We’re looking for awesome people to join our team.
POSITION: PR ACCOUNT MANAGER
SUMMARY OF ROLE
- Reports to Senior Account Manager / Account DirectorLeading profitable account teams
- Co-leadership of the Group
- Retaining clients
- Growing existing business
- Major role in new business development.
Note: Assumes mastery of SAE skills-set
JOB DESCRIPTION
An account manager drives an account. They should be a capable and confident operator who has a thorough understanding of the required media and communication skills and who is fully in control of the media tools available to create the required media coverage in all PR areas.
The role should be to carry out the execution of the strategies and activities as detailed by their account directors, ensuring that programmes and objectives are being adhered to and that their accounts are well organised.
SKILL REQUIREMENT
Written Work
- Taking a brief from the client and writing coherent and factually accurate press releases and social media posts that require only exceptional amends from seniors and clients.
- Ability to draft feature copy for trade, corporate and business publications and by-lined blogs and articles, for the client that is well informed and appropriate to the end user with minimal client or media amendment.
- Amending and improving press releases, internal copy for newsletters etc. drafted by account executives.
- Capable of writing creative new business proposals with direction from account director, and drafting evaluation reports, speeches and presentations as required.
Media Skills
- Complete understanding of how the media works in the particular areas in which you operate – the opportunities available and building relationships with journalists etc.
- Driving the media relations programme for all clients as laid out in the agreed programme of activity with your account director.
- Pro-actively seeking and identifying publicity opportunities to ensure that the maximum level of coverage is achieved for your client, project etc.
- Overseeing programmes of media promotional activity, such as competitions, sampling offers, free for every reader offers, Twitter competitions etc.
- Proactively looking for opportunities to grow the media horizons of the client.
- Competent in all verbal approaches to journalists – consumer, business-to-business and trade – to sell in ideas and discuss opportunities.
- Plan and manage the organisation of events ranging from workshops, photo calls, press conferences, training days etc. on behalf of clients.
- Understand and advise on media handling including interview briefings, developing Q&A’s, exclusives, embargoes and damage limitations.
- Negotiate major media promotions and advertorials.
- Alert clients to PR risk or opportunities presented by broader areas of corporate responsibility, e.g.: employment practices, health and safety at work.
- Select and develop sponsorships including planning, contractual agreements and activity organisation.
- Confident with planning tools such as HootSuite and Facebook analytics.
- Confident with social media platforms used for relevant accounts.
- Confident with the tone-of-voice and social media editorial schedules for the accounts responsible for.
Meetings
- To lead meetings. Ensuring that preparation for the meeting is well organised and that account directors or seniors are fully briefed on meeting contents.
- Taking a key role in presentations to existing client and at new business pitches.
General Skills
- Lead new business brainstorms and have a creative input in all new business pitches within account group.
- Play the central role in the team and take full responsibility for your clients and any problems.
- Finally proof read all written material.
- Have developed useful and relevant business contacts.
- Mature ability to brief designers, photographers, printers in a knowledgeable and precise manner, negotiate costs etc. and manage quality control deadline problems etc.
- To motivate and supervise a team.
- Have a full understanding of financial controls on all accounts, markup rules and budgeting procedures.
- Commission and analyse research including surveys and focus groups.
Client Relationships
- Liaise with clients at all levels in a confident manner and build good working relationships, winning their trust and respect.
- To have a thorough understanding of the strategy and plan for each account.
- Take responsibility for exceeding client expectations as regards programme, budgets, creativity and quality, with support from team and from MD as necessary
- Develop network of contacts within client organisation, both to sell/develop PR programmes, and to stay abreast of industry developments
- Ensuring that client programmes are serviced profitably, both in the UK and globally, coordinating with other Clementine Communications offices
- Developing communications strategies and programmes for clients & prospects
- Counselling senior clients on issues & crisis management plans and activities, and putting practical measures in place to implement recommendations.
- Managing supplier relationships on clients’ behalf.
Reporting and Evaluation
- Ensure that regular activity/status reports for clients are developed and distributed.
