven track record in developing and delivering consumer-facing brand PR campaigns both at local and international level which deliver results.
36. Experience and an understanding of media needs and relationships on an international basis.
37. Strong communication and presentation skills – written and verbal.
38. Excellent collaborative team-working skills; a positive and professional attitude.
39. Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate and forge relationships with the internal team and externally with media.
40. An ability to thrive under pressure and to work at speed around events and on the ground at events.
41. Excellent organisational and planning skills with the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and forward plan.
42. A sense of responsibility and accuracy with, with excellent attention to detail.
43. The ability to keep information confidential.
44. A keen interest in the world of restaurants, bars and hotels.
45. Excellent knowledge of Cision (or equivalent media monitoring platforms), PowerPoint, and Adobe packages is desirable
46. An ability and willingness to travel nationally and internationally.
47. Experience working in house and at a PR agency would be beneficial.
48. Fluency in other languages would be a distinct advantage.