SVP (Director) - Public Affairs

Who is Weber Shandwick?

At The Weber Shandwick Collective, you are welcomed, valued and empowered to grow and we believe that opportunity grows in a collective. We create cultural value and help brands navigate the ever-changing age of earned: an age where consumers actively say no to advertising; an age where everyone is an influencer that can make or break your brand; an age where content can be turned into commercial opportunity. Our talented team builds brands by finding connection points in the real world. We energise the right mix of talent, using the right platforms and latest technology to choreograph stories that make a real and meaningful impact for some of the world’s leading brands and businesses.

We earn affection, attention, affinity and purchase by delivering value to people around the world, with deep specialisms across food & drink, travel & tourism, consumer tech, consumer health, automotive, sports sponsorship, entertainment & lifestyle and energy. We are known for:

• Develop data driven insights and strategies to drive measurable impact
• Creating impactful campaigns that tap into culture
• Creating channel and platform agnostic campaigns that grow organically
• Delivering integrated campaigns that are earned-first but deliver for paid and owned

What’s happening?

Weber Shandwick is hiring for a talented Senior Vice President (Director equivalent) to join our Public Affairs team in London. You’ll be part of a well-established team, where you’ll have the opportunity to collaborate across our outstanding Corporate Enterprise team, as well as with Weber Shandwick’s UK and international network; while being guided and supported by some of the PR industry’s leading corporate communications professionals.

The Corporate Enterprise practice is made up of a smart, dedicated and fun team with expertise spanning B2B, Corporate, Public Affairs, Crisis/Issues, Social Impact/ESG and Technology.

The ideal candidate will be able to draw upon experiences bringing knowledge and insight into a range of sectors and industries, combined with excellent client servicing and public affairs skills. You’ll also need a strong understanding of how politics and parliament work, how digital fits into wider integrated communications programmes, as well as brilliant technical writing skills, time management and a keen eye for detail when it comes to managing project progress.

The successful candidate will demonstrate the following key attributes:

CLIENT AND WORK

• Own responsibilities for leadership of multiple client public affairs programmes and budgets
• Serve as primary or day-to-day client contact on public affairs accounts
• Serve as trusted advisor, counsellor and business partner to key client contacts across a variety of sectors including tech, insurance and retail.
• Successfully grow existing client budgets and pursue opportunities to engage other offices or Geos, specialty expertise, and IPG agencies to provide fully integrated marketing programs/experience for clients

LEADERSHIP AND TALENT DEVELOPMENT

• Effective deputy head of the public affairs team, and part of the public affairs specific and corporate enterprise senior leadership teams
• Mentor and empower the public affairs team to do their best work, impress clients and grow remits
• Actively seek out own learning and advances skills (leadership and professional expertise) to better develop and coach others
• Spearhead consultancy projects focused on team culture, staff education and skill building
• Model consultancy values by actively sponsoring/mentoring emerging diverse leaders and diverse staff across all levels
• Manage team/direct reports and coach diverse set of employees within and outside of team to develop and advance our next generation of leaders
• Set tone for inclusive hiring on team, partnering with Talent Acquisition to establish and support inclusive hiring practices
• Is responsible for billability of self and teams

GROWTH AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

• Identify opportunities for agency growth and innovation and lead key new business pitches/proposal processes and organic client growth efforts
• Identify new business opportunities and contribute to the team’s pipeline
• Execute at least one idea per year that is turned into an agency case study and entered in industry awards
• Demonstrate understanding and competency in facilitating client needs across agency offerings (digital, strategic planning, analytics, etc.); can articulate and activate against our full toolkit of expertise
• Advance industry/sector leadership and drives agency reputation through industry thought leadership and relationships

BUSINESS ACUMEN

• Successfully manage capacity, utilisation, resource management data, financial planning and proactively avoid revenue deficits and/or overservice, collaborating with project management and finance on scope updates, implications
• Maintain proactive communication with Finance partners and provide as much notice as possible regarding changes in client budgets and/or staffing issues/changes; Enact solutions to make up any deficits in order to meet agency financial commitments
• Consistently and effectively communicate and support information regarding staffing, expenses, budgets or other initiatives
• Partner with Finance, HR, and office leadership to identify hiring needs/recommendations
• Develop knowledge of office P&L statements

To be considered for this role, you must have at least six years of public affairs agency experience.

Ideal Experience Required:

• Ideally you will possess many of the above skills and attributes
• Experienced public affairs focused account lead at a consultancy
• With a passion for politics and public policy, you know how to make a strong case that will win the argument and have a track record of developing and delivering effective campaigns
• Unfraid to ask questions and to challenge clients’ and colleagues’ perspectives when necessary
• Highly organised with exceptional attention to detail
• Demonstrable experience in politics and communications. Your experience combines stakeholder engagement and policy insight
• An excellent political network with exceptional knowledge and understanding of how government and parliament operate.
• Able to digest complex information and understand how it relates to the political agenda
• A prolific consumer of political and business news. You’re on top of current affairs, allowing you to help clients anticipate issues and opportunities
• A proven track record in managing people and projects successfully
• Fluency in digital/social media platforms, with an appetite to learn more

Join us and help make an impact. Together, we’ll set the bar, cheer each other on and multiply your potential.

