Senior Account Executive

The role

We have an exciting opportunity for a Digital Senior Account Executive to join our Digital team. The successful candidate should have experience in the Corporate, B2B space, ideally having worked for a digital agency, integrated marketing firm or a publisher. This person would have a track record of delivering integrated digital strategies and programmes, improving engagement with creative social ideas, and collaborating closely with teams to improve the ways of working within the team and into other agency functions.

There is a lot of opportunity for growth within the role for the right candidate. We are looking for someone with a real passion for using digital, social and content to amplify campaigns, who can partner with clients and teams to craft meaningful stories, develop creative social first content, be the eyes and ears of the brand through thorough community management, explore opportunities for the client to engage with target audiences, and ultimately ensure that client expectations are not only met but exceeded.

A Senior Account Executive (SAE) will manage daily client account work and provide support to senior team members. S/he may supervise the work of more junior team members. S/he will have frequent interaction with the client(s) and provide counsel on social and digital tactical implementation. S/he will activate and execute communications marketing campaigns for clients and manage reporting. S/he will begin to act as a key lead on sections of client social and digital projects and campaigns.

Key Responsibilities

• Client service
• Client centricity – Support your teams in meeting agreed client expectations and needs by being very organised, including updating the client confidently on calls/emails regarding your projects and proactively responding to client queries in a timely and professional manner, seeking team input/counsel where appropriate. Be able to provide consistent support across multiple teams for multiple projects.
• Brilliant basics – Have a strong knowledge of the Social Media space, including understanding of emerging platforms and trends, the importance of Paid Social, measurement, CMS and Editorial Calendar management. Develop first draft of materials including content calendars, plans and other written documents with minimal mistakes/typos. Demonstrate a network of online media/influencer contacts. Have an understanding of how to implement social/digital strategy as part of a wider team.
• Flawless execution – Manage/oversee management of action trackers, liaise with internal and external stakeholders, develop agendas and status reports for client meetings/calls, attend client meetings/calls and update clients on actions for which you are responsible, develop compelling and error-free written documents. Ensure you get a good brief from the team prior to starting work on a project and when working with a more junior member of staff, give her/him a good brief and provide guidance to encourage quality work. Become a ‘safe pair of hands’ for your accounts with a solutions-focused approach
• Integrated marketing fundamentals – Understand the different types of activities that can be classified as Communications Marketing, including advertising, direct marketing, branding, online presence, printed materials, PR, sponsorships, congress activities, etc.
• Insights – Apply learnings from team meetings and training to complete your tasks with intelligence, speed and accuracy. Support the planning team in conducting research to identify appropriate insights, and apply research tools to client briefs.
• Collective creativity – Foster strong relationships with team members, including those not based in London, and show consistent support of your colleagues, offering extra support during busy times.
• Digital fluency – Understand the most commonly used digital and social channels and be able to draft effective content for each. Understand how paid digital media works and work with paid social specialists to oversee a paid campaign and effectively communicate results.
• Consultative skills – Ensure you understand objectives of each project or task and listen with intelligence, asking questions to clarify when needed. Think about how to approach your clients in terms of body language and tone to obtain the information you need. Take ownership of small projects within your account and be able to update the client on these.
• Financial management
• Business acumen – Understand project/client budget parameters and manage vendors/ third party contractor relationships. Draft first-pass project budgets for review and input from your senior team member. Assist project managers in tracking and monitoring financials.
• Submit accurate timesheets and understand service levels for your clients.
• Talent development and team management
• Provide ongoing, constructive feedback to team members.
• Mentor, coach and support AEs, AAEs and interns or graduate trainees to ensure the delivery of high-quality work. Ensure you position feedback as constructive, leaving your junior team members feeling motivated, and supporting them towards longer-term initiatives and goals.
• Identify areas of self-development and commit to continuous learning via ELI and other training.
• Promote a positive team environment and lead by example.
• Engage with the departmental ‘people’ lead and the HR department on all relevant matters for your own employment.
• Brand and business building
• Participate in the new business process, including research, audits, idea contribution, brainstorms and proposal development.
• Identify and engage in networking opportunities, making the most of your university or professional networks, becoming an ambassador for Edelman.
• Follow news relevant to target industries and flag potential opportunities to your existing clients while also keeping an eye out for new opportunities for additional account growth.
  
  

Experience

• Previous experience working in a PR role within an agency or similar communications marketing field.
• Previous experience working in a fast-paced team environment where multi-tasking is the norm.
• Demonstrated excellence in written and verbal communications skills.
• A proven ability to deliver results and execute social and digital client campaigns.
• Some experience of client handling and management.
• Knowledge of pharmaceutical regulatory environment (for digital communications in particular) in UK, EMEA and beyond beneficial
  
  

Skills

• Excellent written and verbal communications skills.
• A creative mind and ability to ‘sell a story’ to media and stakeholders.
• A team player comfortable with multi-tasking in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong organisational skills.
• Ability to adapt communications styles dependent on audience and message.
• Sound judgement.
• High attention to detail.
• Strong network of professional relationships.
• Can use digital and social tools to drive online engagement.
  
  

The ideal candidate for this role will have/be:

• A background in digital within an agency, marketing firm or publisher
• Experience within the corporate reputation space, with agency experience working across B2B and B2C
• Proven ability to lead and manage multiple small or medium-sized projects simultaneously
• Clear understanding of the clients’ businesses and their missions, as well as their key stakeholders: consumers, employees, investors, regulators, media, vendors, partners, other businesses/organizations, etc.
• Demonstrated ability to help develop communication programming and plans, implement integrated tactics and impart knowledge to junior account team members
• Able to perform well under pressure and be a team player
• Strong research, writing and editing skills, as well as the ability to interact with clients professionally
• Strong communications skills, verbal and written - able to develop high-quality strategy, write documents and proposals and support junior team members
• The ability and experience to provide senior clients with clear, confident, and well-informed strategic counsel and excellent negotiation skills and ability to manage expectations against budgets / results
• Strong knowledge of the digital landscape including platforms, trends, and technology
• A solid understanding of the principles of content marketing and the ability to convey them both internally and to clients
  
  

Edelman is a global communications firm that partners with businesses and organizations to evolve, promote and protect their brands and reputations. Our 6,000 people in more than 60 offices deliver communications strategies that give our clients the confidence to lead and act with certainty, earning the trust of their stakeholders. Our honors include the Cannes Lions Grand Prix for PR; Advertising Age’s 2019 A-List; the Holmes Report’s 2018 Global Digital Agency of the Year; and, five times, Glassdoor’s Best Places to Work. Since our founding in 1952, we have remained an independent, family-run business. Edelman owns specialty companies Edelman Data & Intelligence (DxI) and United Entertainment Group (entertainment, sports, lifestyle).

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