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Senior Account Director - Technology, PR & Media Relation

Hill+Knowlton Strategies

About Hill & Knowlton

Hill & Knowlton is the global strategic communications leader for transformation. We help brands, businesses and leaders build reputation, manage risk, and create breakthrough opportunities for growth. Founded in 1927, today's Hill & Knowlton operates 70 offices in over 30 countries, providing advisory, public relations and creative solutions to local and global clients. Our global team offers integrated strategic services, grounded in deep sector expertise, and enabled by creativity and intelligence. Headquartered in New York, Hill & Knowlton is part of WPP, one of the world's largest communications services groups.

Senior Account Directors at Hill &Knowlton (H&K) take a leadership role in our business, working towards a place on the senior leadership team. You will be confident in managing the commercial aspects of a portfolio or practice, have the gravitas to deliver senior client counsel, and demonstrate the ability to inspire and lead a team.

With a broader view across a practice team and portfolio, the Senior Account Director seeks to secure the position of 'trusted consultant' at an increasingly senior level, has overall authority on accounts, and takes a lead role in strategic services such as Media Training, Crisis Management, and Messaging Development.

As a Senior Account Director, you will be passionate about continuing the professional development of your own career as well as those in your team, championing H&K standards and contributing to the strategic mission of the regional leadership team. You will have a positive reputation that is recognized across the wider agency and be known as a problem solver with strong business acumen, great analytical skills, and creative vision.

The following job description details the skills and competencies required for this level.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

In general, as a senior person you will perform within the following broad categories, allotting time, resources, and emphasis accordingly.

ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT

  • Leads teams to successful outcomes to clients and career growth for employees.
  • Acts as a trusted advisor to client leads, providing guidance and direction based on business/political issues relevant to the client organization.
  • Develop reputation internally, across H&K and within industry for specialism in a specific practice or discipline. Grow industry, influencer, and internal contacts to support your position.
  • Track current affairs, industry, and social trends, and apply knowledge and understanding in day-to-day business with clients and at H&K.
  • Be bold; Develop major creative and strategic campaigns from start to finish with excellent writing and presentation skills and minimal supervision from a Regional Director.
  • Regularly applies current affairs and business issues strategically to client needs.
  • Demonstrates clear competency managing complex programs/working in challenging situations, providing strategic direction on an account.
  • Takes a well-considered, purposeful approach to complex client challenges.
  • Demonstrates leadership in using, and advising on the integration of, multiple service offerings to address client challenges.
  • Hold client relationships at a senior level; deliver strategic counsel with confidence, maturity, and professionalism across all aspects of integrated communications strategy.
  • Be a trusted advisor to clients, adding value to client relationships and supporting clients in achieving their critical business objectives.
  • Be skilled at both long term and rea-time content creation and publishing strategies and tactics.
  • Own ultimate responsibility for ensuring projects is delivered on time, on budget and exceed client's expectations in terms of results and professionalism; manage resources, review, and approve client deliverables.
  • Confidently articulate and apply the 3P approach to existing + potential clients. Train teams on how to actively apply this approach.
  • Fluently and confidently discuss social and digital strategies with clients and drive escalation of knowledge in the team, continually learning the latest platforms, tools, technology, etc.
  • Consult on crisis communications in an integrated media environment and have experience in a support role.
  • Demonstrate understanding of earned, owned, shared, and paid channels, and recommend approach for each; display a passion and understanding for content marketing, ensuring all content is on brand, consistent in terms of style, tone and quality and optimised for all relevant channels.
  • Act as a leader in storytelling and propose innovative multi-channel content strategies for clients that generate new revenue streams.
  • Understand the central question model and use it in practice.
  • Understand the art of presentation skills and storytelling; bring ideas to life with the ability to adapt presentation styles to different audience
  • Applies creative thinking to client challenges and programs.
  • Works with team to guide the development of annual and project program plans.
  • Assigns tasks to team members.
  • Creates and maintains productive senior-level relationships with clients and stakeholders.
  • Presents program plans and results to senior client representatives.

PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION

  • Reviewing materials and writing confidential or complex materials.
  • Negotiating with high priority, third-party spokespeople.
  • Representing H&K and clients with stakeholders, customers, regulators.
  • Representing H&K and clients with other partners (direct marketing firms, advertising
  • agencies, etc.)

FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT

  • Management of and accountability for the profitability for larger, more complex accounts and/or management of performance and utilization of account teams
  • Actively manages the profitability and revenue growth of accounts.
  • Accurately recording time worked using Maconomy.
  • Ensuring account teams are billing their time accordingly.
  • Reviewing Job Status Reports (JSRs)
  • Preparing client invoice letters
  • Managing client budgets
  • Liaison with accounting for new client codes
  • Coordinating new client contracts
  • Filing expenses
  • Approving supplier invoices
  • Regularly activates and deploys firm's resources profitably.
  • Contributes accurately to forecasts used by senior management to develop business.
  • plans for the office and agency.

NEW BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

  • Demonstrates a business development mentality (net new and organic), managing pitch processes from identification through contracting for large and complex opportunities.
  • Explores and pursues external opportunities and interests to generate ideas and connect with potential clients.
  • Keeps an external focus on current events and trends and their impact on clients, potential clients, and the firm.
  • Explores new media sources, social media tools, and voices on issues to explore their possible impact on clients, potential clients, and the firm.
  • Networking/ attending firm-related functions.
  • Developing and following up with new business contacts.
  • Proposing new project ideas to existing clients (organic growth).
  • Completing H&K Pipeline Requirements

STAFF DEVELOPMENT

  • Mentors staff, offering guidance and support for career growth and skills acquisition.
  • Manages difficult employee communications to productive outcomes, provides constructive feedback.
  • Takes responsibility for and delivers performance reviews and goal setting with some employees.
  • Provides candidate leads to HR, participates in the selection process for new employees.
  • Assist in fostering a high performance led culture; play a central role in recruiting new talent and retention of existing talent in the team/agency.
  • Act as a strong leader with the ability to listen effectively and influence a team.
  • Actively contribute to the regional leadership in terms of agency/sector vision and be seen as a leader - displaying gravitas, managing difficult client relationships, and demonstrating an understanding of business finance.
  • Apply emotional intelligence in your role as Line Manager; develop SMART performance career plans for direct report/s, successfully manage employee issues and difficult employee communications, and mentor/coach team members to develop their potential.
  • Create and drive initiatives to strengthen skills, promote loyalty, enthusiasm and culture of a practice or the office through training and/or other responsibilities.
  • Support training and development as faculty and/or coach.

COMPETENCIES

  • Applies creative thinking and problem-solving to client and firm challenges.
  • Regularly provides sound strategic advice to clients in complex or challenging situations.
  • Uses media and stakeholder savvy to develop approaches that achieve client objectives.
  • Has a proven ability to motivate and manage a team to produce high-quality and on strategy client deliverables.
  • Is a persuasive and articulate communicator.
  • Adheres to deadlines.
  • A proven ability to deliver projects in spite of such things as delays, changes in direction, and revised budgets.

REQUIREMENTS & QUALIFICATIONS.

  • Post Graduate degree in relevant area.
  • At least 13-15 years working in public relations (agency experience preferred).
  • Deep understanding of the media and stakeholder engagement.
  • Excellent written and verbal communications skills.
  • Organised, able to juggle multiple tasks.
  • Ability to work in an agile manner and adapt to changing requests across a variety of clients.
  • Excellent listening, negotiation, and presentation abilities

Hill & Knowlton is more than an agency. It's a collection of thousands of brilliant, collaborative and driven employees - all united around a single vision of transforming our clients, our company and the world.

Across 70 offices in 30 countries our people are the heartbeat of our business. Bridging countless cultures, backgrounds and lived experiences, we are drawn together by a common drive and a collaborative spirit - called to our craft each day by the desire to deliver the best work.

And at H&K, diversity, equity and inclusion are not just values; they are strategic imperatives that fuel our future in an industry built on the art of understanding, connecting and developing relationships. We believe that a diverse workforce is essential for inspiring bold ideas, fostering constructive dialogue and cultivating meaningful experiences that drive innovation and creativity.

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Confirmed 2 days ago. Posted 30+ days ago.

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