Account Director, Lifestyle & Design

Karla Otto is a globally recognized public relations and communications agency, founded in 1982, with offices in 15 key cities across the UK, EMEA, US, and Asia. With a strong presence in fashion capitals such as Milan, London, Paris, and New York, the agency has built a reputation for representing some of the most prestigious names in fashion, beauty, and lifestyle.

In 2017, Karla Otto merged with K2 to form THE INDEPENDENTS, a global marketing, design, and communications group. This collective brings together industry leaders who share a commitment to innovation, excellence, and thoughtful collaboration across the luxury and lifestyle sectors.

At Karla Otto, our team of expert strategists, designers, planners and publicists are dedicated to delivering exceptional results and establishing long-term partnerships with our clients. We are passionate about the world of fashion, beauty, and luxury, with everyone bringing their unique expertise and insights to the table. We are driven by a shared commitment to excellence and a deep understanding of the ever-evolving industry landscape.

To help support our future growth as an agency, we are looking for an Account Director, Lifestyle – Art & Design, Culture and Hospitality to join our team based in our New York office.

Key Responsibilities

• Act as a senior cultural and strategic advisor to clients, bringing an informed point of view on the evolving art, design, media and lifestyle landscape and translating cultural intelligence into timely, ownable communications opportunities.

• Develop and lead strategic PR programs that elevate brand visibility and drive commercial impact across product launches, brand announcements, showroom openings, experiential moments and key cultural and industry milestones.

• Cultivate and leverage deep relationships with journalists, editors, digital platforms, tastemakers and cultural voices across art, design, architecture, interiors, lifestyle and culture to secure high-impact coverage, awards and long-lead opportunities.

• Serve as a trusted brand ambassador within the art, design and cultural communities, representing clients at press previews, trade fairs, industry events, cultural moments and other key industry platforms.

• Build strong, consultative client partnerships, delivering thoughtful counsel, proactive PR strategy, trend intelligence and creative storytelling that aligns brand positioning with business objectives.

• Lead and mentor account teams, fostering a collaborative, detail-oriented and creatively ambitious culture while actively supporting the professional development of junior and mid-level talent.

• Oversee the planning and execution of high-impact campaigns and moments, from press previews and showroom openings to cultural partnerships, experiential activations and influencer/editor engagements.

• Identify emerging trends, cultural conversations and media opportunities, translating them into compelling narratives and proactive ideas that build relevance, visibility and differentiation for clients.

• Contribute to agency growth and new business, identifying opportunities, developing strategic recommendations, contributing to pitches and leveraging industry relationships and market intelligence to help win and grow accounts.

• Measure and communicate campaign impact, balancing qualitative storytelling and brand impact with quantitative media metrics to demonstrate progress against client objectives and commercial goals.

Key Attributes

• Proven senior-level PR experience across art, design, architecture, interiors, culture and/or luxury lifestyle, ideally within an agency environment.

• Deep, active relationships with top-tier media across design, art, architecture, culture and lifestyle, with a demonstrated ability to secure meaningful, high-impact coverage.

• Strong cultural fluency and point of view, with an ability to identify emerging trends, cultural conversations and unexpected connections that can create relevance for clients.

• Strategic and creative thinker who can translate business objectives and brand positioning into compelling narratives, campaigns and proactive media opportunities.

• Exceptional client counselor who can build trust, challenge constructively, manage expectations and confidently lead senior client conversations.

• Natural storyteller and excellent writer/presenter, able to distill complex ideas into clear, compelling narratives and presentations.

• Strong team leader and mentor, with experience managing, developing and motivating junior and mid-level talent.

• Commercially minded and entrepreneurial, with the ability to identify opportunities, contribute meaningfully to new business and help grow existing accounts.

• Highly organized and solutions-oriented, comfortable managing multiple complex projects, priorities and stakeholders in a fast-paced environment.

• Genuinely passionate about art, design and culture, with an active curiosity about the people, ideas, places and movements shaping the landscape.

What We Offer

• Salary: $100k-$120k

• Hybrid Office Schedule

• Medical, Dental, and Vision plans

• 401K Employer Match program

• Commuter Benefits

• Paid Time Off including Vacation Days, Personal Days, Sick Days, and additional   Comp Days

• Company-wide closure last week of the year

• 10 Federal Holidays Observed

At Karla Otto, we are always looking for personalities with positive charisma who are enthusiastic, self-motivated, and have a keen sense of aesthetics.

Karla Otto embraces and celebrates diversity, inclusivity, and equal opportunity. We are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. Karla Otto provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression.

We aspire to have a diverse and inclusive workplace and strongly encourage qualified applicants from a wide range of backgrounds to apply and join our team!