Job Description

The Account Director – Public Relations provides senior leadership and strategic oversight across client accounts, ensuring high-quality delivery, strong client relationships, and effective team performance.

The role balances strategic thinking with operational leadership, guiding teams, maintaining standards of excellence, and contributing to business growth through strong account stewardship and opportunity development.

The ideal candidate is an experienced PR professional with strong leadership capability, a commitment to quality, and the ability to inspire teams while delivering value to clients.

Location: Candidates based in Johannesburg or Durban are preferred, however suitably qualified candidates from other locations may also be considered.

Key Responsibilities

Leadership & Team Development

• Provide leadership, guidance, and support to account management and PR teams.
• Set clear performance expectations and contribute to the development, mentoring, and progression of team members.
• Foster a collaborative, accountable, and high-performing team environment.

Quality & Delivery Oversight

• Oversee the quality and consistency of PR outputs across client accounts.
• Ensure workflows, processes, and deliverables meet agreed standards, timelines, and objectives.
• Maintain oversight of account planning and execution to ensure strategic alignment and quality control.

Client Relationship Management

• Build and maintain strong, trusted relationships with clients and key stakeholders.
• Act as a senior point of contact for clients, providing strategic guidance and ensuring expectations are met.
• Proactively identify risks, opportunities, and solutions to support long-term client success.

Strategic Contribution & Growth

• Contribute to business growth through the identification of new opportunities within existing accounts and support of new business initiatives.
• Provide strategic input into proposals, presentations, and pitches where required.
• Champion best-practice PR account management and strategic thinking across the business.

Culture & Ways of Working

• Promote a positive, inclusive, and high-performance culture through leadership example.
• Encourage collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement within teams.

Requirements

• Qualification in Public Relations, Communications, Journalism, Marketing, or a related field.
• Extensive experience in public relations, communications, or related roles, including leadership or senior account responsibility.
• Strong experience in developing, executing, and overseeing PR strategies and campaigns.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present, pitch, and report effectively.
• Solid understanding of media relations, content development, and multi-channel communication.
• Familiarity with relevant PR, media monitoring, and analytics tools.
• Demonstrated ability to stay informed of industry trends and evolving best practices.

Core Competencies

• Strategic and critical thinking
• Strong leadership and people management capability
• High attention to quality and detail
• Effective project and workload management
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines
• Data-informed decision-making and insight generation
• Strong interpersonal and stakeholder management skills
• Ability to motivate, guide, and influence diverse teams