Manager, Client Experience

Account Director, Client Experience  

We are looking for a strong Account Director for the Consumer Practice in Chicago who can lead multi-channel campaigns to success, coach team members and bring to life some of the best in-culture ideas.

Are you a candidate with a passion for working in food, beverage and lifestyle, who is obsessed with studying the current media landscape and how stories travel across channels, then this role is for you. 

• Critical Thinking: Has intellectual curiosity, creativity and critical thinking skills; is able to connect the dots and evaluate opportunities strategically to ensure they break through and deliver on client goals
• Earned-First Storytelling: Understands the elements that make a story exciting, what brands are doing in the press and on social platforms, and what they should do next
• Communication: Speaks, writes and edits succinctly and in a compelling manner
• Leadership: Experience and a love for leading a team of other curious colleagues, clients and agency partners to execute flawlessly and to the highest quality standards
• Client Service: A record of exceptional client service with the ability to counsel and interact effectively with senior management at client organizations
• Management: Strong project management skills with the ability to ensure the team creates and meets deadlines. Works well in a fast pace environment
• Interpersonal: Plays nice, whether it’s on a team, across geographies or independently
• Technical: Is familiar with Word, PowerPoint, Excel and Outlook – media databases and social tracking tools are a bonus
• Detail-Oriented: Has a keen attention to detail and a commitment to delivering clear and precise work, whether it’s a client-facing email, a strategic deck, a narrative, a recap report – or even just a Slack
• Spark: Understands what sets themselves apart. And what is means to do good, impactful work
• Obsession with Culture: A clear understanding of what drives culture, with a passion for tapping into pop culture to reach broad and diverse audiences
• Financial Acumen: Experience managing clients’ budgets and allocating agency resources accordingly

What We’re Looking For: 

• A senior account management expert with a minimum of 6-10 years of experience and a background in consumer, consumer-tech, travel, fashion and/or CPG PR
• BA or BS in Public Relations, Communications, Journalism or related field
• Strong experience with both large-scale and start-up business environments preferred
• Client interaction, media relations and industry knowledge
• Effective team supervision, mentorship and leadership
• Excellent communication/presentation skills; verbal and written
• Management of earned media campaigns including thought leadership, product launches, earned-first creative campaigns, and more
• Ability to counsel senior clients and their executives with flawless earned media strategy and creative storytelling
• Manage clients, team resources and deliverables around major campaigns and programs.    
• Can integrate earned media strategy seamlessly with digital, social and paid
• Experience in new business development and organic business growth efforts in support of new business pitches

The Weber Shandwick Collective recognizes that your health and wellbeing are a priority. This is why we offer a full suite of benefits including:

• Medical
• Dental
• Vision
• 401k (with employer match)
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Juice Money – $60 monthly reimbursement to be used towards purchases that nourish your health, mind, body, and soul
• MyDays – Flexible holiday schedules
• Short-Term Disability
• Paid Employee Family Leave
• Family Building Benefit

Weber Shandwick is proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. Weber Shandwick recruits qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, gender, age, ethnic or national origin, protected veteran status, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status or citizenship status.

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Vice President, Client Experience

Weber Shandwick is looking for a Vice President to join our Consumer team 

We’re looking for a strong Vice President to join our Consumer Practice, working across a few of America’s most iconic food brands. You will be responsible for managing client relationships, playing a critical role in leading breakthrough activations that earn attention and helping to create truly fun and unique PR campaigns. You will be responsible for all aspects of a client relationship and integrated account team.

Other responsibilities include recommending programs and activities, coordinating with client’s goals, effectively coaching mid and junior level team members, offering counsel to clients and working with strategists, creatives and analysts to create the best work output. You will also be engaged with business development, strategic program planning, and the development of creative concepts. Ideally, you will have agency or consulting experience in the food and beverage or QSR categories. 

