Interim PR Account Director

MMGY Grifco is a leading public relations firm specialising in international luxury travel and lifestyle PR. It is a creative, boutique, PR company which nurtures the needs of its travel, spa and beauty clients. As part of the MMGY Global family, Grifco’s clients have access to an international communications practice across all marketing channels – providing a holistic and fully integrated solution to marketing needs.

Based in London, we currently have a fantastic fixed-term opportunity for an ambitious, curious and creative Interim PR Account Manager to join our team, covering during a period of maternity leave, to act as a senior contact for clients. Reporting into the Senior Associate Director, The role of the Account Director is to direct their team across clients, ensuring the successful implementation of PR plans and strategy

The primary job duties and responsibilities include:

Client liaison

The Account Director liaises with clients mainly regarding strategy, planning, VIP media and any trouble shooting that may be required, as well as during conference calls and meetings where required by their team.

Team progress and workload

It is important for the Account Director to monitor the workload and progress of their team and report feedback to senior management where necessary. The Account Director allocates tasks amongst the whole team together with the Account Manager.

When needed, take the lead in interviewing for new team members.

Identify skills gaps and training needs amongst the team and present solutions to the senior team.

PR Planning

The Account Director takes charge of creating annual PR plans for clients, thinking strategically and brainstorming ideas for clients together with their team.

Pitching Ideas and Opportunity Generation

You are responsible for leading proactive story pitching at editor level and creating key opportunities for “glory” coverage for your clients, supported by your team.

Building The Database

The Account Director continually makes new media contacts for the agency and keeps front of mind amongst main contacts at key national and glossy outlets.

Group Press Trips

Allocating group press trips amongst the team to ensure staff have a fair amount of travel opportunities and as many members of the team as possible see clients first-hand. Organising and escorting group press trips and new client FAM trips where necessary.

Crisis Management

Taking charge of crisis management as and when issues arrive, directly speaking to client and journalist or advising junior members of staff regarding suitable responses and required action. Escalating to Senior Leadership Team when necessary.

New Business

The Account Director will assist with new business proposal writing and pitch delivery as required by the senior team.

Grow client revenue.

Ensure all work is delivered to the highest quality within the client fee/budget. Monitor and address overservicing to improve capacity for the team. Manage team expectations in terms of salary and benefits, in accordance with annual budgets and client revenue. Provide insights to the senior team for financial forecasting and planning.

About you

At MMGY Global we believe that to go places as a company, we must give others the opportunity to shine. We strive to create a vibrant, open, collaborative work environment where people can be and bring their best selves to work.

• Five years experience in PR or a similar role is required
• Previous knowledge or experience in the travel industry is essential
• Commercial insight – Should have an understanding of each client’s business activities, key issues and competitive advantage and be able to identify opportunities to promote the client and their activities based on these platforms.
• Strategic Thinking – Should be able to identify additional opportunities for delivering the client message outside the standard press release, case study and feature.
• Creative Thinking – Should lead brainstorming sessions and actively explore different avenues for a client based on a particular brief. Should be able to develop engaging and relevant content for social media feeds.
• Time Management – Can manage own workload, set and work to own deadlines.
• Copywriting – Demonstrate good written skills with a true understanding of the client’s brief by effectively communicating the key message in simple, concise copy that is relevant to the reader. It is expected that the line manager/client will make minimal changes to the copy.
• Presentation Skills – Should be articulate and be able to present ideas and proposals to clients, when required. Should be able to communicate with contacts at all levels.
• Trouble Shooting – Client should feel confident that any problem is being given due attention and that immediate action is being taken
• Should demonstrate initiative and ensure that client communications and issues are tackled promptly or a senior person is briefed immediately, so this can be handled as soon as possible.
• Team management – should have experience of managing a team
• Financial management – should have an understanding of how team revenue relates to the success of the business and suggest ways to improve business performance and growth.

This is a fixed-term position covering during maternity leave.

Our industry-leading benefits

• A flexible hybrid work schedule of 3 days in office and 2 days at home
• Generous annual holiday package including 25 days of annual leave, birthday day off (can be taken any day during your month of birth), 2 floating holidays and year-end holiday break over the Christmas period.
• Private medical, life and income protection insurance and pension scheme contribution from the company
• Lively social calendar with numerous activities and events to take part in.
• Cycle to work scheme
• Season Ticket Loan
• Industry-exclusive travel perks
• Go Explore! Global Travel Reward Programme: we offer exciting anniversary travel benefits that kick in after 2 years. We want our employees to go see the world – and help pay for it.

MMGY Global