The pathway
How you actually get there, here
How you become one varies far more by country than what one does. This is the UK route. Most people take one of these ways in; the right one depends on where you're starting from.
- 1
Crisis Preparedness Specialist (L2)
2-3 yearsSkills to master
- Mastering the execution of crisis plans, co-facilitating smaller drills, drafting holding statements, and managing crisis documentation. You'll need to show you can reliably deliver.
You're ready to move on when
- Consistently delivering accurate and timely crisis plan updates.
- Successfully co-facilitating at least 3-4 tabletop exercises.
- Proactively identifying minor gaps in existing plans and proposing solutions.
- Demonstrating strong independent problem-solving on routine crisis preparedness tasks.
- 2
Senior Corporate Communications Specialist (with crisis exposure)
3-5 yearsSkills to master
- This path requires you to have gained significant experience in broader corporate comms, but with a strong emphasis on issues management, media relations during sensitive periods, and some involvement in incident response. You'll need to show you can handle high-stakes messaging.
You're ready to move on when
- Successfully managed communications for several sensitive corporate issues (e.g., redundancies, regulatory changes).
- Proven ability to draft and secure approval for complex, high-stakes messaging.
- Experience working directly with senior leaders on communication strategy.
- A clear understanding of the media landscape and how to manage media enquiries during challenging times.
- 3
Business Continuity Analyst (with Comms focus)
3-4 yearsSkills to master
- You'll have a good grasp of overall business continuity planning, including business impact analysis and disaster recovery, but with a specific focus on the communication aspects. You'll need to show you understand the wider resilience picture.
You're ready to move on when
- Experience developing and testing business continuity plans.
- A solid understanding of interdependencies between business functions during disruption.
- Demonstrable ability to integrate communication plans into broader BCPs.
- Strong analytical skills to assess operational risks and their communication implications.