Account Director, Earned Media Strategy

Weber Shandwick is seeking a highly strategic and collaborative Senior Vice President to join our Client Operations and Project Management capability. This individual will play a critical role in driving operational excellence, cultivating talent, and aligning business objectives with operational strategies to achieve long-term success. 

As a leader in this space, the SVP will be responsible for overseeing large-scale new account transitions, driving transformations within existing client work, and leading the operational setup for new clients, including establishing processes, teams, and ways of working to ensure success. Additionally, the role will focus on elevating internal processes, ensuring financial health, and fostering team growth. 

Key Responsibilities 

• Strategically uncover growth opportunities within departments and support the Client Operations and PM leadership team through focused, actionable planning to drive results. 

• Lead large-scale transformation efforts tailored to existing clients and internal teams, aligning operations with Weber Shandwick’s business goals and ensuring consistent optimization and efficiency across all functions. 

• Lead the operational setup for new clients by establishing streamlined processes, building high-performing teams, and defining ways of working to ensure seamless integration and delivery excellence. 

• Provide strategic operational consultation by identifying risks and opportunities, driving large-scale operational models, and delivering actionable solutions. 

• Act as an escalation point for operational challenges, ensuring seamless issue mitigation and continuous improvement. 

• Partner with agency leadership to reinforce and promote the value of Client Operations and PM services as a growth engine for the agency and drive overall capability growth. 

• Oversee the fiscal health across Clients and the remit assigned within the Client Operations and PM capability, ensuring billability, utilization, and sustainable financial practices. 

• Negotiate large-scale, global and complex scopes, agreements, and budgets with clients, procurement, and internal parties such as Finance and Legal. 

• Provide guidance on margin management and revenue growth by reviewing scopes of work and partnering with leadership on effective financial strategies. 

• Lead the development of high performing teams by strategically define training opportunities, lead educational sessions with senior agency leaders/offices, and actively sponsor and mentor emerging diverse talent to foster a culture of inclusivity. 

• Drive inclusive hiring practices in collaboration with Talent Acquisition while managing and coaching a diverse team to develop the next generation of Weber Shandwick leaders  

  

Requirements:  

• 15+ years of experience, with a demonstrated ability to lead complex operations at a global scale. 

• Deep understanding of operational processes, financial management, and business strategy. 

• Exceptional leadership skills, with the ability to inspire and manage diverse teams while fostering a culture of inclusion and collaboration. 

• Experience negotiating client contracts, scopes, and budgets with a focus on delivering both strategic and financial value. 

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work effectively with senior leadership, cross-functional teams, and clients. 

• Excellent communication and organizational skills. 

 

The Weber Shandwick Collective recognizes that your health and wellbeing are a priority. This is why we offer a full suite of benefits including:

• Medical
• Dental
• Vision
• 401k (with employer match)
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Juice Money – $60 monthly reimbursement to be used towards purchases that nourish your health, mind, body, and soul
• MyDays – Flexible holiday schedules
• Short-Term Disability
• Paid Employee Family Leave
• Family Building Benefit

California/Washington Salary range: $160,000 – $200,000

Where an employee or prospective employee is paid within this range will depend on, among other factors, actual ranges for current/former employees in the subject position; market considerations; budgetary considerations; tenure and standing with the company (applicable to current employees); as well as the employee’s/applicant’s background, pertinent experience, and qualifications.

Weber Shandwick is proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. Weber Shandwick recruits qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, gender, age, ethnic or national origin, protected veteran status, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status or citizenship status.

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We are looking for a strong Manager with both account management and media relations experience to join our West Coast Consumer practice! 

Are you a candidate with a passion for working with a range of clients (variety is the spice of life!), who is familiar with the current media landscape across verticals (consumer, tech, business and trade), is in tune with pop culture and who has proven experience leading cross-functional internal, agency and client teams to execute integrated campaigns? Then this role is for you.

The Essentials  

• Thinking: Has intellectual curiosity, creativity and critical thinking skills; is able to connect the dots and evaluate opportunities strategically to ensure they break through and deliver on client goals
• Earned-First Storytelling: Understands the elements that make a story exciting, what brands are doing in the press and on social platforms, and what they should do next
• Communication: Speaks, writes and edits succinctly and in a compelling manner
• Leadership: Experience and a love for leading a team of other curious colleagues, clients and agency partners to execute flawlessly and to the highest quality standards
• Client Service: A record of exceptional client service with the ability to counsel and interact effectively with senior management at client organizations
• Management: Strong project management skills with the ability to ensure the team creates and meets deadlines. Works well in a fast pace environment
• Interpersonal: Plays nice, whether it’s on a team, across geographies or independently
• Technical: Is familiar with Word, PowerPoint, Excel and Outlook – media databases and social tracking tools are a bonus
• Detail-Oriented: Has a keen attention to detail and a commitment to delivering clear and precise work, whether it’s a client-facing email, a strategic deck, a narrative, a recap report – or even just a Slack
• Spark: Understands what sets themselves apart. And what is means to do good, impactful work.
• Obsession with Culture: A clear understanding of what drives culture, with a passion for tapping into pop culture to reach broad and diverse audiences.
• Financial Acumen: Experience managing clients’ budgets and allocating agency resources accordingly

