Account Director, Client Experience

Account Director, Social Impact & Sustainability
Weber Shandwick is seeking an Account Director with earned media expertise to join our Social Impact & Sustainability team in Washington, DC. This role is based at Powell Tate, the DC-based public affairs unit of The Weber Shandwick Collective (TWSC).
We’re looking for leaders who understand how to leverage the power of earned-first communications to build purpose-driven brands, drive business and social progress, and engage stakeholders on critical environment, social and governance (ESG) issues.
As an Account Director, you will join a growing team of passionate changemakers who are working at the intersection of companies and brands and pressing social and environmental issues. The ideal candidate will have deep experience developing and executing earned media strategies and integrated communications plans related to purpose, sustainability and social impact.
You are a proactive team player who thrives in a fast-paced, always-changing environment. You are driven, poised, curious, creative, a problem solver, well-versed across a number of societal and environmental issues, with a demonstrated ability to learn issues quickly and communicate effectively with internal and external audiences. You will have a strong POV informed from multiple perspectives and experiences, but always willing to listen and learn from others.
You will work closely with senior and junior staff members across several teams (corporate, consumer, public affairs, strategy, creative and integrated media) to drive a broad range of social impact, sustainability and ESG strategies and campaigns across a variety of clients to develop strategic, brave, creative, and impactful client work.
You will lead in the development of strategies to shape stories, drive visibility and engagement among key audiences. You will bring a passion for media relations, earning attention for our clients’ ideas across a variety of channels. And you will have exceptional project management skills and the desire to be involved in all aspects of the work we do, from helping to build strategy to executing flawlessly.
This role is client facing with key responsibilities and opportunities to support new business efforts and manage the operations of the business.
What You Will Be Doing:

• Contribute to Social Impact’s ongoing thought leadership, including writing posts for our Purpose Decoded Medium site, identifying trends and insights for our weekly newsletter, and providing actionable news/insights to key internal and external partners
• Develop and grow positive and productive relationships with journalists, clients, prospects and internal partners and other partner agencies as part of a client integrated agency team
• Design and implement purpose/social impact/sustainability campaigns on behalf of corporate, brand and nonprofit clients
• Provide earned media expertise to develop and execute media strategies for a broad range of clients and mentor junior staff to grow their media skills
• Serve as day-to-day social impact lead on assigned accounts; driving progress against communications strategy, project managing workflow against client budgets and ensuring flawless work product delivery
• Participate in agency initiatives to build culture and engagement; participate in dedicated task forces based on experience, interests and expertise
• Provide strategic counsel to clients on a range of societal, sustainability and ESG issues, being able to identify and assess problems and define logical and effective solutions for clients

Basic Qualifications:

• 7-9 years PR, strategic communications and/or marketing background
• BA or BS in Communications or related degree

Additional Qualifications:

• Demonstrated success managing teams and budgets and executing programs
• Demonstrated success translating client needs into workable plans/projects
• Understanding of how to conceptualize and build integrated communications campaigns
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, highly collaborative, multi-disciplinary team
• Resilient mindset, deep curiosity, problem solver, and a healthy sense of humor
• Proven track record building and executing earned media strategies and facility with relevant tools such as Cision
• Experience working closely with several types of teams including creative, strategy, media planning and public affairs
• Experience working broadly in social impact, including sustainability or climate change campaigns or to advance progress on critical social justice issues – either within an agency, the private sector or in political or nonprofit advocacy campaigns
• Excellent writing skills across longer form content and ability to create effective PowerPoint presentations
• Ability to manage multiple projects at various stages simultaneously

About Weber Shandwick
Weber Shandwick is a leading global communications network that delivers next-generation solutions to brands, businesses and organizations in major markets around the world. Led by world-class strategic and creative thinkers and activators, we have won some of the most prestigious awards in the industry. Weber Shandwick was named to Ad Age’s Agency A-List in 2020 and Best Places to Work in 2019. Weber Shandwick was also honored as PRWeek’s Global Agency of the Year in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018, and PRovoke’s Global Agency of the Year in 2015, 2017 and 2019. The firm earned 25 Lions at the 2019 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. Data-led, with earned ideas at the core, the agency deploys leading and emerging technologies to inform strategy, develop critical insights and heighten impact across sectors and specialty areas, including brand and B2B marketing, healthcare marketing, change management, employee engagement, corporate reputation, crisis management, data and analytics, technology, public affairs, social impact and financial communications. Weber Shandwick is part of the Interpublic Group (NYSE: IPG). For more information, visit http://www.webershandwick.com
Powell Tate is the globally recognized DC-based public affairs unit of The Weber Shandwick Collective. Built for change, we are nimble, data-driven and led by people who understand fast-changing politics, complex policy debates, emerging cultural trends, the role of third-party stakeholders and digital transformation. We know the motivations that spark movements. The issues that matter most - privacy, environment, sustainability, automation, food safety and healthcare. In short: What to embrace. What to avoid. What you didn’t see coming. We solve complex business, policy and social issues. We mitigate risk and build reputation. We shape opinions and build support for issues that matter. For more information visit www.powelltate.com.
The Weber Shandwick Collective recognizes that your health and wellbeing are a priority. This is why we offer a full suite of benefits including:

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

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.
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 [email protected]. 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.
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 [email protected]. 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.