Associate Director - Corporate & Services, Public Relations

More about the role:

Burson is looking to hire an Associate Director to manage a portfolio of diverse corporate clients, pursuing new business opportunities, moving beyond existing accounts to build a robust pipeline of prospective clients and support the senior management to manage and develop strong teams. You are expected to support our corporate strategy and your practice or office to help ensure superior client service, a winning culture and profitability.

What you'll do:

Client Strategy & Servicing

• Strategic Partnership: Act as the primary strategic advisor to clients, leveraging deep industry knowledge to anticipate challenges, identify opportunities, and provide decisive, high-level counsel.
• Program Architecture: Design and oversee the execution of innovative, integrated communication programs that incorporate digital, social, and AI-driven strategies to achieve client objectives.
• Senior-Level Counsel: Confidently write, present, and communicate complex strategies to senior executive audiences, influencing decision-makers within client and prospective client organizations.
• Crisis & Issues Leadership: Serve as a senior point of contact during crisis situations, guiding clients with clear, strategic, and timely decision-making.
• Relationship Management: Build and maintain unshakeable relationships with key clients, ensuring clear communication, and positioning yourself and the team as indispensable partners.

New Business Development & Growth 

• Lead Generation & Pursuit: Proactively identify, qualify, and pursue new business opportunities, moving beyond existing accounts to build a robust pipeline of prospective clients.
• Pitch & Proposal Leadership: Own and lead the development of new business proposals and pitches from start to finish. This includes strategic planning, creative brainstorming, and crafting compelling narratives that win accounts.
• Strategic Networking: Cultivate and maintain a strong network of industry contacts, potential clients, and key influencers to generate leads and position Burson as the agency of choice.
• Growth Strategy: Collaborate with senior leadership to develop and execute a proactive new business strategy for your practice or office, identifying key markets and targets for expansion.
• Organic Growth: Deepen relationships with existing clients to identify and secure opportunities for account expansion, transforming single projects into long-term strategic partnerships.

Leadership & Operational Excellence

• Talent Development: Mentor and coach junior staff to become future leaders. Foster a collaborative, inclusive, and high-performing team environment, delegating strategic responsibilities to grow their capabilities.
• Financial Acumen: Drive profitability by managing client budgets, resource allocation, and key financial performance indicators for your portfolio. Ensure all account administration and billing are handled efficiently.
• Operational Oversight: Ensure all client work is executed to the highest standard, on time, and within budget. Champion agency best practices and the use of collaborative tools like SharePoint.
• AI Integration: Champion the strategic use of Generative AI tools across all communication programs to enhance planning, ideation, content creation, and operational efficiency.
• Stay updated on social media trends and build relationships with key influencers and community contacts to optimize channels.

Experience that contributes to success:

• Postgraduate degree in any discipline, or a professional qualification in public relations or marketing communications.
• 10+ years of experience in media relations, content management, and communications across a diverse range of corporate sector clients in Energy, Education, Industrial Manufacturing, Aviation, Automobile, Environment/ Sustainability, Infrastructure & Consulting etc.
• You must possess a strong familiarity with how Generative AI tools are used across communications programmes, especially in planning, research, ideation, content creation, and daily operations to drive relevance and efficiency.
• Strong track record of driving agency growth through new business development, identifying opportunities, and leading end-to-end proposal and pitch processes.