Description

Associate Director – Corporate Affairs – Hill + Knowlton Strategies

ABOUT H+K

Hill+Knowlton Strategies (H+K) is an international PR and communications agency with 80 offices in 40 countries and working globally with many of the largest multinational companies in the world. We structure our business around industry sector teams to deliver deep industry knowledge, and specialist service areas to offer expertise for the benefit of our clients. Our specialist service areas include corporate affairs, ESG, creative strategy and ideas development, data, insights and analytics, content creation and publishing. Our agency offer is constantly evolving as are our people as they expand their skills and set new standards in the industry.

We are proud to have been awarded Provoke Sabre EMEA Awards: UK PR Consultancy of the Year 2022, EMEA Agency of the Decade, UK 2022 Silver Agency of the Year: Campaign Awards, EMEA 2022 Gold PR Agency of the Year: Campaign Award.

OUR TEAM

The Corporate Affairs team is a group of ambitious, motivated and clever people who provide a broad spectrum of corporate communications counsel and activity to build and protect positive reputations for clients.

Sector agnostic in our approach, we partner with organisations both local and global to help identify and solve challenges to navigate the changing world around us. Our consultancy ranges from business transformation to global communications strategy and issues management, as well as leadership comms and creative campaigning that brings together corporate and brand communications, for consumer and B2B brands.

We work with parent companies, emerging brands, NGOs, firms and co-ops, helping each to define and tell their stories impactfully to their key audiences. This is often delivered with colleagues from across the agency in sector teams or other specialisms including Public Affairs, People+Purpose, ESG or The Studio.

Our friendly and welcoming team has a mix of clients spanning size and borders. Some of our current and recent clients include Arla Foods, Clifford Chance, MPB, DAZN, Haleon, Monash University, Oliver Wyman, Coca Cola, Access Industries, Motability Operations and Pay.UK.

THE ROLE + RESPONSIBILITIES

We are looking for a strong corporate affairs Associate Director who is a client-focused strategic thinker, with a proven track record in new business delivery, good people management, excellent writing and communication skills alongside a savvy media understanding. We want to welcome someone who is just as excited by the challenge of solving a comms ask when there is no rule book or precedent, as they are in finding a company’s purpose and delivering it.

Working across a variety of sectors including management consultancy, higher education and FMCG, the role will be the day-to-day lead for well-established and disruptor brands, managing client and team relationships.

As a senior member of the Corporate Affairs + Advisory team, we are looking for a client-focused strategic thinker, who is curious about the world around them.

We are looking for an individual who can:

• Independently lead client relationships, with accountability for the development and management of campaigns across all publishing channels (traditional and social, earned, owned, shared and paid)
• Provide counsel with confidence and professionalism on communication strategies, stakeholder engagement, and corporate storytelling
• Be a trusted advisor to clients, adding value to client relationships and helping clients achieve their business objectives
• Provide strong financial management, understanding revenue forecasting, budget management and client profitability
• Proactively identify opportunities for organic growth in your client portfolio
• Lead new business pitches and support team marketing activities
• Mentor, coach and line manage junior team members 

DESIRED ATTRIBUTES

• Agency experience, leading fast-paced teams in a changing environment
• Experience in reputation management across corporate communications and multi-channel campaigns as well as understanding what journalists and editors need and how to get that from clients
• Interested in working with clients in a variety of areas from CEO comms and ESG strategy development, to media relations and brand engagement across multiple sectors
• A strategic thinker with an interest in business, media & politics and a proactive self-starter with an eye for identifying new business opportunities for existing clients and appetite to get involved in growing the portfolio
• Strong planning and organisational skills – both in terms of managing complex client campaigns and managing workstreams across markets
• Corporate focused with the ability to flex into public affairs and/or consumer programmes with the confidence to provide strong counsel to senior clients on strategy
• A team player with the ability to quickly build strong inter-team relationships, motivate and lead a bright team of talented, ambitious mid and junior colleagues

KEY H+K BENEFITS

• 25 days annual leave + 3 days at Christmas
• Comprehensive health insurance (Bupa)
• SMART pension scheme
• Heavily subsidised on-site bar
• WPP employee discount scheme
• Group life assurance scheme
• Enhanced maternity + paternity scheme
• Vouchers + extra day’s holiday for key milestone anniversaries
• Our dedicated interactive training academy - ‘The Hub’
• Cycle to work scheme
• Wellness programmes
• Weekly social events
• 2 x volunteer days per year

OUR LONDON OFFICE

H+K employs over 300 people in the UK, and our stunning Clerkenwell offices run over two floors, encompassing a beautiful roof terrace and subsidised bar area, which is a great spot for client meetings and socialising with the wider agency. 

DE&I

We pride ourselves on creating a diverse and inclusive culture where everyone belongs. As a company and as co-workers, we are building a workplace where everyone can reach their full potential. We are an inclusive employer and are happy to consider flexible working arrangements.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES

We believe diversity is strength. Our Commitment at Hill + Knowlton Strategies is to combine our employees unique backgrounds, perspective, and experiences to build a more diverse and inclusive organisation that represents all of us and the businesses we work with.  We encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and will consider all applicants regardless of age, gender identity ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, family or parental status, neurodiversity, and disability status.  We are also happy to provide reasonable adjustments during the application and interview process. Please refer to our Diversity, Equity + Inclusion Recruitment Charter to understand more about H+K’s commitments here.

H+K is Disability Confident Committed and a Dyslexia SMART organisation.  If you require any adjustments to the application or interview process with us, please don’t hesitate to email [email protected]

For more information on H+K: www.hkstrategies.com

Instagram: @hk_londonlife

Twitter: @hk_london