Public Relations Lead

Public Relations Lead

Location: Chadstone, Victoria, AU

About us

At Officeworks we make bigger things happen. Our customers, our team, and our community are our heart and soul. And if our brilliant people have taught us anything, it is that we can do all kinds of incredible things, each and every day.

Fast paced. Innovative. Inspiring. With close to 10,000 team members and a national footprint of more than 173 retail stores Australia wide – we’re focused on delivering a wide range, low price and great service. We’re about inspiring new ideas and thinking outside the box. We’re about kicking goals, having a laugh and pushing each other. We are about being rewarded and supported. We’re about teaching a customer something new and supporting the community. We’re about making a difference.

About the role

Play a critical role in shaping public conversation, protecting brand reputation, and driving trust in one of Australia’s most recognised brands. Your work will matter and it will be visible.

As PR Lead, you’ll take ownership of delivering end-to-end public relations activity spanning consumer and corporate PR, media relations, and issues and crisis communications. Working closely with the Corporate Affairs and Community Manager, you’ll partner with internal and external stakeholders to help drive earnings while protecting and enhancing Officeworks’ reputation, aligned to our broader business strategy. From proactive storytelling and media engagement to managing issues and crisis communications, this role offers breadth, challenge, and the chance to work across consumer, corporate, and internal PR.

You’ll partner with passionate teams across marketing, merchandise, events, and internal communications, working together to deliver integrated campaigns and standout PR moments. With strong stakeholder access and support from experienced leaders, you’ll have the autonomy to influence strategy, make decisions, and bring your ideas to life.

This role offers the opportunity to shape meaningful narratives, influence key moments, and contribute to making Officeworks one of the most trusted brands in Australia.

As our PR Lead, you will:

• Drive PR strategy and execution-Support the development and delivery of a robust PR strategies and campaigns that advance organisational objectives and strengthens brand trust across Australia.
• Build relationships -Build strong journalist relationships, identify news opportunities, and position Officeworks in relevant national conversations.
• Manage budgets with discipline-Maintain and track PR budgets, ensuring monthly forecasts remain accurate and aligned with full year financial allocations.
• Protect and enhance reputation-Proactively identify potential issues and crises, developing strategic communications plans and materials for timely implementation. Ensure clear information flow, adherence to agreed frameworks, and ongoing stakeholder engagement during sensitive moments.
• Create standout PR moments-Bring experience across internal communications and events, with a strong instinct for identifying and delivering compelling PR opportunities that resonate with both internal and external audiences. This requires a flexible, integrated mindset and the ability to work seamlessly across disciplines to maximise storytelling impact.
• Measure and report on PR effectiveness –Track performance across media coverage, sentiment, and campaign impact, using insights to continuously improve outcomes.
• Stakeholder management:Act as a trusted advisor to senior stakeholders, providing clear, strategic counsel on reputational risk and opportunity.
• Lead agency and partner management– Manage external PR agency partners and other suppliers to ensure strong execution, clear direction, and alignment to business objectives.

This is a role for someone who loves crafting meaningful narratives, ones that connect with customers, team members, media, and the broader community. The role is based at our Chadstone Support Office, offering a hybrid working arrangement of 3 days in the office and the remainder of your week from home. This role is being offered as a 12 month fixed term contract opportunity.

About you

You’re curious and committed to staying current with communications best practice and industry trends. You are a strong leader and trusted advisor with proven senior stakeholder engagement skills, comfortable operating in at pace and pressure situations including crisis and reputation management. In addition, you will have:

• Degree-qualified in Communications or a related field, with 5+ years’ relevant PR or corporate communications experience
• Background in either in-house or agency environments, with experience spanning corporate strategy, consumer PR, financial results, and issues management
• Proven experience developing and delivering integrated communications and PR strategies
• Strong commercial writing capability (media releases, issues and crisis materials, digital and social content)
• Highly organised, with excellent planning, prioritisation, and project management skills including planning and delivering internal and external events
• Proactive, adaptable, and confident working through ambiguity and change

Our culture

If you’re searching for an organisation that’s truly committed to its people, where you can thrive in a culture of togetherness, then join Officeworks and let’s make bigger things happen – for all of us! We celebrate our teams’ uniqueness by offering genuine team member benefits to the Officeworks family:

• We’re all about giving you the flexibility you need to keep things balanced to suit your individual needs.
• Enjoy generous discounts across Officeworks, Geeks2U, Bunnings, Kmart, Target and the wider Wesfarmers brands.
• Access to our Officeworks benefits program for exclusive discounts and perks across entertainment, travel, lifestyle, and health.
• Our Growing Families Policy supports team members during the exciting and challenging times of expanding their family
• We prioritise safety, mental health and wellbeing, offering access to our Employee Assistance Program (EAP) as well as other ongoing programs
• Our Flexible Public Holidays Policy supports those who observe cultural or religious holidays different from the standard public holidays in Australia
• Take advantage of outstanding learning and development programs to support your career growth
• Explore fantastic career opportunities across the broader Wesfarmers Group.

At Officeworks, we operate best when our team represents the communities we serve. We proudly commit to providing a safe and supportive work environment for our team. We encourage applications from all candidates of all ages, cultures (including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples), people with disabilities, and the LGBTQI+ community.

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