Account Director - Planning & Infrastructure

Location:              London

Working Pattern: Full time, hybrid working (3 days in office, 2 days from home) 

About Grayling UK

Our people are in equal parts exceptional professionals and wonderful human beings.

We’ve created a culture that champions personal growth and development, empowering everyone to be creative, innovate enjoy their work. Your growth is our priority because when you thrive, so do we.

We’re serious about our work but never about ourselves, so if you’re looking for your next move and are passionate about the built environment you’ve come to the right place!

The day to day

Grayling Planning & Infrastructure deliver communications and engagement services that protect and enhance our client’s reputations across:

• The UK’s energy transition: policy analysis and supporting energy generation and transmission projects
• Major economic development: freeports, town centre regeneration and garden villages
• Infrastructure delivery: managing ongoing construction communications

Our multi-award-winning consultants, based across Grayling's nine UK offices, manage communications and engagement for major TCPA and NSIP projects from consultation to consent.

The day to day

With a collaborative approach to team management, you’ll be leading by example and helping teams to deliver exceptional results for our clients. This role will be client-facing from day one, so you’ll have the confidence to build a strong rapport with clients, stakeholders and colleagues quickly. The role will also require a good head for new business: identifying opportunities to grow existing client accounts; mining your network for new leads; participating in chemistry meetings; and contributing significantly to the production and delivery of new business proposals and pitches. 

What will give you the edge

• Previous experience delivering community and stakeholder engagement projects either in an agency or an in-house role 
• Experienced in managing and working on clients in the property, infrastructure and energy space 
• Experience working on TCPA applications and, ideally, DCO applications
• Strategic, analytical thinker with the initiative to see a programme through from start to finish 
• Confident networker – adept at staying in touch with key decision makers and contacts 
• Ability to digest and organise large volumes of information quickly, and stay abreast of ever-changing political and social developments that may affect client work
• Strong understanding of workings of both traditional PR and PA 
• Experience delivering integrated campaigns 
• Supportive, inspiring and motivational leader 
• Self-aware and able to adapt personal style and approach to clients and team 
• Calm and authoritative in response to issues or crisis 

Our promises to you

• Flexible working arrangements, including hybrid working & flexi time and 4pm Friday finishes
• 25 days’ holiday, increasing by one day every year up to 30 days
• Additional day of leave on your birthday
• Gifted time off over Christmas
• Flexible benefits platform where you are in complete control of what you receive. It could be anything from dental to gym membership, wellbeing initiatives, training, discount deals or simply a contribution to everyday bills and subscriptions (think Netflix, Amazon, Spotify etc!)
• Enhanced family-friendly policies
• Free subscription to Calm app
• Free breakfasts & fruit
• An abundance of personal development opportunities, through our internal training programmes
• New business and employee referral bonuses
• Interest-free season ticket loan & Railcard reimbursement
• Cycle to work scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme offering a 24/7 confidential advice line
• Life assurance

Get to know us

Grayling is the UK’s best-connected communications agency, working across Consumer, Corporate, and Public Affairs. With nine UK offices and 20+ worldwide, we help brands make an impact through smart thinking, cultural insights, and creative ideas.

We’ve been on a huge journey the last year and have just been shortlisted for PRWeek UK’s brand-new People and Places Awards 2025.

Our commitment at Grayling is to combine our employees’ unique backgrounds, perspectives 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. If you need any adjustments during the application process, we’re here to help - just let us know.