Account Supervisor

Overview

As an Account Supervisor, you generally have 5-8 years of experience and are responsible for collaborating with senior staff to develop a PR plan and lead junior staff in its execution. You’re expected to maintain solid industry knowledge and assist where needed in all agency activities, including business development. Development of managerial skills is now a focus, understanding that our success lies in enabling our teams to perform at their best level. Leadership is important in this role, and the ability to mentor junior staff is vital. You have specific responsibility for one or more targeted areas of the business. This includes maintaining a knowledge base of past client experiences in the field and cultivating their recommendations. You know some of the journalists in the field well and have a knowledge base of influencers who write specifically on the topic as well as more mainstream consumer or business outlets that also cover companies in those fields. Ideally, 70 percent of your time will be spent on clients, 20 percent on operational elements including mentorship of individual team members, and 10 percent on long-term projects that could bear fruit for the agency.

Responsibilities: 

• Serving as a senior client contact with the proven ability to manage and drive multiple client programs and teams. Ensures key milestones and projects are on track, within prescribed timelines and on budget. Directly manages day-to-day team activities on 3-4 accounts. Works with the Account Director or Partner to manage client budgets and staffing. Helps allocate staff resources effectively for current clients and anticipated needs. 
• Strategic counsel and guidance to clients and account staff earns respect and trust. Industry participation also results in acknowledgement of position and thought leadership. Take on the role of a direct supervisor for junior staffers, providing proper feedback, analysis of progress, and senior counsel on all work-related issues. 
• Serve as the last line of defense in productively editing colleague's work, exhibiting mastery of tone and style per written materials, with acute attention to detail.
• Inspires colleagues to generate creative ideas in brainstorms, meetings, and discussion points that drive client objectives, and implement those ideas into client-ready presentations. Conceive original ideas for events, paid marketing, etc. that fit within a long-term, strategic calendar tied to specific audiences and KPIs. Digest and thoroughly understand industry media that can be discussed and debated in a logical manner. Contributions are always free of error and align with objectives. 
• Developing comms plans including sound strategic and tactical counsel. Reflecting industry knowledge in writing with original ideas; journalists engage and respond to your ideas. Supporting the development of new business proposals under Director supervision, and actively participating in pitch presentations. Developing case studies for external use and contributing to the company knowledge base.
• Growing expertise in the media trade and an ability to quickly identify the most relevant targets for client impact. Journalists are willing to talk to you off the record and give feedback on our ideas before being pitched. Understanding the business mechanics of editorial and video media, and what pitches are most effective. 
• Successfully advises clients on positioning and messaging. Demonstrates success in all manners of communication techniques. Initiates and guides thoughtful exchanges in agency and client discussions.
• Organized and builds trust with team members through transparent and timely collaboration. A developed sense of the power of a team, while being able to identify and leverage individual team member strengths. Motivate the team and set the agenda for campaigns, including assigning division of labor for tactical executions. The supervisor guides teams to win together, and creates a positive environment that rewards accomplishments.
• Brings strong industry knowledge that spans market players, solutions, disruptions, and innovations, with the ability to provide insight and analysis to clients and agency colleagues when needed. Reads conceptual works to improve the tactical and strategic effectiveness of our work for clients. You’re knowledgeable not merely about current trends but past ones.
• Continues developing managerial skills, and begins managing an associate to gain experience in direction and career development in others. Pursue extracurricular activities that advance your professional skill sets, and display continued growth through daily interaction and polished work delivery. You will also participate more frequently in support of new business pitches, gaining experience in managing the process and evaluating others needs. 
• Participates heavily in research and development of new business proposals, as well as other strategic insight that develops content for the presentation. Works with team members to contribute thoughtful ideas and a high level plan that meets the prospective clients' needs. Networks frequently at industry events and build a strong line of connections that may lead to future business opportunities. Assists with staff recruiting. Gaining experience with budgeting and developing awareness of profit & loss drivers.