Public Affairs & Communications Director

AALTO, a global leader in Stratospace. Based in Farnborough, AALTO is an Airbus subsidiary that manufactures, operates, and delivers services with its solar-powered, stratospheric platform: Zephyr. Zephyr’s persistence enables continuous flight for months at a time. Its current flight-time record of over 67 days in the stratosphere. From above 60,000+ft, or 20km above ground, AALTO can deliver several applications including direct-to-device connectivity and high-resolution Earth observation. AALTO operates in a new operational layer between most of air traffic and low-Earth orbit, Stratospace. This is where high-altitude platforms led by Zephyr deliver services to commercial and government partners. We can help monitor environments, observe borders, track natural disasters and connect unconnected communities. Join us as we create a new domain of aerospace: Stratospace. You’ll be part of a highly-skilled, innovative and passionate group of people – Team AALTO. Together, we can Unlock Stratospace. About The Role The Public Affairs & Communications Director will shape AALTO’s reputation and stakeholder influence as the business scales Stratospace. Reporting to the VP Sales and Marketing and partnering closely with the CEO, the role leads public affairs, communications and senior stakeholder engagement across priority markets. This is a high-profile opportunity for a strategic leader who can secure trust, influence complex environments and support AALTO’s commercial and regulatory success. Responsibilities to include: · Lead AALTO’s global public affairs strategy, securing regulatory access and market confidence. · Build trusted senior relationships with governments, regulators and political stakeholders in priority markets. · Define AALTO’s external narrative around funding, operations, commercial progress and strategic milestones. · Lead corporate communications across media, executive positioning, employee engagement and leadership messaging. · Partner with the CEO and CFO on investor communications, fundraising narratives and strategic positioning. · Support market entry and growth through focused political engagement, advocacy and stakeholder mapping. · Act as a senior spokesperson and prepare leaders for high-stakes media and external engagements. · Shape executive communications for employees, board audiences and leadership forums. · Own crisis communications and issues management, advising leaders on sensitive reputational matters. Skills and Knowledge Required · Senior experience across government relations, public affairs and corporate communications. · Proven ability to influence senior external decision-makers and advise executive teams. · Strong communications judgement across policy, commercial, investor, media and employee audiences. · Exceptional writing skills, including speechwriting, scripting and executive messaging. · Commercial acumen and understanding of how reputation supports growth and market access. · Ability to balance strategic storytelling with regulatory sensitivity and operational credibility. · Deep crisis communications and issues-management expertise. · Credible leadership capability with strong relationship-building skills. · Track record managing senior media relationships and corporate reputation. · Experience engaging senior government, regulatory, trade body and industry stakeholders. · Comfort operating with pace, ambiguity and influence in an evolving business. In addition to an attractive market-aligned salary, we offer: Rewarding Excellence: Benefit from our short-term incentive plan that rewards your hard work and dedication. Enjoy Your Time Off: Benefit from 25 days of holiday to relax and recharge. Stay Healthy: We’ve got your health covered with private medical insurance, along with dental and optical cash back. Secure Your Future: Take advantage of our personal pension plan to ensure a comfortable retirement. Peace of Mind: Our income protection and life assurance schemes are there to support you when you need it most. Getting around: Drive the latest vehicles with our discounted salary sacrifice scheme. We Care About You: Our employee assistance programme is always available to provide the support you need. Perks Galore: Enjoy a range of employee discounts via Perkbox, from household goods to travel! Does this opportunity excite you but you’re not 100% sure if you meet all the requirements for the role? Or are you concerned that ‘normal’ office hours aren’t possible given your personal circumstances? Whilst we can’t accommodate every flexible working request, we’ll try to find a practical solution. So why not engage with us and find out more about this role? If this role isn’t quite what you’re looking for but are keen to be contacted about opportunities at AALTO, you can register your details here: https://careers.aaltohaps.com/connect