Vice President, Client Experience - Healthcare

Weber Shandwick Chicago has an exciting opportunity for an Account Director to join our Corporate/Enterprise team.

We are looking for an engaging, curious and collaborative person with outstanding client service and interaction skills, as well as proven analysis, writing, strategic planning, media relations and digital/social media acumen to help drive the growth and success of a variety of accounts. 

Responsibilities:

• Developing public relations action plans; program goals; and earned /social media campaigns, targets and pitch angles that require input from senior team leadership
• Play day to day account lead for retail, B2B, financial sector and professional services accounts
• Managing teams and collaborating/responding to clients
• Researching and writing briefing materials for client executives
• Writing and editing press materials, key message documents, briefing materials, blog posts and pitch letters
• Staying abreast of current industry news and trends, and sharing that information with account team members 
• Developing and managing timelines and weekly action plans to ensure all deadlines on client programs are met
• Breaking down and managing detailed tasks with the account team associated with planning and implementing special public relations events such as press conferences and media trips
• Anticipating and proactively offering solutions to senior team leadership for executional issues specific to assigned programs 
• Interacting with senior management and providing input into tactics and strategies
• Cultivate and enhance collaborative working relationships with media through regular communications 
• Persuasively pitching media and securing high-profile coverage for clients
• Understanding client objectives and priorities to help shape story angles  

Basic Qualifications: 

• 6+ years of communications experience, preferably in an agency environment
• Understanding of and experience working with professional and financial services companies, financial markets and products is a plus
• Excellent communication/presentation skills; verbal and written
• Strong attention to detail and project management skills
• Social media literacy with the ability to identify and recommend social program elements
• Ability to multi-task effectively and work within tight deadlines
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team to meet deadlines and client expectations
• Confident and comfortable presenting in front of groups
• Media relations experience for financial and professional services accounts is a plus

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

Salary range: $95,000 – $125,000 
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

We’re looking for a strong Vice President to join our Consumer Practice, working across a few of America’s most iconic brands. You will be responsible for managing client relationships, playing a critical role in leading breakthrough activations that earn attention and influence the brand’s target audience.  You will be responsible for all aspects of the client relationship and a dot connector across our integrated account team.

You will also be engaged with business development, strategic program planning, and the development of creative concepts. Additional responsibilities include recommending programs and activities, coordinating with client’s goals, effectively coaching mid and junior level team members, offering counsel to clients and working with strategists, creatives and analysts to create the best work output. Ideally, you will have agency or consulting experience in the food and beverage or CPG categories. 

What We Are Looking For: 

• A passion and curiosity for earned media and understanding the changing media landscape
• Has a pulse on pop culture events and news which translate for earned media
• Ability to be agile and motivation to pivot approved ideas given the ever-changing earned and media landscape  
• Understand the role influencers play in earning attention for brands
• Can turn ideas into integrated, workable plans and newsworthy campaigns
• Capacity to convey ownership of assigned projects to junior team members and IAT partners
• Can solve conflict (internal or external)
• Can mobilize and motivate teams 
• Can work independently and as part of a team
• Excellent verbal and written business communication skills
• Aptitude for budgets, scoping and financial analysis
• Can complete challenging projects within set parameters
• Exceptional judgment when working with team members, client contacts and vendors
• Commitment and dedication to the agency’s success as well as individual career
• Can anticipate client and team needs
• Attention to detail and quality
• Jumps in with solutions and “let’s try it” attitude
• Instills confidence with clients and colleagues

Basic Qualifications: 

•  At least 8-10 years’ experience in agency, PR/Communications space
•  Experienced in Integrated Media Strategy and Media Relations, ideally within the food and beverage or relevant CPG space.
•  Bachelor’s Degree in Communications, Business Management, or related field 

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

Illinois Salary range: $119,000 – $155,000

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.

#LI-JP1 

Senior Vice President, Client Experience, Healthcare

Weber Shandwick works with some of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world, communicating about some of the most pressing health concerns.

We deliver innovative, impactful work for our clients that has resulted in significant growth of the practice and earned our teams multiple awards. This success is due to our people, our relationships, a culture that inspires, an incredible team of experts in scientific communications, and an embedded digital/social team who make our clients stand out. We are also well-connected to the large Weber Shandwick network, partnering daily with clients and colleagues globally.

About the Role

We are looking for a new SVP for our healthcare practice.

This role will lead two major accounts in the Chicago office reporting to an EVP. This is a unique, career-enhancing role on large accounts, and an opportunity to partner with exceptional senior account leaders across the company.

This new leader’s overall responsibility is to be the day-to-day strategist for the clients, manage the overall relationship, deploy the teams in the most efficient and productive way to execute flawlessly, and be a supportive coach. The successful candidate will have experience with data and regulatory milestones along with consumer programs, and display passion, never-ending curiosity, a desire to always be better, and the ability to inspire and connect with teams across offices. They will be a hands-on leader that fits with our overall culture. We are a company of doers even at the most senior level.

Responsibilities

• Build and nurture client relationships and grow business by providing leadership, direction and strategic guidance to colleagues, day-to-day teams and senior level clients
• Lead, develop and coach teams of 10-20 people
• Guide and inspire clients to continue expand the kinds of communications work they are doing digitally directly tied to meeting their business challenges
• Develop quality standards and ensure client satisfaction
• Draw on our total agency resources for every project, including health creative, digital and media specialists
• Educate teams to ensure that they are delivering state-of-the-art counsel and content to their clients
• Stay ahead of the shifts in the healthcare environment and provide guidance to teams and clients
• Participate in new business pitch development and/or presentations
• Participate as part of the practice leadership team on the operations of the group
• Actively engage in the culture of the agency to lead by example
• Work with peers to further the mission, goals and culture of the agency
• Mentor individuals so that they are able to achieve their professional goals

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required
• 11+ years of experience in PR inclusive of agency experience working on large scale integrated communications campaigns

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

Salary range: $180,000 – $245,000

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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