Core Benefits:

• Private medical insurance
• Group life assurance
• Group income protection
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Buy or sell holiday
• Additional life assurance cover
• Critical illness insurance
• Travel insurance
• Health screening
• Cycle to work scheme
• Health cash plan
• Flexible working with our 3:2 hybrid work model
• Equivalent of $250 USD for new joiners on 6 month + contract to support home working setup
• 25 days’ annual leave (in addition to public holidays) plus 2 volunteering days, birthday day off work and discretionary festive closure
• Flexible public holidays
• Sweets and snacks in the office
• Exclusive shopping discounts and perks
• Season ticket loan
• Long service bonus
• Enhanced family leave
• Inclusive and invisible health policies
• Monthly social events organised by the Manchester office’s Culture Club

Note from the Talent Team:

We appreciate the time taken to apply for the role and your recent interest in Weber Shandwick. We will review all applications within five working days and be in touch with those who have been shortlisted to the next stage. Unfortunately, due to volume we are not able to get back to everyone individually, so if you have not heard back from us, you have not been successful on this occasion and we wish you all the best in your search.

At IPG DXTRA we are proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. We are committed to equality of opportunity for all staff and applications from individuals are encouraged regardless of age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief and marriage and civil partnerships.

#LI-LM1

We make our careers website accessible to any and all users. If you need an accommodation to participate in the application process, please contact us at JobAppAccommodation@ipgdxtra.com. This email address is not for general employment inquiries or vendors; rather it is strictly for applicants who require special assistance accessing our employment website. Due to volume, messages sent to this email address that are not related to an accommodation cannot be answered.

The office

We encourage employees to spend 2-3 days in the office each week, with Tuesday and Thursday as our traditional anchor days where the majority of the team will be in. We will be moving to a brand new office space in Spinningfields, offering a collaborative space with various work environments and on-site facilities as described. It includes a residential-style office, multiple spaces, an on-site gym, coffee shop, and more.

• A beautiful residential office in a vibrant co-working space
• A plethora of work spaces from break out areas to board rooms
• An on-site gym, coffee shop, bar, bike storage and events
• Fully stocked in-office drinks fridge
• Nearby food and shopping options

Note from the Talent Team:

We appreciate the time it takes to apply for the role and will review all applications within five working days. If you have not heard back, you were not successful on this occasion.

We are a Disability Confident Employer and are committed to equality of opportunity for all.

#LI-LM1

We create cultural value and help brands navigate the ever-changing age of earned: an age where consumers actively say no to advertising; an age where everyone is an influencer that can make or break your brand; an age where content can be turned into commercial opportunity. Our team builds brands by finding connection points in the real world. We energise the right mix of talent, using platforms and technology to choreograph stories that make a real impact for some of the world’s leading brands. We are known for:

• Developing data driven insights and strategies
• Creating impactful campaigns that tap into culture
• Channel and platform agnostic campaigns that grow organically
• Integrated campaigns earned-first but delivering for paid and owned

What’s happening?

We are looking for a highly-experienced Account Director to join our Consumer team in London on a 6 month FTC. You’ll supervise client work across global and local markets, provide counsel and strategic direction, and motivate the team to deliver outstanding work.

What will you be doing?

• Develop and maintain positive client relationships and improve delivery quality
• Provide strategic counsel and define effective solutions for clients
• Lead the delivery of high-quality earned activity and manage third parties
• Brief and inform account teams; set clear goals and tasks
• Manage client expectations, team resources and deliverables for major campaigns
• Coordinate across disciplines with social media strategies and influencer programs
• Monitor media coverage and leverage digital channels
• Understand industry issues affecting the client
• Prepare media materials and conduct media outreach
• Develop relationships with media and brainstorm ideas
• Collaborate with partner agencies in a client integrated team

Who are you?

• Brilliant understanding of earned stories and multi-channel distribution
• Excellent communicator with fast relationship-building
• Strategic mindset and trend awareness
• Proven project management across multiple teams
• Strong social/digital acumen and influencer program experience

Core Benefits:

• Private medical insurance
• Group life assurance
• Group income protection
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Buy or sell holiday
• Additional life assurance cover
• Critical illness insurance
• Travel insurance
• Health screening
• Cycle to work scheme
• Health cash plan
• Flexible working with our 3:2 hybrid model
• Equivalent of $250 USD for new joiners on 6 month+ contracts to support home working setup
• 25 days annual leave plus 2 volunteering days, birthday off and festive closure
• Flexible public holidays
• Sweets and snacks in the office
• Discounts and perks
• Season ticket loan
• Long service bonus
• Enhanced family leave
• Inclusive health policies
• Monthly Manchester office culture events

Note from the Talent Team:

We appreciate the time to apply and will review all applications within five working days. If not shortlisted, you may not be contacted. IPG DXTRA Disability Confident Employer statement included.

#LI-LM1

We make our careers website accessible. If you need accommodation, contact JobAppAccommodation@ipgdxtra.com.

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