Strategic Campaign and Partnerships Specialist

Strategic Campaign & Partnerships Contractor Project Overview

An organisation operating within the public sector is seeking a Strategic Campaign & Partnerships Contractor who can be based in Galway, Mayo, Cork or Dublin to lead the development and delivery of evidence-led public campaigns, strategic partnerships, and high-impact activations that support national public awareness and behaviour-change priorities.

This role will connect research and audience insights with campaign strategy, creative development, media investment, partnership activation, and robust evaluation. The successful candidate will be required to balance innovative communications approaches with governance requirements, regulatory obligations, and reputational considerations associated with a high-profile public sector environment.

Contract Duration

The contract will commence as soon as possible and will run for an initial 12-month period, with the potential for two further 12-month extensions, giving a maximum contract duration of 36 months.

Position Summary

The Strategic Campaign & Partnerships Contractor will lead complex, multi-channel behaviour-change programmes from initial research and strategic brief through to creative development, production, media planning, activation, and evaluation. The role involves collaboration with government departments, public bodies, agencies, media organisations, broadcasters, event promoters, sporting and cultural organisations, community groups, and other key stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities Campaign Strategy & Creative Development

• Lead integrated behaviour-change campaigns across television, radio, outdoor, digital, social, experiential, and partnership channels.
• Translate research findings, policy objectives, audience insights, and performance data into strategic campaign briefs with clear objectives, target audiences, behavioural barriers, key messaging, and calls to action.
• Manage the creative development process from strategic concept through audience testing, refinement, production, and final implementation.
• Ensure all campaign outputs are engaging, accessible, evidence-based, and aligned with public-sector standards and sensitivities.
• Present strategic recommendations and campaign concepts to senior stakeholders, outlining rationale, risks, opportunities, and expected outcomes.

Strategic Partnerships & Public Engagement

• Identify, develop, negotiate, and manage partnerships that enhance campaign reach, engagement, and impact while safeguarding organisational integrity and reputation.
• Build and maintain relationships with public bodies, media organisations, broadcasters, event organisers, sporting and cultural institutions, community organisations, commercial partners, ambassadors, and influencers.
• Secure mutually beneficial partnership arrangements that provide audience access, operational support, and value for investment.
• Collaborate with internal education and engagement teams to support the planning and delivery of public awareness initiatives at major events and public gatherings.
• Oversee end-to-end activation delivery, including planning, stakeholder management, logistics, staffing, production, risk management, implementation, and post-event evaluation.
• Assess new partnership opportunities and provide recommendations regarding the appropriate level of organisational involvement.

Research, Insight & Campaign Evaluation

• Work closely with research teams and subject matter experts to ensure strategies and campaign activities are informed by credible evidence and insight.
• Analyse and interpret quantitative and qualitative research findings, considering methodology, sampling, data quality, bias, limitations, and validity.
• Differentiate between proven findings, informed conclusions, and unsupported assumptions.
• Translate complex research into actionable recommendations for agencies, partners, senior stakeholders, and broader audiences.
• Support the development of research briefs, measurement frameworks, and evaluation methodologies.
• Monitor campaign performance using attitudinal, behavioural, digital, media, and cost metrics to assess effectiveness and inform future planning.

Agency, Supplier & Production Management

• Lead agencies and supplier teams across strategy, creative, media, production, public relations, digital, experiential, and evaluation workstreams.
• Establish clear project briefs, deliverables, timelines, budgets, and governance processes.
• Manage content development, production approvals, accessibility requirements, legal review processes, risk management, and quality assurance.
• Review and challenge production estimates, agency scopes, supplier quotations, and third-party costs to ensure transparency and value for money.
• Maintain oversight of approved budgets, contractual commitments, amendments, reconciliations, and supplier performance in line with procurement requirements.

Media Planning & Budget Management

• Work with media planning partners to develop effective channel strategies based on campaign objectives, audience insights, and available evidence.
• Review media recommendations, audience targeting, channel selection, investment levels, scheduling, and added-value opportunities.
• Manage campaign and annual communications budgets within approved financial parameters.
• Monitor campaign performance and lead optimisation and post-campaign evaluation processes.

Governance & Stakeholder Management

• Establish campaign objectives, KPIs, and reporting frameworks to measure reach, engagement, behavioural impact, and value delivered.
• Collaborate with policy, education, communications, legal, procurement, finance, research, and operational teams to ensure campaigns are strategically aligned and appropriately governed.
• Identify reputational, legal, operational, financial, and public-safety risks and implement suitable mitigation measures.
• Navigate complex stakeholder relationships with professionalism and discretion while maintaining project momentum.
• Prepare reports and updates for senior leadership teams and governance committees and contribute to annual planning and continuous improvement initiatives.

Candidate Profile Essential Requirements

• Significant senior-level experience in strategic marketing, communications, integrated campaigns, partnerships, brand management, or a related field.
• Minimum five years' senior-level experience within a creative advertising, marketing, or integrated communications agency environment.
• Proven track record of leading large-scale, multi-channel public awareness or behaviour-change campaigns from concept through evaluation.
• Experience working within highly regulated, public-sector, or similarly accountable organisations.
• Demonstrated ability to balance agency, stakeholder, operational, and governance requirements.
• Strong experience developing and managing strategic partnerships across media, events, public sector, commercial, and community environments.
• Experience delivering campaigns and activations at major cultural, sporting, educational, or public events.
• Expertise in campaign strategy, creative evaluation, integrated production management, and production cost analysis.
• Experience working with media agencies on planning, budget allocation, optimisation, and performance measurement.
• Experience designing or managing campaign tracking and evaluation programmes.
• Strong research and analytical skills, including interpretation of quantitative and qualitative research findings.
• Demonstrated budget management, commercial negotiation, supplier management, and procurement experience.
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and external agencies to deliver high-quality outcomes.
• Excellent communication, presentation, negotiation, stakeholder management, and influencing skills.
• Strong understanding of accessibility requirements, content governance, legal review processes, and public communications standards.
• Strong political awareness, judgement, and discretion when working in sensitive and high-profile environments.
• Excellent project management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously.

Qualifications

• Relevant third-level qualification in Marketing, Communications, Public Relations, Business, Media, Research, or a related discipline, or equivalent professional experience.

Desirable Requirements

• Knowledge of public sector communications, public awareness campaigns, transport, health, safety, or behavioural change environments.
• Experience managing campaigns involving sensitive subject matter, vulnerable audiences, or significant public scrutiny.
• Familiarity with public-sector procurement, governance, reporting, and approval processes.
• Experience securing significant added value through partnership and sponsorship negotiations.
• Experience working with research providers and contributing to evaluation design and methodology development.
• Professional training or certifications in behaviour change, research, evaluation, project management, procurement, or related disciplines.

For more information, please email