PR & Communications Specialist (3 - 6 months Maternity Cover)

Overview

We are seeking a bilingual PR & Communications Specialist to join Knight Frank’s MENA Marketing & Communications team on a freelance basis. The role is contracted through our Dubai office and can be performed remotely, with attendance at the office and at events as required.

Reporting to the Head of Marketing & Communications, the role covers public relations, media relations, thought leadership, event communications and corporate content across the region.

Fluency in Arabic and English is essential. A core part of the role is translating and transcreating English content into Arabic, and making sure Knight Frank’s messaging reads naturally and accurately in both languages. The successful candidate will work closely with partners, service-line heads and the wider Marcomms team, turning business news, expertise and activity into clear, credible communications.

Responsibilities

• Draft press releases on deals, partnerships, senior appointments and corporate updates, and manage the process from gathering stakeholder input through approval and distribution.
• Press releases on Research outputs to be drafted by analysts and distributed by PR & Comms specialist, in partnership with Research team.
• Handle media enquiries, working with internal stakeholders and Research team on responses, coordinating with journalists and media outlets.
• Build targeted media lists, distribute announcements, and monitor resulting coverage.
• Prepare coverage reports, sharing internally to agreed reporting format and cadence.
• Draft opinion pieces, bylined articles, thought-leadership content, and social media content - helping senior stakeholders develop their ideas into media-ready commentary that reflects Knight Frank’s positioning and tone of voice.
• Coordinate stakeholder participation in external events and speaking engagements, liaising with organisers on engagement opportunities, session details, logistics and speaker requirements.
• Work in partnership with Research team where event participation and speaking engagements are linked to approved Research content.
• Draft pre- and post-event social media content and maintain the events calendar.
• Write, edit and proofread corporate content, including brochures, reports, whitepapers, eDMs, blogs, website and social media copy.
• Adapt long-form content such as whitepapers and research into shorter formats for social media, blogs and eDMs.
• Develop communications for new joiners and senior appointments across press, video scripting, eDM and social channels.
• Draft new starter partner-level communications and maintain stakeholder biographies.
• Translate and transcreate press releases, website copy, blogs, social media and eDMs into Arabic, and review existing Arabic content for accuracy, readability and consistency.
• Develop communications frameworks and plans for external communications, Knight Frank initiatives and the intranet, covering key messages, audiences, channels and content.
• Manage approvals with Marcomms and relevant stakeholders, incorporating feedback so that final copy is accurate and ready to publish.

Skills and Qualifications

• Native-level written and spoken Arabic and English, with proven translation and transcreation experience is essential.
• Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Public Relations, Journalism, Marketing or a related field.
• 3+ years of PR, communications or content experience, ideally gained in-house or at an agency within real estate, professional services or a related B2B sector.
• Strong media relations experience in the UAE and/or Saudi Arabia, including established journalist contacts.
• Excellent writing, editing and proofreading skills, with experience writing press releases, op-eds and corporate content.
• Experience developing communications plans and frameworks, not only executing tactical activity.
• Confidence working with senior stakeholders, including turning technical or rough input into clear, publishable content.
• Strong organisational skills and the ability to manage several projects, deadlines and approval processes at once.
• Good judgement and discretion when handling confidential or commercially sensitive information, adhering to company policy and best practice at all times.
• Familiarity with tools such as Monday.com, SharePoint and media monitoring or distribution platforms would be an advantage.