Position Overview We are seeking an accomplished, commercially minded, and highly strategic Public Relations Account Director to lead a portfolio of high-profile clients and serve as a senior leader within our agency.
This is not a traditional account management role. The Account Director will be responsible for the overall success, growth, profitability, and strategic direction of assigned client accounts. You will act as a trusted senior advisor to clients, lead integrated communications programs, inspire high-performing teams, and actively identify opportunities to expand existing relationships and win new business.
The successful candidate will combine exceptional client leadership with strong public relations expertise, commercial judgment, editorial instinct, and the ability to turn complex business objectives into powerful communications strategies.
You must be comfortable operating at both the strategic and executional levels—confidently advising senior executives one moment and challenging a campaign plan, media angle, budget, or team deliverable the next.
Key Responsibilities
Client Leadership and Strategic Counsel Serve as the senior strategic lead and primary point of accountability for a portfolio of major client accounts. Build trusted, long-term relationships with senior client stakeholders, including executives, communications leaders, marketing teams, and regional decision-makers. Develop a deep understanding of each client’s business, industry, competitive environment, reputation risks, and commercial priorities. Translate business objectives into clear, measurable, and high-impact communications strategies. Provide confident, proactive counsel on corporate reputation, brand positioning, media relations, executive visibility, thought leadership, crisis communications, and stakeholder engagement. Lead senior-level client meetings, strategic workshops, quarterly business reviews, campaign presentations, and performance discussions. Anticipate client needs and emerging issues rather than waiting for instructions or reacting to problems. Challenge clients constructively when necessary and ensure recommendations are based on sound strategic judgment.
Integrated Communications Strategy Lead the development of integrated communications strategies across earned media, corporate communications, executive positioning, thought leadership, content, digital platforms, social media, events, and stakeholder engagement. Ensure every communications program has a strong strategic foundation, clear target audiences, compelling messaging, measurable objectives, and a defined business outcome. Identify culturally relevant, timely, and newsworthy opportunities that elevate client visibility and strengthen reputation. Guide teams in developing strong narratives, campaign platforms, media angles, executive profiles, bylined articles, speeches, opinion pieces, and content programs. Ensure communications recommendations are aligned with broader business, marketing, and brand strategies. Maintain a strong understanding of the evolving media, social, economic, cultural, and political landscape affecting clients and their industries.
Media Relations and Reputation Management Provide senior oversight of media relations strategies and ensure outreach is targeted, credible, and results-oriented. Maintain strong relationships with influential journalists, editors, producers, commentators, content creators, and industry stakeholders. Identify and develop compelling stories that go beyond routine announcements and generate meaningful media interest. Prepare senior executives for interviews, press conferences, panel discussions, sensitive announcements, and high-pressure media situations. Lead or support crisis communications, issues management, reputation recovery, and rapid-response planning. Ensure all media materials meet the highest editorial standards and reflect a clear understanding of the client’s reputation and risk profile. Guide teams in evaluating the quality and strategic value of media coverage, not simply the quantity of placements.
Account Growth and Commercial Management Take full ownership of the commercial health, profitability, retention, and growth of assigned accounts. Develop annual account growth plans and identify opportunities to expand the agency’s scope of work. Proactively introduce new ideas, capabilities, markets, services, and strategic initiatives to existing clients. Lead the preparation of proposals, scopes of work, fee structures, budgets, forecasts, and contract renewals. Monitor account utilization, staffing, resource allocation, billability, scope delivery, and financial performance. Address scope creep, budget pressure, delayed approvals, and resourcing challenges quickly and professionally. Ensure the agency is appropriately compensated for the value, expertise, and resources provided. Contribute actively to new business development, including prospecting, credentials meetings, strategic responses, proposal development, and pitch presentations. Support agency leadership in achieving revenue, profitability, client-retention, and new-business targets.
Team Leadership and Development Lead, motivate, and develop multidisciplinary account teams across public relations, content, digital, social media, creative, research, and strategy. Set clear expectations, responsibilities, deadlines, and quality standards for every team member. Create an environment of accountability, collaboration, professionalism, and continuous improvement. Delegate effectively while maintaining appropriate senior oversight of strategy, quality, budget, and client delivery. Coach team members on client management, strategic thinking, writing, media relations, presentation skills, commercial awareness, and professional judgment. Provide direct, timely, and constructive feedback. Identify development needs and create opportunities for team members to grow into stronger consultants and future leaders. Address performance, attitude, communication, or accountability issues promptly and professionally. Work closely with senior leadership to support recruitment, succession planning, resource management, and employee development.
Quality and Delivery Excellence Maintain overall responsibility for the quality, accuracy, relevance, and timeliness of all work delivered to clients. Review and strengthen strategies, proposals, reports, presentations, media materials, messaging documents, executive content, and campaign plans. Ensure deliverables are insight-led, commercially relevant, well written, and aligned with the client’s objectives. Establish clear workflows, timelines, approval processes, and reporting structures across all assigned accounts. Ensure teams remain proactive, responsive, organized, and prepared. Resolve client concerns and delivery challenges before they escalate. Maintain high standards of professionalism, confidentiality, judgment, and attention to detail. Ensure all work complies with applicable legal, ethical, regulatory, and agency standards.
Measurement and Performance Establish meaningful performance indicators linked to communications and business objectives. Move client reporting beyond activity lists and vanity metrics by demonstrating outcomes, insights, influence, and strategic value. Analyze campaign results, media performance, audience response, competitor activity, and reputation trends. Use data and insights to improve ongoing strategies and strengthen future recommendations. Lead regular account reviews to assess performance, client satisfaction, financial health, risks, opportunities, and next steps. Clearly communicate the agency’s value and contribution to the client’s business.
Required Qualifications and Experience
Bachelor’s degree in public relations, communications, journalism, marketing, business, or a related field. Typically 8–12 years of relevant communications experience, including substantial experience within a public relations, communications, or integrated marketing agency. Proven experience managing major regional, national, or international client accounts. Demonstrated ability to advise senior executives and manage complex stakeholder relationships. Strong background in corporate communications, media relations, brand reputation, executive positioning, thought leadership, and integrated campaigns. Proven responsibility for account revenue, budgeting, profitability, forecasting, and organic growth. Experience leading and developing account teams at different levels of seniority. Strong experience preparing and presenting proposals, strategic recommendations, and new-business pitches. Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English. Exceptional presentation, negotiation, problem-solving, and relationship-management abilities. Strong understanding of the modern media environment, including digital publishing, social media, creator influence, and AI-enabled communications. Ability to manage multiple complex accounts and priorities in a fast-paced agency environment.