What We’re Looking For:

• A senior account management expert with a minimum of 3-4 years of experience and a background in consumer, consumer-tech, travel, fashion and/or CPG PR
• BA or BS in Public Relations, Communications, Journalism or related field
• Strong experience with both large-scale and start-up business environments preferred
• Client interaction, media relations and industry knowledge
• Excellent communication/presentation skills; verbal and written
• Management of earned media campaigns including thought leadership, product launches, earned-first creative campaigns, and more
• Ability to counsel senior clients and their executives with flawless earned media strategy and creative storytelling
• Manage clients, team resources and deliverables around major campaigns and programs.    
• Can integrate earned media strategy seamlessly with digital, social and paid
• Experience in new business development and organic business growth efforts in support of new business pitches

The Weber Shandwick Collective recognizes that your health and wellbeing are a priority. This is why we offer a full suite of benefits including:

• Medical
• Dental
• Vision
• 401k (with employer match)
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Juice Money – $60 monthly reimbursement to be used towards purchases that nourish your health, mind, body, and soul
• MyDays – Flexible holiday schedules
• Short-Term Disability
• Paid Employee Family Leave
• Family Building Benefit

[California/Washington] Salary range: $74,000 – $85,000

Where an employee or prospective employee is paid within this range will depend on, among other factors, actual ranges for current/former employees in the subject position; market considerations; budgetary considerations; tenure and standing with the company (applicable to current employees); as well as the employee’s/applicant’s background, pertinent experience, and qualifications.

Weber Shandwick is proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. Weber Shandwick recruits qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, gender, age, ethnic or national origin, protected veteran status, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status or citizenship status.

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Vice President, Client Experience, Healthcare

We are seeking a strong Vice President to join our West Coast Healthcare Practice with offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle. The Vice President will have proven leadership and client service skills with a demonstrated ability to manage integrated communications programs for broadscale consumer programs, as well as data and regulatory milestones. The candidate will be the day-to-day contact for clients, manage communications across a cross-functional agency team as well as client team, and support flawless execution in the most efficient and productive way. They will display personal ownership and accountability for client engagement, with the ability to cultivate and nurture long-term partnerships and client satisfaction.

Responsibilities:

• Manage programs involving integrated media strategies, reputation management, executive thought leadership, internal communications and crisis communications to drive corporate reputation for pharmaceutical, biotech, medical device and health association clients and prospects.
• Oversee communications programs in support of regulated products including pharmaceuticals and medical devices, including sharing of clinical data and regulatory milestones.
• Under senior guidance, support development of strategic plans and recommendations tailored to clients’ business objectives
• Draft key messaging and execute on materials proposed in plans, including but not limited to enterprise-level content, media strategies and pitches, narratives, strategic decks, and content for branded and unbranded disease awareness campaigns.
• Maintain daily client contact, serving as a trusted resource and advisor.
• Facilitate cross-functional team integration (strategy, creative, integrated media specialists, etc.) to deliver on client plans.
• Act as an effective, two-way translator between clients and teams, actively counseling development of work in the best interest of all parties.
• Proactively support and suggest improvements and new ideas to exceed client expectations by leveraging industry knowledge and experience.
• Have ownership of client financials and profitability.
• Coordinate integration with other agency partners and successfully navigate relationships across internal stakeholders, clients and agency partners.
• Manage ongoing team resourcing/staffing to ensure successful delivery of work product.
• Actively participate in agency development and assist with new business.
• Serve as leader and actively mentor team members to support their professional development and contribute to agency culture and goals.  

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree Required
• 8+ years of experience in PR inclusive of agency experience working on large scale integrated communications campaigns
• Strong project management skills and attention to detail
• Experience managing high-performing teams; mentoring team members
• Confident presenter and persuasive speaker

Additional Qualifications

• Deep knowledge of the pharma regulatory landscape
• Experience, at an agency or in-house, managing a large pharmaceutical account (over $1 million in billings) and the keen organizational skills needed to do so. Experience on accounts that span multiple cities with integrated account teams preferred
• Excellent written, verbal and interpersonal communication skills
• Great track record of success leading teams and developing talent
• Proficiency in MSOffice, advanced proficiency in PowerPoint and other presentation platforms

 

Desired Qualifications

• An entrepreneurial spirit, strong leadership qualities and a collaborative attitude
• Propensity to organize thinking, break down complexity and manage shifting priorities at a fast pace

The Weber Shandwick Collective recognizes that your health and wellbeing are a priority. This is why we offer a full suite of benefits including:

• Medical
• Dental
• Vision
• 401k (with employer match)
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Juice Money – $60 monthly reimbursement to be used towards purchases that nourish your health, mind, body, and soul
• MyDays – Flexible holiday schedules
• Short-Term Disability
• Paid Employee Family Leave
• Family Building Benefit

CA Salary range: $152,000 – $185,000

Where an employee or prospective employee is paid within this range will depend on, among other factors, actual ranges for current/former employees in the subject position; market considerations; budgetary considerations; tenure and standing with the company (applicable to current employees); as well as the employee’s/applicant’s background, pertinent experience, and qualifications.

Weber Shandwick is proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. Weber Shandwick recruits qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, gender, age, ethnic or national origin, protected veteran status, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status or citizenship status.

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