The institutional relations manager is the professional responsible for communicating information of interest about a sector, activity or group to public, institutional or private institutions in a transparent way.
In modern democracies, freedom of speech is exercised not only by individuals but also through public or private civil society organisations.

In this regard, institutional relations are a way of channelling this freedom of expression and establishing communication between different public and private entities. Therefore, the work of institutional relations managers is associated with the right of businesses and institutions to communicate their interests and their situation and advocate for changes to legislation that affects them.

Thus, institutional relations can be defined as a professional activity that consists of defending the legitimate interests of groups and companies before public or private administrations and communicating information about a particular sector, activity or group in a transparent manner. Finally, they perform an essential function in the process of democratic societal development.

• Communicate the legitimate interests of companies or sectors to government administrations in general and in particular to legislative and executive powers at the European, national and regional levels.
• Develop plans, programmes and procedures aimed at strengthening relations between the businesses and the community, other businesses and public and private organisations at the local, national and international levels.
• Promote and manage agreements with other companies and public or private entities at the local, national and international levels.
• Represent the company before public and private bodies at the national and international levels at the request of the CEO under the prevailing protocol of the business, country or public institution with whom they are dealing.
• Advise senior management with respect to their powers and coordinate different divisions of the company in the programming and execution of internal and external actions or events.
• Report to the CEO and other executives about local, regional, national and international events that are related directly or indirectly to the company¿s sector and assess the suitability of participating in them.
• Coordinate the research, delivery, publishing and distribution of institutional and sector publications when necessary.
• Prepare institutional publications and presentations for any media outlet.
• Ensure that company-produced documentation adheres to the company's prevailing code of conduct and protocol and safeguards its image.
• Monitor public policies that pertain to the sector in which they work.
• Inform the CEO of the company's commitment to society, government agencies and other companies, and produce documentation that is useful for analysing the pros and cons of these commitments. This analysis helps the company identify its interests and propose solutions to promote any needed changes in legislation.

Regulated training and graduates

The institutional relations manager must have the following qualifications:

• Diploma, degree or professional qualification in any professional field, preferably in law, combined with a specialised course in institutional relations; or

• A degree or diploma in event management, institutional relations and protocol.

• Grau: Comunicació cultural
• Grau: Audiovisual i multimèdia
• Grau: Comunicació
• Grau: Comunicació audiovisual
• Grau: Comunicació i industries culturals
• Grau: Publicitat i relacions públiques
• Grau: Publicitat, màrqueting i relacions públiques
• Grau: Comunicació i periodisme audiovisuals
• Grau: Periodisme
• Grau: Gestió i Administració pública
• Grau: Ciències polítiques i de l'Administració
• Grau: Ciència política i gestió pública
• Grau: Administració d'empreses i gestió de la innovació

Complementary training

Institutional relations managers must have a global vision of their company and its interests at the local, national and international levels. It is thus advisable to receive training related to international trade law if not acquired through base level training. It is also essential to have knowledge of protocol and institutional relations, which can be acquired by means of a degree or diploma in event management, institutional relations and protocol, or by taking specialised courses in the following areas:

• Institutional relations and protocol.

• Official state protocol.

• International protocol.

• Protocol within the relevant sector.

• Management and negotiation techniques.

Other specific skills

Institutional relations managers must have an advanced level of English as they will most likely use this language to interact with other professionals when dealing with public institutions (government, universities and others) as well as multinational companies or companies with a strong presence abroad. In addition, they will most likely have to administrate information in English and write reports in this language. An intermediate level in another foreign language is generally required (French, German, Chinese, etc.) based on relatively close relations that the company or public institution has with other countries.

They must be advanced users of office, email and internet browsing programmes.

Leadership: Level 2

Communication: Level 4

Strategic orientation: Level 3

Networking: Level 2

Commitment to the organisation: Level 3

Planning and organisation: Level 3

Customer service

Direct and personal interaction with people and relating to the public are highly-motivating activities for individuals who have an interest in the field of customer service. A focus on people and on satisfying customers' needs is key in the occupations included in this field. These jobs entail the need to know suitable techniques for attending to the public and being able to give appropriate service that is tailored to their needs and expectations. Good examples are activities which offer assistance and guidance during functions, trips or at facilities, and those which provide advice in relation to products and services.

Communication

Those who show a preference for the field of communication are interested in the generation and dissemination of information. This information, however, can have various purposes: provide information on events and occurrences, generate public opinion on a certain topic or promote and publicise a service or product. Carrying out these activities requires knowledge of various techniques aimed at communication, persuasion and marketing.

Legal

People who are interested in the legal field like occupations related to legislation and the law. This field of interest includes advising people and institutions in legal matters, representing them in judicial processes and managing the documentation and procedures necessary for these processes. Carrying out these activities entails the study and knowledge of legal regulations and matters in their various scopes of application.

Public Relations Manager

Expert in political and institutional communications

Lobbying expert

Project Manager

Director of communication

• Work hours

  Full working day in the mornings and afternoons with flexible hours in accordance with the needs of the company. Institutional relations managers in multinational companies should have availability to travel.

• Salary

  Remuneration is calculated in accordance with hours worked, experience and the level of responsibility assumed. Earnings normally range from €52.023 to €78.874 gross per annum. Median: 64.057 euros annum gross.
  
  Source: Report "Observatory of Jobs and Salaries of the Labour Market. Barcelona Activa", elaborated by ICSA Grupo. April 2015.

• Professional category

  Manager