PR Senior Account Manager / Account Director

Location:                      Manchester 

Working pattern:         Full time, hybrid working (3 days in, 2 days flexible)  

Why Grayling? 

At Grayling, you’ll be part of one of the UK’s most respected integrated communications agencies.  

We offer a supportive and ambitious culture where your ideas are heard, your growth is championed, and your work has real impact. 

We’re serious about our work but never about ourselves, so if you’re looking for your next move and are passionate about PR & Comms, you’ve come to the right place! 

The day to day 

We’re looking for a Senior Account Manager or Account Director to join our mighty North team! Working across a mix of manufacturing, engineering, energy, transport, infrastructure & professional services, you’ll ideally have a corporate and consumer PR background. You’ll be responsible for day-to-day delivery on your accounts and be a primary point of contact for your clients and internal teams – both of which will trust your ability to deliver to the highest standards. 

Responsibilities include: 

• Taking the lead on a variety of projects concurrently, meeting all deadlines and delivering positive results 

• Leading on low-level strategies / plans 

• Responsibility for delivery and/or review of outputs  

• Overseeing monitoring and analysis, helping draw key takeaways for the benefit of clients  

• Reviewing first draft of reports, prior to senior review / input 

• Creating solid media, influencer, and stakeholder engagement plans and share best practice with junior colleagues 

• Leading on key engagement activities and how progress is communicated to the clients 

• Editing materials drafted by junior members of the team so that they are client/audience-ready and only require minor amends from senior colleagues 

• Substantial input into new business proposals, with ideas for strategy and/or plans (with support from colleagues) 

• Proactively identifying opportunities for organic growth and communicating to the team with recommendations 

What will give you the edge  

• Proven generalist corporate comms experience, with an excellent understanding of both traditional and digital public relations 

• Strong understanding of both traditional and digital public relations 

• Experience of working on accounts with political challenges 

• Excellent grasp of clients’ marketplaces, audiences and routes to market 

• Commercially aware and decisive 

• Confident networker 

• Organised with excellent time management skills 

• Supportive, inspiring and motivational team player 

• Personal drive and passion for the industry 

• Ability to assimilate information quickly and recommend a practical response 

• Sharp business and PR acumen to quickly determine short and long term priorities for self and junior team members to ensure all client needs are met 

• Experienced in managing and working on a diverse range of accounts 

Our promises to you 

• Flexible working arrangements, including hybrid working & flexi time and 4pm Friday finishes 

• 25 days’ holiday, increasing by one day every year up to 30 days 

• Additional day of leave on your birthday 

• Gifted time off over Christmas 

• A monthly cash allowance to use on the benefits most important to you - you'll have the freedom to choose how you enjoy it!

• Enhanced family-friendly policies 

• Free subscription to Calm app 

• Free breakfasts & fruit 

• An abundance of personal development opportunities, through our internal training programmes 

• New business and employee referral bonuses 

• Railcard reimbursement 

• Cycle to work scheme 

• Employee Assistance Programme offering a 24/7 confidential advice line 

• Life assurance 

Get to know us 

Grayling is the UK’s best-connected communications agency, working across Public Affairs, Planning & Infrastructure, Consumer and Corporate. With nine UK offices and 20+ worldwide, we help brands make an impact through smart thinking, cultural insights, and creative ideas. 

We’ve been on an exciting journey the last year and were shortlisted for PRWeek UK’s brand-new People and Places Awards 2025. 

Our commitment at Grayling is to combine our employees’ unique backgrounds, perspectives and experiences to build a more diverse and inclusive organisation that represents all of us and the businesses we work with.  We encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and will consider all applicants regardless of age, gender identity, ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, family or parental status, neurodiversity and disability status. If you need any adjustments during the application process, we’re here to help - just let us know.