Associate Director, Asset Management - Edelman Smithfield

Edelman Smithfield is a global financial communications firm with the power and scope of Edelman, the world’s largest integrated communications company. We specialise in financial markets and strategic situations, serving clients in the United States, Canada, EMEA, APAC, and beyond. Edelman Smithfield offers a deep and talented bench of approximately 250 financial market specialists across more than 25 cities and 15 countries. We advise senior leaders and management teams navigating complex matters that impact reputation and valuation and have deep expertise in serving and communicating to the financial markets.

Our UK team is recognised as being the leader in the Asset Management sector, advising companies with more than $20bn of Assets Under Management. We are recruiting for a talented senior consultant to join our financial services communications team as an Associate Director. This critical role will entail working closely with both senior and junior colleagues to provide best-in-class communications advice and implementation to and for our clients. This role will have an emphasis on providing high-quality content for our clients, so technical copywriting skill is essential. You will also be expected to contribute to and support our new business development programme. The successful candidate will report to a Senior Director within the financial services team and will be a key player in helping to maintain and grow this division.

The financial services team looks after clients covering the full spectrum of financial services sectors, with particular strength in asset management and pensions. The role does not currently include financial calendar work but rather focuses on reputation-enhancing campaigns for clients within the financial sector.

Responsibilities include:

• Copywriting, particularly op-eds for asset management and pensions clients
• Leading accounts, or working with other staff to support them managing account teams
• Managing and building strong relationships with tier one and trade publications
• Organising excellent client events including round tables, dinners, breakfast and others
• Managing clients on a day-to-day basis
• Involvement in every aspect of creating and implementing innovative communications programmes
• Work on new business proposals and pitches
• Helping to market the team internally and externally

Required attributes:

• Financial services communications expertise, able to demonstrate a track record of advising blue-chip financial institutions on strategic, corporate and crisis communications matters
• Excellent written, numerical and analytical skills. Ideally the ability to write technical copy for asset management and pensions clients and a firm understanding of economics and the dynamics which shape economies and investment decisions (e.g. monetary and fiscal policy, employment levels, supply-demand, inflation etc.)
• To ‘own’ client relationships with limited senior supervision
• A demonstrable interest in, and knowledge of, finance, business and current affairs
• An extensive understanding of financial information and the ability to communicate financial data to a variety of audiences
• A strong networker and ambassador, both internally and externally. Continually seeking to broaden knowledge and a contact base through networking across the City and beyond
• Enthusiastic team player
• An ability and desire to share knowledge with and mentor junior team members
• Hard-working with meticulous attention to detail

We are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your experience doesn’t perfectly align with every qualification, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.