Corporate Social Responsibility Manager – Starbucks

Job description / Role

When you think of a great coffeehouse, you think of finely roasted beans hand-selected from the world's best coffee growing countries. You think of exotic flavours that combine delicious taste and mouthwatering texture. You think of delicious hot, iced and blended beverages pairing perfectly with freshly baked pastries. You thinkof Starbucks ®.
The Starbucks Experience is more than a cup of coffee. You get more than a simple coffee when you visit a Starbucks® store - you get great people, first-rate music, a comfortable and upbeat meeting place, and sound advice on brewing excellent coffee at home.
It is also the conversation and environment that surround a customer's experience. In part, that means creating a comfortable oasis away from the demands of work and home.

The Role:

absolutely amazing opportunity has arisen with Starbucks.
Focused on building the brand reputation and image, Starbucks Middle East is strategically managing its reputation on a national and regional level.
The profile of the role will be to ensure that all communications activity in the MENA region is consistent with global strategy. You will ensure that proactive external communications and media programmes are in place for the region to continuously build and protect Starbucks' reputation amongst targeted customers and media, and support managing incident and crises effectively, all consistent with defined brand values.
You will lead innovative creation of new approaches to build positive perceptions, and proactively leverage tools and best practices handed by international support centres.

Responsibilities:

* Understand the Starbucks brand, organisation and cultureÂ
* Work with the corporate and EMEA PA team to help understand and shape global and regional strategies and ensure they reflect regional needs
* Prioritise key community partnerships and initiatives to support the regional business and set measurable goalsÂ
* Pro-actively identify and anticipate any reputation shifts with media in territory
* Provide direction and guidance to the regional PA team on all aspects of communications
* Work with Head of PA of Starbucks Middle East to build an appropriate organisation and develop understanding and capability throughout the MENA region to ensure that communications objectives are met
* Develop a yearly CSR plan that is consistent with global and regional strategy and defined brand values and contains key measures of success
* Have local Communications Agencies and Ops teams to support and manage the agencies and partners towards agreed goals
* Manage the regional CSR budget
* Measure community programs results against globally, regionally and locally agreed KPI'sÂ
* Ensure there are local communications agencies to support and manage the agencies towards agreed goals
* Know the key regional media, understand their agenda and drive an open and constructive dialogue with them
* Daily management of local communications agencies across the MENA region

Requirements

* Educated to university level, with degree in PR, communications or journalism
* Understanding of the MENA and Pan-Arab media scene with strong established contacts
* Background of working both at a corporate and brand level
* Fluent in Arabic and English (spoken and written)
* Structured and creative thinker able to think at a corporate level and able to assess and respond quickly to emerging issues and opportunities
* At least 7 years of relevant experience at a high level company or a large communication agency
* Strong experience in planning and implementing media programmes across multiple countries

About the Company

As a leading international franchise operator, with nearly 90 of the world’s most recognised brands in its portfolio, Alshaya Group brings great shopping, dining, leisure and hospitality experiences to millions of customers across the Middle East & North Africa, Russia, Turkey, Europe and beyond.

Alshaya Group is a dynamic multinational business and family owned enterprise with a consistent record of growth and innovation. For 35 years, Alshaya has been a pioneering force in brand franchising, using its exceptional knowledge and experience to expand at pace.

Our portfolio of well-loved international brands includes Starbucks, H&M, Mothercare, Debenhams, American Eagle Outfitters, P.F. Chang’s, The Cheesecake Factory, The Body Shop, M.A.C, Victoria’s Secret, Boots, Pottery Barn, KidZania and, coming soon, Hampton by Hilton.

From one retail franchise store opened in Kuwait in 1983, Alshaya Group has consistently grown and diversified and today offers customers an unparalleled choice of brands across multiple sectors; Fashion & Footwear, Health & Beauty, Food, Optics, Pharmacy, Home Furnishings, Leisure & Entertainment, and Hotels. A diverse, skilled team of 53,000 people from 120 nationalities support more than 4,000 stores, cafes, restaurants and leisure destinations, a growing online business and a commitment to delivering great customer experiences.