Account Director | Corporate Communications | London

Hanover is looking for a dynamic and experienced PR professional to join our Corporate team as an Account Director.

The successful candidate will be a senior member of our corporate communications practice and will provide strategic advice to Hanover’s existing public relations clients. Day to day, the Account Director will lead client accounts, manage junior colleagues and budgets as well as making a significant contribution to new business and marketing activity.

We’re particularly keen to hear from candidates with an interest or experience providing corporate support for large, consumer facing brands, issues and crisis management expertise and new business activity.

We believe very strongly in career development at Hanover, offering tailored training to all our staff and regular opportunities for promotion. For the right candidate, with talent and ambition, there is the opportunity to go to the top.

The position will be based at our London office but the successful candidate may have the opportunity to work on clients we share with colleagues in our Brussels, Dublin and Middle East offices.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Develop close client relationships, lead external client meetings and be the first point of contact across client accounts
• Provide strategic advice to clients and prospective clients
• Oversee and lead media contact programmes, attend and support meetings between clients and any media
• Develop high quality media contacts within key media targets
• Demonstrate an active and ever-expanding new business network, identify opportunities to cross-sell services between Hanover teams and offices
• Project manage activities focused on new business development, including marketing and managing pipelines
• Supervise the delivery of client work on multiple accounts – by running internal account management meetings, reviewing team progress against agreed milestones, monitoring capacity and allocating tasks
• Line managing junior colleagues, helping to mentor and develop talent from within the team

PERSON SPECIFICATION

• Expert knowledge and experience of working in UK media environments
• Prior experience within a consultancy or in-house PR/communications team, preferably with some corporate experience
• Strong experience in advising clients in crisis situations and managing potentially negative issues
• Good understanding of UK PR industry with strong media contacts (particularly on national titles and with broadcasters)
• Strong understanding and experience of budgeting, managing pipelines and developing new business
• Experience in line management and developing talent
• Effective time management and ability to meet deadlines, strong organisational skills
• Excellent verbal and creative writing skills
• Very strong team-working, collaboration and interpersonal skills
• Demonstration of strong client relationships, industry contacts and new business growth

Benefits:

In addition to a competitive salary, your core benefits package will include:

• An annual performance-related bonus plus additional bonus potential linked to recruitment, new business and long service
• 25 days’ annual leave (plus bank holidays)
• Private healthcare insurance
• A company pension plan, including 5% employer contribution

You’ll also have access to a wide range of opportunities and initiatives, including:

• Flexible working policies, plus eligibility to apply for a sabbatical after 2 years’ service
• Summer Fridays finish (3pm) – early Friday finish the rest of the year (4pm)
• The Hanover Academy, which incorporates training, coaching, mentoring and reverse-mentoring opportunities to support personal development and career progression across all levels, with a generous training budget
• International secondments as well as the opportunity to collaborate with all offices across the AVENIR GLOBAL’s network
• A wellbeing programme, featuring (but not limited to) pre- and post-maternity leave coaching, a working parents’ group, subsidised gym membership, LiveSmart sessions on mindfulness, sleep, etc.
• Our Culture Club, with a robust social calendar all year round, Trailblazer of the Month award, Lunch & Learns, CSR activity, and an opportunity to win an Out of Office activity fund