- To be confident at using evaluation tools such as Klout and Twtrland, to be able to contribute insights into client reports.
Managing Others
- Managing supplier relationships on clients’ behalf
- Initiate and carry out (with CC where appropriate) appraisals of team members
- Ensure that training & development needs of team members are regularly reviewed against Group and individual targets; that action is taken to meet the training & development needs of team members; that team members understand in advance the objectives of any training, and that training is evaluated and applied
- Give regular feedback to team members, affirming good practice, addressing areas of underperformance
- Contribute to regular Group reviews of training and development programmes
- Coach and develop junior team members in PR skills
- Give regular feedback to junior team members, demonstrating respect and sensitivity to their needs, feelings and values.
Team Building
- Shortlist and interview job applicants
- Take responsibility for design and delivery of induction programmes of new team members
- Through regular team meetings, communicate company values, encourage collaboration and the search for joint, creative solutions
- Mediate the prompt resolution of disputes between team members
- Work with ADs to communicate group/company visions, values, priorities & targets, and to ensure that mentoring, appraisal, training and development systems are in place
- Deliver company training courses, as requested by HR colleagues
- By example and leadership, encourage cross-team & global company (‘convergence’) working
Quality Management
- Initiate all client reviews
- Ensure that only consistent and error-free communications are issued to or on behalf of our clients and the company
Key Skills and Behaviors
- Together with Account Directors, to contribute and implement the Group’s ‘contract’ with the Managing Director
- Teambuilding: encourage team members to respect and learn from each other; act as role model to teams
- Performance Management: set and explain team / and individual objectives; coaching and motivating individuals; appraising and affirming best practice, correcting inadequate performance
Financial Management
- Take responsibility for accuracy and timeliness of all invoicing issued to clients.
- Plan and implement monthly schedules ensuring that team hours match fee income
- Authorise client expenses & purchase orders under £1,000
- To complete and file purchase orders for all bought-in items
- Maintain accurate records of all expenditure incurred on clients’ behalf.
- Understand financial controls on all accounts, markup rules and budgeting procedures and manage job-bags to ensure that all rechargeable items are included.
Skills to be acquired in the job
- Assembling high-quality credentials presentations and proposals, and then playing a major role in pitch team.
- Knowledge of and experience of dealing with, Clementine Communications’’ corporate / global structure.
- Consistently and creatively adding value to client programmes.
- Chairing client/agency meetings effectively.
POSITION: PR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE
JOB DESCRIPTION
An account executive carries out most of the day-to-day account execution and administration reporting to an account manager or director as appropriate. They should be a capable and confident operator who has a good but still developing understanding of the required basic media and communication skills and who is aware of the media tools available to create the required media coverage in all PR areas.
The role should be to carry out all support tasks as directed to execute the strategies and activities as detailed by their account managers/directors, and ensure that their accounts are well organised and structured in terms of time, and manual and electronic filing.
SKILL REQUIRMENTS
Written Work
- Writing coherent and factually accurate copy for press releases and social media posts that require minimal amends from seniors and clients.
- Identifying publicity opportunities and ad hoc social media opportunities as directed.
- Producing internal copy for newsletters, blogs, internal briefings and notice boards.
- Competent in all written communications, such as letters, e-mails, tweets, Facebook posts, memo etc., both internally and externally to clients and journalists.
Media Skills (Including Social Media)
- To research and produce lists of target media and social media for clients.
- A growing understanding of how the media works in the particular areas in which you operate – the opportunities available, starting to build relationships with journalists etc.
- Fully managing the process of press release distribution.
- Helping to sell items into media as directed.
- Understanding and running programmes of media promotional activity, such as competitions, sampling offers, twitter offers etc.
- Proactively looking for opportunities, working alongside managers.
- Confident in making verbal approaches to all journalists – consumer, business-to-business and trade – to sell in ideas and discuss opportunities.
- Assist in the organisation of events ranging from workshops, photo calls, press conferences, training days etc. on behalf of clients.
