About the Role

We are seeking an experienced, passionate and creative PR Account Executive to work across an exciting consumer and fmcg trade portfolio including Aldi, Wickes and Unilever amongst others.

An Account Executive will demonstrate solid and well-rounded public relations skills, such as writing, media placement and client relationships. You will also be developing an understanding of market trends and issues as they affect client business. Your primary role is to activate an agreed programme, delivering media coverage and social results, build media and other contacts, and ensure coverage and activity is efficiently and accurately recorded and presented back to the client.

Responsibilities & Skills Required

• Writing skills – you will have the ability to write in a range of styles including news releases, case studies, articles and proposals, fact sheets, opinion pieces, blog entries etc.
• Media liaison – dealing with day to day enquiries; establishing and building relationships; ensuring copy is prepared, approved and submitted in line with deadlines; researching and writing copy for features; writing and following up photo-call notices; closing the loop with all press opportunities. 
• Media Knowledge: it’s important to have in-depth knowledge of the media, for your specific clients and in general. This should include national, trade and online. You must be proficient in using basic media tools.
• Media pitching – selling in articles/features and finding new story angles where possible. 
• Time management – prioritising your own workload to ensure you meet deadlines and objectives set by account managers and directors for each client – within the time allocated – and reporting to team members on progress.
• Working to activity plans – attending status meetings to ensure you understand client objectives and deadlines. Planning own work and meets all commitments against activity plans.
• Communicating – with managers to ensure they are updated on work in progress and briefed when having difficulty achieving required results.
• Client management – building solid relationships with assigned client contacts. Provide tactical counsel to all clients. Demonstrate a proactive stance with all assigned accounts by offering new ideas and new ways of generating success.
• Market knowledge – actively working to create a good knowledge of current developments and trends affecting the clients’ industries and markets. 

In a nutshell you will need to have:

• Excellent working knowledge of national, consumer and trade media
•  Track record in generating news angles and achieving stand out coverage for big brands 
• FMCG/Retail PR experience
• Excellent writing skills
• Passionate about PR and an exciting career ahead

About the Role

This particular role will be to work across 2-3 of Clarion’s hugely successful trade / B2B accounts across leaders in food, drink and personal care that could include:

• Unilever (spanning Nutrition, Ice Cream, Homecare, Personal Care and Beauty & Wellbeing)
• Jacobs Douwe Egberts (Tassimo, Kenco & L’OR)
• Danone (all brands)
• Border Biscuits
• Kerrymaid
• Soreen
• Lactalis
• Hovis
• Plus others!

Desired Skills and Experience

• B2B Trade PR experience is essential – ideally gained within grocery retail and/or foodservice sectors
• Established contacts (media, retailers & chefs) with a strong understanding of the trade media landscape and grocery retail / foodservice environment – spanning mults, independents & wholesale
• Experience planning and executing successful multi-channel campaigns spanning Brand, Category, Shopper Marketing and CSR initiatives (including strategic development)
• Excellent track record in generating results and increased SOV for trade clients· Energy, creativity, strategic thinking and great organisational skills
• Excellent trade copywriting skills and attention to detail
• Strong team leadership, client counsel and motivational skills
• Ability to successfully manager a team and juggle multiple tasks
• A proven track record of understanding business objectives and how to meet these through trade comms campaigns

Main Responsibilities

Media – Trade

• Understand the evolving trade media landscape, including all types of media and how they work (deadlines etc)
• Regularly look out for new media opportunities and share with the team
• Regular meetings with key journalists (and retailers/chefs) to build up contacts
• Generate newsworthy angles and hooks
• Confident and quick thinking enough to adapt a story to a journalist’s interest

Writing – Trade

• Regular writer of press releases, insightful feature content, advertorials, Q&As, awards entries, thought leadership commentary etc.
• Excellent attention to detail
• Confident in writing proposals (including strategy) and pulling together end of campaign reviews with meaningful learnings
• Able to comment/advise on copy written by juniors
• Oversee WIPs and status reports
• Identify if junior members need assistance/training with writing skills (as part of the Clarion Trade Academy)

Excellence in Management of Client Work

• Manage, develop, and motivate junior staff to achieve client satisfaction
• Senior day to day point of contact for clients
• Senior day to day point of contact for all account work
• Help contribute to and approve all copy which leaves the agency

Help Achieve the Business Growth Objectives

• Help organically grow account fees, working with Account Directors and Associates to identify untapped opportunities
• Involved in pitching for and winning new business, including writing creative proposals for new and existing clients

Positive Involvement in the business

• Support Clarion’s values and culture, encouraging a positive working environment
• Active involvement in mentoring and reviews
• Role model to junior staff

About the Role

You’ll play a pivotal role in pitching ideas to existing clients and winning new business for our agency, all while staying ahead of current social media and market trends to deliver innovative and relevant digital strategies for our clients.

You’ll collaborate closely with our wider team, leveraging your understanding of organic search to enhance our clients’ digital presence and performance. Great leadership skills are essential to assist in mentoring and developing junior members of our digital PR team, ensuring their growth and success within the agency.

Desired Skills and Experience 

• You live and breathe social media, keeping your finger on the pulse of emerging trends and social updates
• Proven experience delivering results in a digital proposition
• Demonstrated the ability to pitch ideas to clients and win new business for an agency
• Experience in the management and developing junior team members
• Strong ability to ideate and execute creative and data-led campaign concepts
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal
• Excellent copywriting skills, adapting your tone of voice to suit different brands and platforms
• Collaborative mindset and ability to work across multiple teams within the agency
• 5+ years of experience in a similar role within a PR or social agency preferable
• Experience across Paid (Meta, TikTok and LinkedIn)
• Experience with B2B influencers is preferable
• Excellent organisational skills, adept at developing, monitoring, and adhering to project plans, timelines, and deadlines
• Strong team management and mentoring abilities, particularly in guiding junior staff

Main Responsibilities

• Design digital strategies for various clients and sectors, including establishing KPIs
• Working as part of the Clarion Digital team reporting to the Head of Digital and Managing Partners
• Oversee digital projects, including crafting social media strategies and overseeing content plans for B2B and B2C clients
• Develop content ideas, oversee and craft paid and organic social media plans
• Manage client relationships and stakeholder engagement
• Mentor and support junior team members
• Working across a varied client portfolio