Public Affairs Account Manager

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 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 public affairs, you’ve come to the right place!

The day to day

You’ll join our award-winning public affairs practice as an Account Manager, where you’ll have the opportunity to work on a number of flagship client accounts, including for some of the country’s most recognisable organisations (a full list of our clients can be found on the Public Affairs Board Register). Our client base covers a broad range of sectors including transport, energy, food & drink and technology.  Grayling has a prestigious public affairs practice and already this year won the PRCA Consultancy Campaign of the Year for the work with Stana Line on delivering a new freeport for Anglesey.

As Account Manager you'll get to:

• Account manage top public affairs accounts
• Act as a day-to-day point of contact for clients
• Support Grayling’s senior team to provide strategic political guidance to our clients
• Attend and contribute to client meetings
• Draft political briefing notes and parliamentary correspondence
• Manage the organisation of client events and parliamentary receptions
• Contribute to our departmental marketing strategy and set-piece Grayling events
• Play an active role in pitching to secure new business opportunities
• Support Account Executives/Senior Account Executives in the delivery of their roles
• Connect with colleagues from across the global Grayling network, leveraging opportunities to work together to enhance professional development and learning
• Manage personal and team time meticulously, identifying and resolving time based issues effectively as well as assisting junior staff in managing their workloads

What will give you the edge

The role will require excellent political knowledge and judgement, an understanding of parliamentary process and procedure. This will be an active client-facing role, so the successful candidate must also have a proven track record of advising senior executives, politicians or decision-makers in previous roles. Excellent communication and presentation skills are also essential.

• Candidates will ideally have previously worked in-house within a public affairs team and/or have agency experience.
• A proven track record of working in a client facing role with experience of advising senior executives, politicians or decision-makers
• Strong understanding of politics, politicians and political processes
• Experience and understanding of the energy sector is preferred but it is not an essential requirement
• A meticulous eye for detail
• Curious – a desire to learn, improve, apply new knowledge and develop self
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Creative thinker and problem solver, with strong judgement
• Confident networker
• Supportive, inspiring and motivational team player
• Personal drive and passion for the industry
• Self-aware and able to adapt personal style and approach to clients and team
• Ability to juggle multiple and changing priorities

Our promises to you

• Flexible working arrangements, including hybrid working (where you can work two days a week from home)
• 25 days’ holiday, increasing by one day every year up to 30 days.
• Duvet morning 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 breakfasts & weekly drinks in the office
• Regular team socials and early finish Fridays. 
• An abundance of personal development opportunities, through our Grayling Advantage Academy (with courses ranging from writing, resilience, creativity and more) 
• External mentoring via Creative Access for anyone from an under-represented background
• New business and employee referral bonuses.
• Cycle to work scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme offering a 24/7 confidential advice line
• Life insurance

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’re in the top 5 of Newsweek's 100 UK Most Loved Workplaces due to our open and supportive environment and were ‘Highly Commended’ in the large consultancy of the year category in the 2022 PR Week awards. We’re a sociable bunch and life at Grayling will offer you a whole host of benefits including 4pm Friday finishes, hybrid working, regular training workshops and regular socials – 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]