- To be familiar with social media platforms used for relevant accounts.
- To be familiar with the tone-of-voice and social media editorial schedules for the accounts responsible for.
- To be confident with planning tools such as HootSuite and Facebook analytics.
- To scan relevant media in the morning for articles relevant to clients and to forward a summary around the team for action.
- To file a library of relevant media systematically and neatly, so that the team can easily access it as needed.
Reporting and Evaluation
- To track and report client media and social media coverage, including saving and scanning.
- To contribute to regular status reports for clients, to help with compiling.
- To be confident at using evaluation tools such as Klout and Twtrland, to be able to contribute insights into client reports.
Meetings
- To actively participate in meetings. Helping in the preparing for the meeting and in presenting elements as directed.
- Participating in presentations to existing clients and at new business pitches.
Managing Others
- To train incoming work experience appointees in basic admin and client servicing work and coach them to develop their skills and responsibilities.
- By example and coaching, to encourage junior team members to develop skills and responsibilities, and to see the value of their role in the success of the team, the group and the company.
- Coach junior staff (and yourself) to develop an over-riding concern for excellence in work methods and output.
- Give regular feedback to junior team members, demonstrating respect and sensitivity to their needs, feelings and values.
- Check regularly that work experience people (and you) are maintaining digital files systematically.
New Business
- Play a part in new business brainstorms.
- To proactively research and suggest new business opportunities.
- Undertake media and administration desk research for new business pitches and current client programmes as required.
- To be an ambassador for the company, projecting a positive and professional image when representing the business.
- General Skills
- To handle all administration for accounts including filing, press cuttings etc. to ensure the smooth running of the business.
- Excellent proofreading.
- Develop useful and relevant business contacts.
- Become capable of briefing all suppliers such as designers, photographers, printers in a knowledgeable and precise manner.
- Advanced skills in MS PowerPoint, internet searching, ability to use MS Excel for simple budgeting.
- Accompanying senior client personnel to outside events.
Key Skills and Behaviors
- Organization and time management: to be competent at managing your own to-do list, alerting line manager to times when deadlines may be missed or when there is capacity for more work.
- A good team worker with a can-do attitude.
- Build rapport and positive relationships with other team members, by practising open and honest communication; start to raise your own profile within the team and the rest of the company. Work towards convergence with other employees.
- To be creative: Continually curious and inventive about new solutions, new clients, developments in communications and new processes to achieve efficiency.
- Flexibility: Capable of juggling more than one task/client at a time and prioritizing workload accordingly.
Financial Management
- To complete and file purchase orders for all bought-in items
- Maintain accurate records of all expenditure incurred on clients’ behalf.
- To complete time sheets daily.
Client Relationships
- Liaise with clients at a junior level in a confident manner and build good working relationships, winning their trust and respect.
- To develop a service-oriented, ‘can-do’ attitude for clients, coupled with an appreciation of commercial realities.
- Accompanying senior client personnel to outside events.
- Managing client personnel while delivering high-quality results.
- Start developing an understanding of client’s internal organization, business and sector.
- Start to develop an understanding of the strategy for each account you’re working on.
Skills needed for promotion to next level
- Earn confidence of group management in your ability to deliver impeccable results with diminishing levels of supervision
- Produce error-free and effective written documents (including press releases and press memos)
- Build strong relationships with key journalists and other opinion-formers that are key to client programmers
- Be responsible for weekly coverage for each client
- Start to develop knowledge of your specialist PR practice sector
- Demonstrate ability to accept and learn from feedback given by others, and from training and development
- Consistently achieve high-quality results (including media placements, agency/client communications) within required timescales
- Commitment to group/company goals, and demonstrated ability to translate those goals into practical outputs
- Ability to work well within teams, creating and maintaining productive and professional relationships with colleagues
- Creativity in finding solutions to client problems
- Develop commercial abilities, awareness of how to increase agency profitability whilst delivering high-quality client service.
Please send your CV to Tessa@clementinecom-com.stackstaging.com
