Account Director - Health

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At Edelman, we understand diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) transform our colleagues, our company, our clients, and our communities. We are in relentless pursuit of an equitable and inspiring workplace that is respectful of all, reflects and represents the world in which we live, and fosters trust, collaboration and belonging.

An Account Director (AD) develops and leads client relationships, exhibiting best practice in client management. S/he counsels clients on communications marketing strategy and drives every aspect of creating and implementing innovative communications marketing programmes. S/he contributes to the development of plans and oversees client campaigns. S/he also leads and/or contributes to the winning of new client business.  An AD will start to work as a strong leader, working as part of the Health Brands senior leadership team to support the aims of the department/team.

Key Accountabilities

Client service

• Client centricity – Oversee tactical delivery and ensure quality control for all deliverables from team. Become the main strategic contact for your clients and therefore have a clear understanding of your client’s business objectives and strategies, both for a project and the business as a whole, and consider these at all times when guiding your team and counselling your client. Be an expert in your client’s competitive environment and landscape, which will enable you to counsel your client with confidence and accuracy.

• Brilliant basics – Demonstrate an ability to quickly and efficiently respond to and resolve a sudden issue for a client, with and without senior input. Develop and edit creative and compelling written documents that are on message and tailored to your audience. Documents will include proposals, plans, budgets, campaign materials and issues management documents.

• Flawless execution – Develop and manage multiple large projects with positive results for your clients. Further develop your planning and problem solving skills by anticipating challenges within your projects and offering solutions for how you can tackle them. Ensure high-quality work is produced by the team on time and within budget.

• Integrated marketing fundamentals – Understand the principles of integrated marketing and provide clients with expert counsel on which activities best meet needs/objectives. This includes developing an understanding of audience behaviors; use of insights to develop an overarching communications strategy, utilising all relevant communications channels; working with appropriate specialists within Edelman to ensure maximisation of all communications channels; measurement of the impact of different types of communication on the overall communications strategy.

• Insights – Educate yourself about all areas of your client’s business so you can make sound strategic judgements for your clients. Complete insights training offered by the Planning Team. Use insights as the foundation for all strategic and tactical recommendations. Work with the Planning Team, as appropriate, to identify those insights.

• Collective creativity – Lead by example in supporting all team members, fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment, and building strong partnerships within the health team, the London office and the broader network. Ensure your other team members do the same, ironing out issues as they arise to create a collaborative team spirit.

• Digital fluency – Show a detailed understanding of the strategic importance and appropriate use of the most commonly used digital channels available to our clients and build relevant digital channels into overarching communications plans for clients. Ensure your teams are well-versed in the ABPI code and other relevant professional codes in addition to your client’s own social media policies.

• Consultative skills – Counsel client confidently on all aspects of programming, anticipating potential issues and proactively flagging solutions. Develop a strong and long-lasting relationship with your client, providing them with sound strategic counsel they trust. Keep abreast of new developments/opportunities to drive organic growth and add value to clients. Lead on aspects of planning, helping develop strategic plans that are creative and push the boundaries.

2. Financial management

• Business acumen – Develop a deep understanding of your client’s business, their objectives, and the environment they operate in. This should include your client’s business strategy, competitor strategies, industry issues, and business and cultural trends.

• Show a strong understanding of the Edelman business model and actively contribute to its success by working with your teams to ensure accurate resourcing, forecasting and monthly billing for your accounts. Handle difficult client conversations, coaching AMs/SAMs and engaging senior team members as needed. Engage the contracts team when needed and work with Health Leadership and MD on monthly, quarterly and annual forecasting.

• Submit accurate timesheets on time and understand service levels for your client.

3. Talent development and team management

• Assist your teams in managing their workloads and leverage/develop their skills to achieve the best output for your clients.

• Act as a coach and mentor to create a fair and positive atmosphere in which to work. Tackle issues head-on to ensure quick resolutions.

• Actively manage your line reports, setting achievable objectives and giving them constructive feedback as necessary. Ensure staff stay current in relevant industry trends by encouraging continuous learning and attendance at industry events and training.

• Play an active role in team recruitment by interviewing potential candidates and being involved in the decision-making process with the Health Leadership Team.

• Proactively seek out areas of self-improvement, putting yourself forward for training, mentoring and new projects as they arise.

• Engage with the departmental ‘people’ lead and the HR department on all relevant matters for your own employment and that of your linees.

4. Brand and business building

• Seek out and secure organic growth opportunities within your accounts. E.g. securing new projects for an existing client or developing relationships with clients in a different region or country to expand a program.

• Maintain and continually seek out opportunities to develop strong industry contacts, and look for ways to maximise these via invitations to Edelman events.

• Continually prospect new opportunities by joining industry organizations, attending industry conferences, networking, etc.

• Identify potential partners (suppliers, PAGs, think tanks etc.) to bring value to our clients and efficiencies to our business.

• Actively contribute to RFP responses and pitches, including:

  • being involved in the initial relationship development with the potential clients, including pre-pitch discussions.

  • playing a part in developing the pitch strategy and theme, helping to develop the plan according to the pitch brief, managing the team to meet deadlines etc.

  • attending the pitch and presenting a section of the plan, effectively ‘selling in’ ideas to clients and proactively answering questions as necessary in the pitch.

Requirements

• This is a 12-month fixed-term contract

• Experience working in healthcare marketing communications, preferably with some agency experience or proven ability to thrive in fast-paced environment.

• Proven ability to manage client expectations against budget / results.

• Track record of creative thinking and creative output.

• Strong media networks and media relations skills – ability to ‘sell a story’.

• Demonstrated client liaison and consulting skills.

Skills

• Top-notch writer with strong attention to detail.  

• Excellent verbal communications and negotiation skills.

• Ability to take responsibility for a portfolio of clients to meet varying expectations, lead client meetings, liaise with senior-level clients.

• Excellent organizational and planning skills.

• Generator of creative ideas and solutions.

• Solid people management skills and ability to galvanise a team to deliver high quality work.

• Proficiency in using AI tools to drive efficiency, insights, or creativity across campaign development and execution. Ability to identify suitable applications of AI and support team upskilling in this area.

We are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your experience doesn’t perfectly align with every qualification, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.