PR GROUP ACCOUNT DIRECTOR: B2B PORTFOLIO: FULL-SERVICE COMMUNICATIONS & PR AGENCY
PR Account Director – Public Relations / Corporate Communications, PR Managing Director – Public Relations / Corporate Communications
JHB – Gauteng
We have a fantastic hybrid opportunity for an experienced PR Group Account Director to work on the Corporate/B2B portfolio at a fast-growing, full-service Communications and PR agency’s Johannesburg office.
We are looking for an experienced corporate Group Account Director who has solid experience working in a PR agency with medium and large clients to head up a client service team and manage 5 staff.
B2B/Corporate client experience working on multiple local and global brands is also a must. It is essential that you have strong client relationship and people management skills and work with a degree of independence as you lead and manage a team of PR professionals to deliver exceptional outcomes for clients.
As PR Group Account Director, you will be required to champion the agency’s values and brand, develop senior press relationships, and manage contacts with key industry influencers. Formulating business strategy in conjunction with other directors and reporting to Exco are also important aspects of the job.
Of paramount importance, is ensuring consistency of service delivery in line with company policies, while achieving exceptional outcomes for current clients.
Are you ready to use your expertise to lead and grow this adaptive and agile agency with ‘start-up’ energy? Apply today!
Responsibilities
General
- Identify potential new clients to earn referral commission
- Identify public relations requirements and possible audiences
- Tracking metrics across all channels to measure the success of PR initiatives
- Be capable of making decisions that will impact the company’s public image
- Ensure PR projects from conception to execution, ensuring alignment with client objectives, budgets and agency performance standards
- Ensure revenue goals are achieved/met and quarterly targets
- Responsible for retaining clients
- Drive progress forward
- Senior contact for client accounts
- Presenting findings to the senior management.
Account Coordination
- Oversee and maintain client accounts
- Keep accounts on track with client goals
- Manage and approve all client budgets and determine resource allocation as needed
- Working with the accounts team to put together client proposals and implement PR activities
- Analyse PR coverage about clients and products
- Provide strategic guidance to the accounts team on how best to serve clients
- Provide creative input for marketing strategies.
Client Relationships
- Build and maintain strong relationships with clients
- Regular cooperation with clients and media for new content
- Responsible for client satisfaction
- Elevate significant priorities and bigger picture opportunities and challenges by liaising with accounts strategic leader
- Lead and recommend client meetings, calls, and other timely discussions, as needed
- Ensure the needs of clients are met
- Identify opportunities for clients with regard to other services they might want/need
- Ensure deliverables are of the required quality/ standard
- Attend client events and industry conferences
- Respond effectively and efficiently to client emails, calls, and or WhatsApp messages
- Manage a high level of client interaction
- Ability to present complex information effectively and manage a diverse range of media to promote brands or products
- Offering crisis management and counsel to clients
- Interpret client briefs and ensure the smooth running of campaigns from conception to execution.
Media Expertise & Monitoring
- Lead media outreach strategy discussions with an eye to client sensitivities and needs
- Provide strategic recommendations to clients on media outreach that is both newsworthy and tied to the client’s bottom-line business goals.
- Build and maintain relationships with media, influencers, and colleagues
- Engage with journalists, answer questions during press conferences, and analyse PR coverage to ensure the company’s message is accurately conveyed
- Conduct high-energy media training sessions.
Other
- Formulate strategies
- Work according to agreed communication plans
- Interact regularly with the line manager on progress and updates
- Work closely with Account Managers, Senior Account Managers and Account Directors to delegate work and ensure they execute their daily tasks
- Approve detailed copies and proofread invitations, newsletters, and reports
- Work according to critical timelines and plans
- Brainstorm fresh new ideas for client campaigns/ projects and pitch them to clients
- Adjust strategies as needed to meet targets and client expectations
- Develop news angles, stories, and pitches to further the client’s profile, products, and services
- Nurture talent and upskill the team
- Identify and win new business
- Schedule and lead regular (monthly) sessions with all reports to ensure their alignment with KPIs.
Requirements
The successful candidate must have/be:
- A PR Diploma or Degree
- At least 10 years of Public Relations experience
- Work across multiple diverse teams and accounts
- Proficiency in GSuite (Google Workspace)
- Understanding of Microsoft (MS Office)
- Understanding of social networks
- Available to work outside of office hours when needed
- Available to travel when required
- Able to manage and lead a team
- A passion for storytelling, and possess the ability to influence and persuade
- A proven track record in pitching and winning new business
- Experience working on agency teams for large brands
- Ability to work independently as well as collaboratively at all levels – a must
- Experience with local and international brands
- Creative thinking
- Excellent project management skills and ability to multitask and be adept at handling multiple projects and teams simultaneously
- Eager to contribute
- Understands the importance of meeting deadlines and keeping to it, ensuring teams do the same
- Strong self-management and time-keeping skills
- Exceptional attention to detail
- Excellent verbal and written (traditional and digital) communication skills
- Looks for creative approaches to work and alert seniors to opportunities/problems
- Excellent presentation skills
- Excellent telephone etiquette
- Demonstrates strategic thinking
- Supervise, guide, and mentor members of the team to develop industry skills
- Collaborate and has clear and consistent communication between clients and the PR team
- Analytical and business-oriented
- Keep abreast of current PR trends and tools
- Aa strong sense of ethics and integrity
- Strong leadership skills
- Ability to read a room and tailor your message and style for the audience
- Strong finance and budgeting skills
- Excellent problem solving
- Ability to analyse complex data
- Strong negotiation skills
- Talent development expertise.
If you don’t have the relevant experience required for this role, please consider your application unsuccessful.
City: Johannesburg
Level of Expertise: Senior
Remuneration: Negotiable
Consultant: Tamara
Reference Number: #Tam842
