Public Relations Senior Account Executive, Gatesman

Summary of Responsibilities and Expectations:

  • The successful SAE must be a good writer, a strong developer of compelling content for multiple channels and audiences, and must demonstrate a commitment to building media relationships for clients and the agency. The SAE must also demonstrate a solid understanding of the importance of measurement, and be able to execute strategies that demonstrate results. The SAE has the opportunity to participate in growing existing business and helping develop new business.
  • In addition to a lead role in managing and growing existing and new client relationships, the SAE has a key team role mentoring and coaching junior level staffers within the PR department, as well as agency-wide peers. The SAE should serve as a role model to junior staffers and peers and demonstrate a commitment to his/her work, clients and the agency. The expectations of the SAE are:
  • Consistent delivery of high-quality written materials and digital content that require little or no rewrite and minor editing (rewriting defined as one-half or less the time, in hours, that it took to write or produce a draft; editing defined as one-third or less the time, in hours, it took to write a draft).
  • Consistent adherence to all client and agency deadlines (100 percent unless the issue is flagged in advance)
  • Consistent adherence to client budgets and allocated hours for agency projects, particularly media relations, social media and event planning, (as determined at the outset by the approved proposal, the monthly forecast, or the agency project).
  • Development of a consistent and ongoing program to develop, nurture and maintain media relationships on behalf of Gatesman and its clients within the region and in targeted industries important to clients and the agency.

Key Specific Responsibilities for SAE:

  • Account service: Proactive and responsive client interactions that are timely and serve to deepen the relationship between the agency and the client.
  • Business development: Proactive identification of business opportunities with existing and potential clients and sharing of them with their supervisor. Active participation as a team member on new business proposals and pitches, including a lead role in research of media relations and social media opportunities.
  • Creative and critical thinking: Proactive identification of opportunities, especially media and social media opportunities, not originally described in a client or agency situation and commitment to presenting them to agency and client leadership so that they are adequately considered; proactive surfacing of issues and potential crises that have the potential to affect the agency or client positively or negatively.
  • Financial accountability: Self-starting willingness to work within a budget, to benchmark personal and team activity against a budget, to adapt course to stay within a budget (or advocate effectively for alternate approaches).
  • Media relations: Lead role in proactive development and nurturing of media relationships on a personal and agency level that benefit the agency and its clients, including regular contact with journalists.
  • Writing and editing: Accurate, compelling, creative and timely delivery of all written materials for client and agency.

Individual Expectations:

  • Recommend: The SAE should have a broader vision in order to recommend strategies, objectives and tactics on behalf of clients when part of a team; to identify and make recommendations on new hires, new business and other agency initiatives; to recommend new services, service areas and other process improvements for the agency.
  • Inform and initiate: The SAE should regularly inform and initiate action on behalf of a client with regard to public relations and social media initiatives, and when tasked to manage a project for a client by the account leaders; and to inform and initiate action on behalf of the agency when tasked by their supervisor for a particular initiative.
  • Act: The SAE should act independently to develop and nurture media relationships on behalf of Gatesman in the region and in industries important to clients (such as retail, nonprofit, B2B). He/She has the authority to set up and maintain an ongoing program of media relations development through regular contact with key journalists in the region and in industries important to agency clients. He/She should also seek out opportunities for advanced or expanded thinking related to social media vendors.

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