What We Are Looking For: 

• A passion and curiosity for earned media and understanding the changing media landscape
• Has a pulse on pop culture events and news which translate for earned media
• Can turn ideas into integrated, workable plans and newsworthy campaigns
• Capacity to convey ownership of assigned projects to junior team members and IAT partners
• Can solve conflict (internal or external)
• Can mobilize and motivate teams 
• Can work independently and as part of a team
• Excellent verbal and written business communication skills
• Aptitude for budgets, scoping and financial analysis
• Can complete challenging projects within set parameters
• Exceptional judgment when working with team members, client contacts and vendors
• Commitment and dedication to the agency’s success as well as individual career
• Can anticipate client and team needs
• Attention to detail and quality
• Jumps in with solutions and “let’s try it” attitude
• Instills confidence with clients and colleagues

Basic Qualifications: 

•  At least 8-10 years’ experience in agency, PR/Communications space
•  Experienced in Integrated Media Strategy and Media Relations, ideally within the food and beverage or relevant CPG space.
•  Bachelor’s Degree in Communications, Business Management, or related field 

The Weber Shandwick Collective recognizes that your health and wellbeing are a priority. This is why we offer a full suite of benefits including: 

• Medical 
• Dental 
• Vision 
• 401k (with employer match)
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Juice Money – $60 monthly reimbursement to be used towards purchases that nourish your health, mind, body, and soul
• MyDays – Flexible holiday schedules
• Short-Term Disability
• Paid Employee Family Leave
• Family Building Benefit 

Weber Shandwick is proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. Weber Shandwick recruits qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, gender, age, ethnic or national origin, protected veteran status, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status or citizenship status.

#LI-JP1 

Vice President, Client Experience

We are seeking a Vice President to join our Corporate Practice in our Chicago office to support a broad range of client and new business needs.

In this role, you will be working on programs involving reputation management, executive thought leadership, internal communications, crisis communications, and integrated media strategies to protect and drive corporate reputation and value proposition narratives a variety of clients and prospects across many industries.

We’re looking for a candidate who is an excellent people leader, client counselor and will roll up their sleeves and stay close to the work.

Responsibilities include:

• Serve as trusted advisor, counselor and business partner to key client contacts
• Maximize business potential and advance great work through masterful orchestration of high-performing integrated teams
• Drive development of tactical plans, translating strategies into tactics; ensure team deliverables align with strategies
• Lead the client service function for program planning, problem solving and strategic counsel
• Mentor, coach and support team members ensuring constant development of their skills
• Effectively manage staff utilization to meet profitability targets
• Anticipate and proactively offer solutions to senior team leadership for executional issues specific to assigned programs
• Build and own productive relationships with multiple client stakeholders, interagency teams, client’s business partner organizations and a diverse array of agency colleagues
• Represent agency points of view clearly in writing, formal presentations and informal client meetings and workshops
• Maintain financial responsibility for accounts
• Mentor, coach and support team members ensuring constant development of their skills
• Effectively manage team utilization and maintain financial responsibility for accounts

Skills required:

• 9+ years of experience in Corporate Communications, Corporate PR, and/or agency experience strongly preferred
• Must have a strong background in corporate communications
• Must have an in-depth knowledge of reputation management and a working knowledge of traditional and non-traditional media
• Self-starter, resourceful and bring a passion for driving great results while building strong, productive relationships with clients and your team
• Collaborative spirit, results driven with the ability to manage multiple priorities and work against deadlines
• Excellent writing and presentation skills, experience developing and delivering client presentations
• Experience leading (and winning) new business efforts, including casting appropriate teams, driving deck and presentation development and seamlessly integrating strategy, creative and execution into a compelling proposal
• A history of success in providing sound creative and strategic counsel to clients and building credibility with senior-level client contacts
• Demonstrate the ability to think strategically, creatively and holistically about client programs

Weber Shandwick is proud to The Weber Shandwick Collective recognizes that your health and wellbeing are a priority. This is why we offer a full suite of benefits including: 

• Medical 
• Dental 
• Vision 
• 401k (with employer match)
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Juice Money – $60 monthly reimbursement to be used towards purchases that nourish your health, mind, body, and soul
• MyDays – Flexible holiday schedules
• Short-Term Disability
• Paid Employee Family Leave
• Family Building Benefit 

Weber Shandwick is proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. Weber Shandwick recruits qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, gender, age, ethnic or national origin, protected veteran status, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status or citizenship status.

#LI-JP1