Head of Communications & External Affairs, Castrol (Americas)

About this role

Entity: People, Culture & Communications Job Family Group: Communications & External Affairs Group Job Description: The Head of Communications & External Affairs, Castrol (Americas) leads internal and external communications, partner engagement and external affairs across the region, aligning delivery with global strategy and market priorities.

Partnering closely with the Americas PU Lead, this role delivers integrated communications and external affairs strategies that strengthen reputation, support commercial priorities and engage employees across the region.

The role supervises regional and country communications channels, employee engagement, communications, and crisis and issues management. It also supports partner engagement, advocacy and performance, ensuring Castrol’s positions and relationships are developed across audiences.

Key Responsibilities

1. Regional Communications Leadership

• Develop and deliver the Americas communications strategy in support of Castrol’s commercial priorities and growth agenda. • Translate global frameworks into regional plans, balancing consistency with local market, cultural and regulatory needs. • Serve as the communications adviser to the Americas PU Lead on messaging, engagement and positioning.

2. External Communications & Reputation Building

• Lead external critical communications across the Americas, including media relations, thought leadership, positioning and reputation building. Partner with Marketing to align product and external communications with the wider strategy. • Monitor competitive, geopolitical, regulatory and policy developments to keep communications and engagement relevant, aligned and risk-aware.

3. External Affairs, Partner Engagement & Advocacy

• Develop regional external affairs plans aligned with business priorities, reputational objectives and market issues. • Build trusted relationships with industry bodies, policymakers, community customers and other external partners. • Support government relations-adjacent activity, ensuring consistency and compliance across markets. • Identify and handle emerging policy, regulatory, societal and reputational issues that could affect Castrol’s licence to operate or commercial agenda. • Support advocacy by shaping clear, credible positions and engagement strategies on priority topics. • Partner with relevant functions to support social performance and a consistent approach to external partners' engagement across markets.

4. Internal Communications & Engagement

• Handle regional internal channels to ensure clear, consistent communication across operations, sales, supply chain, technology centres and corporate offices. • Ensure employees understand Castrol’s business goals, regional priorities and cultural expectations. • Support internal communications by localizing content and delivering regional engagement moments.

5. Crisis Communications & Issues Management

• Lead crisis communications for the region, working closely with global crisis and issues teams. • Lead rapid, accurate and coordinated communications during safety, environmental, operational and reputational incidents. • Prepare leaders for high-pressure situations through briefing materials, messaging and scenario exercises. • Lead issues management by identifying external risks, coordinating cross-functional responses and advising leaders on stakeholder-sensitive positioning.

6. Content Development & Channel Management

• Supervise high-quality regional content across channels, including media materials, leadership messages, intranet, digital screens, newsletters and social content in partnership with global teams. • Handle localisation of global campaigns to ensure culturally and linguistically effective delivery. • Ensure compliance with corporate and regulatory standards.

7. Partner Management & Cross Functional Partnership

• Partner with senior leaders and key functions, including P&C, Legal, HSE, Supply Chain and Marketing, to align communications and partner engagement. • Build strong relationships with country communications and external affairs contacts across the Americas to ensure alignment and effective local delivery. • Promote cross-regional learning and adoption of communications guideline. • Support engagement with internal and external partners on business priorities, reputational issues, advocacy opportunities and social performance.

8. Insights, Analytics & Continuous Improvement

• Track communications effectiveness through analytics, feedback and sentiment. • Continuously improve communications processes, tools and ways of working. • Find opportunities to innovate in engagement and channel use.

Qualifications & Experience

Required • Proven experience in communications and external affairs, ideally in the Americas. • Experience delivering communications in multi-country, culturally diverse environments. • Experience in external affairs, partner engagement, public policy, issues management or related fields. • Ability to handle sophisticated partner environments and advise leaders on reputational and external risk. • Strong understanding of policy, regulatory and partner landscapes across the Americas. • Strong understanding of cultural, geopolitical, regulatory and media environments across the Americas. • Proven track record in crisis and issues management. • Ability to work effectively with senior leaders and cross-functional partners. • Excellent written and verbal communication skills. • Strong project and channel leadership skills, with proficiency in digital communications tools. • Ability to manage pressure, prioritise effectively and deliver at pace.

Desirable

• Experience engaging with industry associations, policymakers, communities or external advocacy forums. • Experience in social performance, community engagement or licence-to-operate activity. • Experience in energy, automotive, lubricants, industrial or technology sectors. • Fluency in Spanish and/or Portuguese. • Exp

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