Job Description
Senior Account Executive - Crisis & Risk
We are a leading global communications marketing firm helping business and organisations evolve, promote, and protect their brands and reputations. We are independent and family owned, which allows us the freedom to deliver original thinking and invest in our clients.
In the UK, there are more than 600 employees based in our offices in Victoria. We create award-winning creative communication programmes for our clients who include Microsoft, Nissan, FedEx, PayPal, GSK, Disney, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.
We have deep expertise and advise on consumer trends, research, analytics and insights, corporate reputation, health, technology, capital markets, crisis, energy, and government affairs.
About the Team
We are London’s leading Crisis and Risk team. We protect our global clients’ licence to operate with a data and insight driven approach. Our 10-strong team consists of specialist experts who have experience and knowledge across a multitude of industry sectors and sub-specialisms. Our team is responsible for handling global briefs and pitches, managing the global network of crisis practitioners and embedding best practice throughout the network. This means that our work is inherently international, setting the agenda across the rest of Edelman. We have deep industry expertise and work closely with the global Edelman network, advising on integrated media strategy, digital and content production, litigation & legal affairs, employee engagement & advocacy, research & analytics, capital markets and government affairs.
As well as advising clients on live reputational issues, a large proportion of our work is helping them to plan and prepare for upcoming risks through developing risk assessments, crisis communications protocols and scenario planning. Training is another key element of our work and we regularly deliver workshops and crisis simulations to senior executives.
We take pride in delivering exceptional work for our clients. At our core, we are a non-hierarchical team and have a strong culture of teamwork and collaboration. We are supported by leadership who champion and celebrate our collective achievements.
The role
We are looking for an ambitious, motivated, and proactive individual to join the team. The Senior Account Executive role requires a candidate with excellent writing, attention to detail and media handling skills, and the ability to drive forward the day to day running of multiple accounts. The ability to interact confidently with clients and to support senior team members and collaborate and integrate with other parts of the business will also be key.
The successful candidate will have a strong track record of client service with a focus on delivering solutions to Crisis & Risk briefs. Comfortable with working in a fast-paced environment, the candidate should be news-hungry and curious with an appetite to stay on top of emerging trends in reputation management in the media, culture and society which are likely to impact our clients. Experience and interest in digital crisis and social media platforms and channels is also required.
Responsibilities include:
- Serving as a client contact across accounts, earning the trust of senior stakeholders to deliver day to day work and delivering project management and network coordination, ensuring work quality and deadline adherence
- Supporting on crisis training programmes including developing narratives, injects and materials and project management
- Producing first drafts of crisis communications content, including crisis response protocols, risk assessments, scenario plans, Q+A documents and messaging
- Performing project management responsibilities on global accounts which are managed out of London using a ‘hub model’ including tracking and reporting activity and fee of local market teams through centralized reporting
- Media handling, speaking confidently to the media and working with senior colleagues to provide informed counsel to clients when handling issues
- Supporting on new business pitches with research, slide development and media/social insights and contributing to internal marketing for the team
Key Requirements:
- Desire to work as part of a busy, fast paced and highly motivated working environment
- Ability to service multiple clients and manage workload whilst supporting senior team members
- Team player that can manage both up and down and take overall responsibility of day to day client deliverables
- Experience of integrating and collaborating with different practices / teams on cross-business work
- Solid and practical understanding of earned, owned, paid and social media, and how to incorporate these channels into communications programmes. Understanding of social media platforms and best practices
- A working understanding of the mis and dis information environment
- Understanding of the digital ecosystem and how various issues can arise, evolve, and escalate and able to translate into strategies and action as needed
- Excellent attention to detail, verbal and written skills, ability to articulate point of view with confidence and gravitas
- Entrepreneurial spirit - willingness to ‘get stuck in’ and make the most of opportunities
- An initial foundation of experience to build from supporting clients on complex issues and crises impacting a wide variety of stakeholders across all channels, including digital/social
- Proven client management skills and motivation to deliver consistently high client service
- Excellent organisational skills
- Experience of preparing and writing Q&As, Lines To Take and other foundational material for the Crisis clients
- A proven track record of dealing with media in a crisis situation also preferred
- Enthusiasm and ambition - a self-driven team player with strong sense of initiative, desire to take ownership and responsibility over tasks and learn/grow/develop professionally
- Proven track record in prioritising workload as well as supporting senior team members and working up into senior colleagues
Preferred Requirements:
- A keen understanding of the digital landscape and experience deploying digital strategies and tactics for reputation and crisis management
- Oversee and/or support social media/ digital community management programmes
- Support programs to prepare for, monitor, and combat disinformation online
- Develop website content and coordinate crisis web builds
- Demonstrate basic understanding of using paid media in a crisis and liaise with performance marketing team on strategy and execution of paid tactics