Ogilvy UK
Business Director - Corporate PR
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Business Director (Associate Director)
Corporate PR
Department: PR, Social & Influence
Team within Department: Brand Reputation & Corporate PR
Location: London
Contract type: Fixed-term (12 months Maternity Cover)
Full Time/Part time: Full time
Reporting into: Client Partner (Director), Brand Reputation & Corporate PR
About Ogilvy
Ogilvy UK has been creating iconic ideas that deliver impact at scale for clients ever since David Ogilvy founded the company in 1948. Ogilvy UK specialises in bringing together brand advertising, customer experience marketing, PR, influence and consulting, all fuelled by Behavioural Science. Our world-class award-winning creative campaigns deliver solutions for clients including Sainsbury’s, Argos, Mondelēz International, Unilever, TK Maxx and Pernod Ricard.
In 2023, Ogilvy UK celebrated their 75th anniversary and was the most awarded agency in Europe. Ogilvy is home to the largest influencer marketing practice globally and hosts the world’s biggest festival of behavioural science and creativity, Nudgestock – now in its 12th year.
The Role
We are seeking a dynamic and experienced Business Director to join our thriving Brand Reputation team, which is part of the PR, Social & Influence division of Ogilvy. This leadership role offers an exciting opportunity to spearhead large-scale projects, drive significant growth, and cultivate strong client partnerships. The ideal candidate possesses a deep understanding of corporate communications, reputation management, a passion for impactful communication, and a commitment to fostering an inclusive and diverse work environment.
The role will have three parts:
- Lead a portfolio of accounts, managing several team members to deliver excellent work.
- Sit on the management team of the bigger Brand Reputation & Corporate PR team, helping to deliver our plan.
- Lead or manage new projects of various types including risk management, responsible marketing, executive visibility, and pitches and proposals.
Key Responsibilities
- Client Relationship Management: Build and maintain trusted partnerships with mid-level and senior clients, acting as a strategic advisor and providing valuable insights aligned with their business objectives. Deeply understand client needs, anticipating challenges and opportunities.
- Responsibility Proposition Leadership: Drive the agency's responsibility proposition, empowering clients to proactively address and navigate societal, environmental, and policy regulations and restrictions. Collaborate across the PR and Influence division and the broader agency to integrate this proposition into client strategies and offerings.
- Strategic Accumen: Interrogating briefs through a responsibility lens and providing counsel to internal client teams on how to strengthen campaigns and mitigate against any reputational issues. Ability to integrate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) considerations into client strategies.
- Thought Leadership & Innovation: Stay ahead of industry trends, identifying emerging opportunities and adapting strategies accordingly. Contribute to the development of innovative PR approaches and thought leadership initiatives.
- Project Leadership: Lead and oversee large, complex projects, ensuring high-quality deliverables are produced on time and within budget. This includes resource allocation, risk management, and progress tracking.
- New Business Development: Lead new business initiatives, identifying and pursuing opportunities to expand the client portfolio and grow revenue. This includes developing proposals, pitching to prospective clients, and negotiating contracts.
- Team Leadership & Mentorship: Lead, inspire, and motivate a team of PR professionals, fostering a collaborative and inclusive environment. Provide guidance, mentorship, and professional development opportunities.
- Financial Management: Contribute to the financial success of the team by managing budgets, tracking project profitability, and identifying opportunities for cost optimization.
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Role Requirements
- Proven Leadership Experience: Demonstrated ability to lead and inspire teams to achieve exceptional results, fostering a positive and productive work environment.
- Client Relationship Management Expertise: Strong client relationship management skills, with the ability to build and maintain trusted partnerships at senior levels.
- Strategic Thinking & Business Acumen: Deep understanding of client business objectives and aspirations, providing strategic insights and guidance. Ability to think beyond short-term goals and take a holistic view of projects and activities.
- Problem-Solving Skills: Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to identify and address challenges effectively.
- Growth & Delivery Focus: A track record of successfully driving growth and delivering high-quality work on large and complex projects, within budget and deadlines.
- Collaboration & Communication: Exceptional communication skills (written and verbal), with the ability to inspire and motivate teams and effectively collaborate with cross-functional teams and departments.
Desired Skills and Experiences
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- 10+ years of experience in public relations or a related field, with a proven track record of success in a leadership role.
- Experience working with a variety of types of clients.
- Strong capabilities in navigating fast-changing business landscapes and providing ad-hoc strategic counsel.
- Experience with crisis communications and reputation management.
- Proficiency in PR measurement and reporting tools.
- Understanding and proficient application of AI in your work, and ability to advise clients how it can be used in their own workflows.
How we help you Thrive
- 25 days annual leave + 1 Volunteer Day
- Bupa Healthcare
- Enhanced Maternity, Adoption and Shared Parental Leave
- We have a Flexible Working Model with core working hours: 10am – 4pm
- A 1.5:1 Matching Pension Structure
- Wellbeing and Health: Up to £25.00 per month towards physical or online exercise class membership, Unmind membership, LifeWorks tool and annual eye tests and development budgets and Wellbeing incentives and activities throughout the year
- Season Ticket Loan and Cycle to Work Scheme
- Life Assurance
Our ambition is to attract the very best diverse talent to Ogilvy, and to be the employer of choice in the UK. We want everyone to feel welcome when they join us, and once they’re here, for them to want to stay with us, grow their career, and to feel they belong with us.
We are an equal opportunity employer and we’re committed to creating an inclusive, welcoming environment for everyone who wants to work at Ogilvy. For us, diversity, equity and inclusion is integrated into everything that we do. We believe that for creativity to flourish, everything about how we work must have diversity at its core. Your race, colour, ethnic, religion, gender, gender identity, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, have no bearing on our hiring decisions, but we encourage everyone to feel free to express their true selves in an environment we are consistently striving to make as inclusive as possible.
We aim to facilitate an accessible and positive application experience for all candidates. If you require any adjustments from us to support you through the process or expect to require any adjustments to working conditions to be able to best perform in the role, please let us know. We are happy to consider all reasonable adjustments.
If you live with a disability and you would like to take advantage of our offer of a guaranteed interview under the Disability Confident Scheme, please ensure you fill out our voluntary Equal Opportunities Questionnaire when applying.
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