Account Director Performance Communications – Middle East
Performance Communications has a fantastic opportunity at Account Director level in its Dubai office for an experienced communications professional looking to progress his/her career working with some of the world’s most famous brands.
Performance are looking for someone currently operating at Senior Account Manager or Junior Account Director level, who has experience of running a range of accounts. They must have proven agency experience in the fields of PR and digital, as well as specific experience in the technology and/or automotive sectors. They must be passionate about communications, and extremely ambitious, yet at the same time ready to ‘muck in’ as part of a close-knit team – this is not a role for candidates who aren’t prepared to go back to basics from time to time!
Position outline
Performance Communications has a unique opportunity at Account Director level in its Dubai office for an experienced communications professional looking to progress his/her career working with some of the world’s most famous brands.
We are looking for someone currently operating at Senior Account Manager or Junior Account Director level, who has experience of running a range of accounts. They must have proven agency experience in the fields of PR and digital, as well as specific experience in the technology and/or automotive sectors. They must be passionate about communications, and extremely ambitious, yet at the same time ready to ‘muck in’ as part of a close-knit team – this is not a role for candidates who aren’t prepared to go back to basics from time to time!
The successful candidate would be joining the award-winning Middle East branch of Perfor-mance Communications, a communications agency specialising in the fields of sport, auto-motive and technology. We have a reputation for creativity, dynamism and the successful delivery of first-class results for our impressive portfolio of blue-chip clients.
The Account Director will be responsible for managing several accounts and team members. They will also be involved in activities relating to new business acquisition.
Reporting line & team
The role reports in to the Deputy Managing Director of the Middle East office.
The team structure is a flexible one, but primarily split into two account teams. The Account Director will be responsible for directly managing several of the key accounts, overseeing the relevant Account Managers and their teams as appropriate.
Key responsibilities
Job responsibilities will include – but are not limited to – the following:
Client management activities
• Build and manage effective client relationships.
• Develop, oversee and implement delivery of comms strategies, plans and timelines, driving forward key projects and ensuring objectives are met and budgets are adhered to.
• Devise innovative and engaging ways to drive positive media coverage across all media channels – print, broadcast and online.
• Continually drive creativity throughout the accounts and the wider company, delivering unique ideas for campaigns and activations that add value to the client proposition.
• Actively seek to upsell opportunities to clients wherever possible.
• Ultimate responsibility for all aspects of quality control: conducting final checks of all documents, in particular of written material in English, submitted to clients for approval.
• Managing the team members to ensure they deliver the highest quality communications support to clients.
• Plan, organise and prioritise workloads of team members, with a particular focus on en-suring that actual resources used for individual clients correspond to the contracted re-sources, flagging any issues to senior staff members.
• Media event management: organise and deliver media events, stunts and activities when required.
• As circumstances require, the Account Director will be prepared to carry out other day-to-day account work. For example, writing press releases, setting up media opps, etc.
Company management activities – team
• Provide professional guidance to junior team members to help them develop key skills and advance their careers.
• Undertake annual reviews and half-yearly appraisals for relevant team members.
• Involvement with the recruitment process for positions within the Account Director’s re-mit.
• Act as solid and reliable support for senior team members.
• Help to manage the team in producing market insights, including consumer, media and industry trends as well as being aware of competitor activity.
Company management activities – general
• Help to implement current processes and take initiative on improving processes within the team and wider company.
• Set up and run key meetings when required e.g. strategic planning sessions, brain-storms.
• Adopt a proactive approach to seeking out new business opportunities, targeting potential partners that meet the Company’s requirements in terms of professionalism and finan-cial stability.
• Seek and develop opportunities to leverage and strengthen the company’s presence in Abu Dhabi.
• Preparing and assisting with new business pitches/presentations, in collaboration with the Managing Director and Deputy Managing Director.
• Proactively maximising opportunities to PR the company in regional media and via owned digital channels.
• Advance the company in the digital media sphere, liaising directly with the Deputy Man-aging Director and Head of Digital (based in the UK), as well as the offering of industry-leading content creation services.
Candidate profile
Professional
• Passionate about delivering high quality, simple and effective communications, with a minimum 7-8 years’ experience in the industry.
• Must be able to demonstrate the delivery of results in both the PR and digital spheres.
• Experience in the technology and, ideally, automotive industries.
• Strong understanding of the Middle East (GCC and Levant) media landscape. Famili-arity with (North) African markets desirable.
• Experience of managing teams, but also a team player, happy to help out with basic work when necessary.
• Equally comfortable working autonomously and liaising closely with senior manage-ment. A self-starter who conducts themselves in a professional manner at all times.
• Ability to juggle conflicting priorities and work in a fluid and fast-paced environment.
• A strong communicator, able to manage upwards as well as prioritise their own work.
• Possesses the gravitas to deal with senior stakeholders.
• A strategic and creative thinker.
• First-class organisational skills and unbeatable attention to detail.
• Experience managing photo and video shoots
• Excellent communication skills, with native-speaking standards of English.
• Tenacious, driven and resilient, with the appetite to build the Company business.
• Culturally sensitive and highly adaptable – able to successfully deliver results under frequently challenging conditions.
Personal
• Must be creative and dynamic, continually seeking to improve his/her own perfor-mance and that of the company.
• Owner of UAE driving licence and car.
• Ability to travel freely across the GCC and Levant region.
• Possesses that ‘spark’ that genuinely sets you apart among the best Middle East communications professionals.
Apply to Sadia Syed admin@performancecomms.com
