PR Associate Director - Corporate

Location:                       London (Chancery Lane)

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

About Grayling UK

Our people are in equal parts exceptional professionals and wonderful human beings. We live by being brave, curious, and collaborative, which helps us deliver award-winning work for our clients.

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 corporate comms, you’ve come to the right place!

The day to day

As Associate Director, you will work across a variety of sectors, including technology, energy, retail and transport.

Your role will be focused on providing strategic, operational and leadership support to the Directors and Team Lead by ensuring the team delivers excellent results for our clients and Grayling, contributing to the growth of the division and leading business development initiatives. You will act as strategic lead across your client portfolio, with responsibility for client satisfaction and commercial planning.

Responsibilities will include:

• Providing strategic counsel and advice to clients, developing and delivering innovative, insightful and integrated solutions of the highest standards
• Driving forward client strategy and high-quality client service, in partnership with Directors, providing strategic solutions that exceed client expectations
• A commercial lead, responsible for profitability, servicing levels, budgeting and resource planning
• Lead on scopes of work, budgets and commercial negotiation with minimal amends or input from Directors or Team Leads
• Well networked media/stakeholder advocacy base
• Crisis management lead, alongside senior colleagues, where appropriate
• Lead on strategic pieces of writing including executive level communications and plans
• Develop and mentor team members by utilising appropriate people management techniques and company processes, along with celebrating successes
• Take a leadership role in new business initiatives and driving pipeline growth by proactively identifying and delivering opportunities

What will give you the edge

• Proven generalist corporate comms experience, with an excellent strategic understanding of both traditional and digital public relations
• Ability to convert new business opportunities to revenue
• Highly commercially astute and decisive
• Proven experience as a confident and knowledgeable speaker in a variety of situations including client presentations, internal company updates and pitches
• Industry trends expert with significant horizon scanning experience and the ability to advise clients at the highest level
• Well networked media/stakeholder advocacy base
• Excellent grasp of clients’ marketplaces, audiences and routes to market
• Incisive, creative and strategic problem solver
• Organised with ability to juggle multiple and changing priorities
• Supportive, inspiring and motivational leader
• Personal drive and passion for the industry
• Calm and authoritative in response to issues or crisis

Our promises to you 

• Flexible working arrangements, including hybrid working & flexi time
• 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
• Early finish Fridays
• 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. With nine offices across the UK and 70 offices around the world, we create advantage for our clients through insight-led campaigns that deliver tangible results.

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 — and not just in one category, but two! We’re a sociable bunch and life at Grayling will offer you a whole host of benefits including 4pm Friday finishes, hybrid working, enhanced Family Policies and regular training workshops– not to mention the opportunity to work across award winning global campaigns!

We are proudly part of Accordience. Accordience is an international public relations, public affairs, financial and corporate communications group – made up of Grayling, Citigate Dewe Rogerson (CDR), Red and Cirkle.  Together, we have c.1,000 employees and operations in 30 countries. 

We believe diversity is strength. Our commitment at Grayling is to combine our employees’ unique backgrounds, perspectives and experiences to build a more diverse and inclusive organization that represents all of us and the businesses we work with.  We encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and will give fair consideration to all applicants regardless of age, gender identity, ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, family or parental status, neurodiversity and disability status. 

We are a Disability Confident Committed employer and will be very happy to provide any reasonable adjustments during our application and interview process. For any advice or assistance please contact [email protected]