Account Director, Public Relations

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Job description

About TEAM LEWIS

The company is an integrated creative marketing agency that has gone from start-up to multi-national in a little over two decades. The company now ranks in the top 40 agencies worldwide and has 24 offices. Its success is due to a combination of factors: talented people delivering award winning campaigns; expanding client relationships into new markets or services; making strategic acquisitions. The agency, its people and client campaigns have won many prestigious awards, including Cannes Lions, Digital Impact, Holmes Report, ICCO, PRCA and European Excellence.

Purpose of the role

The Account Director is a senior strategic and creative client-facing position providing leadership to a team of account executives and account managers. This person will work with the senior management team to ensure that their office delivers a creative and forward-thinking client service. They are responsible for meeting client expectations and ensuring the client is kept fully up to date with critical activity on the account. In addition they are responsible for developing that relationship by identifying and selling additional services, thereby impacting revenues and income.

Key responsibilities and tasks

Client Management

• Engages in and ensures a strategic relationship with the client, providing insight and partnership across all aspects of the marketing and communications spectrum
• Responsible for ensuring excellent client communication at all levels; defining KPIs, deadlines and service agreements
• Delivers an added-value consultancy and works closely with clients to deliver campaigns, services and products across traditional and emerging communications channels
• Plays an integral role in the senior management team, ensuring account profitability and optimizing the impact of revenues on the business
• Leads the new business process in collaboration with the Business Development Director, making key decisions and playing a crucial role in selling LEWIS credentials throughout the tender process

Media relations

• Maximizes media relations activity on behalf of the client via an in depth knowledge of team networks
• Recognizes and creates media opportunities for the client in line with wider industry activity
• Shares their detailed knowledge of the media landscape with team members, operating as a significant contributor in the tech, digital and consumer space
• Utilizes their network to create and maximize client coverage, advising on potential narrative, storytelling and thought leadership opportunities
• Maximizes their team's understanding of current affairs by promoting a commitment to understanding the news agenda

Content

• Oversees the creation of high quality and engaging content, providing knowledgeable quality control and guidance to all relevant colleagues
• Works with the client to develop and implement an impactful content strategy
• Works with the creative team to improve own and others knowledge of content trends, driving a commitment to excellent story-telling across the business

Digital / Social media

• Uses social media to recognize trends and proactively promotes new tools, solutions and processes to continuously evolve and optimize client PR campaigns across the business
• Provides social media insight as well as strategic management of client activity
• Works collaboratively with the digital team to increase the utilization and selling of digital services

Teamwork and development

• Takes overall leadership responsibility for the account team, including coaching, supervision, assessment and reviews of all team members
• Sets strategic team objectives on a weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual basis
• Defines deliverable client objectives and sets standards of excellence for all client activity, driving commitment from all levels of the team
• Monitors team activity levels against budget, increasing fees and negotiating with clients and suppliers where necessary
• Plays a leading role in the new business process, project managing pitch teams and delivering credible solutions to new business challenges
• Acts as leader in guiding colleagues on how to best manage campaigns and projects
• Acts as a respected line manager, working closely with line reports to maximize strengths, improve weaknesses and support career development
• Works with the Talent team to recruit high calibre candidates into the team and develop and initiate hiring strategy in line with projected organizational requirements
• Work with the HR team to reward, retain and develop the team and resolve any performance issues

Reporting and analysis

• Ensures profitability on all accounts and effectively manages budgets
• Understands and maximizes the impact of client revenues on the business
• Communicates account performance internally and provide strategic advice to the client based on measurable analysis
• Monitors and reports on account KPIs and ensure accurate reporting by junior team members
• Provides detailed reports to the Account Director or senior management team on request

General

• Runs and supports training sessions, with a view to maximizing opportunities to expand team skills and grow revenues
• Take a proactive role in promoting the LEWIS brand, its identity, values and work
• Support the HR / talent team by promoting both internal and external opportunities at LEWIS across social media and via the referral scheme
• Overall, be a guardian of best marketing practice

About you

• Highly commercial, with strong strategic client consultancy skills
• Relevant experience of working in a B2B, corporate, consumer or digital communications agency environment at a Senior Account Manager or Account Director level
• Well versed in social media and the integration of digital marketing into the PR landscape
• A track record of retention and the profitable growth of existing accounts
• Considered, assertive and influential; a leader with the aptitude to develop and motivate a team
• Able to provide consultancy on PR requirements as well as broader marketing strategy
• Demonstrable success at securing new business and increasing client revenues

Benefits and Perks

• Competitive salary dependent on experience
• 20 days' vacation per year
• Health insurance; life insurance (eligible day 1 of employment)
• 401k with 2% employer match (eligible after 30 days of employment)

This job description is not intended to be an exhaustive list of the responsibilities for this role. Other responsibilities may be added from time to time.

TEAM LEWIS is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to creating and fostering an environment focused on equality, empowerment and respect. We strive to create an inclusive workplace that supports and celebrates our diversity. We continue to invest in our efforts to ensure that TEAM LEWIS is a place where everyone can thrive.