Freelance Account Director, Media Relations - Consumer

Weber Shandwick is seeking a Freelance Account Director to join our Integrated Media team within our Chicago Consumer Practice.

We Are Seeking

We are seeking a strong Freelance Account Director to join our Media Relations team within our Consumer Practice. You love the thrill of the pitch, building relationships with media, and constantly immersing yourself in pop culture/trends. As an Account Director, you will have the opportunity to work on various top tier brands in various consumer categories.

What You Will Be Doing

• Develop a strong understanding of the client’s business and target audience, and work with strategists and creative team members to deliver solutions that meet program objectives
• Monitor media outlets, understand industry issues that directly and indirectly affect the client, and analyze and distill meaningful insights from media coverage
• Generate story ideas and topic angles, draft media materials, and pitch media to land earned coverage
• Develop strategic messaging for clients and support creation of media plans and proposals that take an integrated approach to driving awareness with target audiences
• Leverage influencers (e.g. advocates, bloggers/vloggers and other relatable voices) to impact clients, their brands and marketing goals.
• Provide thoughtful recommendations for content creation and distribution across multiple channels to support paid, owned and earned channels
• Support creative ideation on a consistent basis
• Serve as a role model to team members
• Participation in office-wide initiatives, seminars and meetings to further professional learning and development
• Actively participate in agency development and assist with new business

Competencies

• Media relations – build strong relationships with key media outlets, spanning national consumer media vertical
• Media strategy – understands how to write for and think with an earned-first lens, bringing forth builds, pushes and ideas that strengthen earned media storytelling opportunities
• Business Acumen– align talent strategies to drive business goals
• Client Service– client focus and ability to build trust and rapport across all levels
• Proactivity – exhibit relentless pursuit for new and innovative talent strategies
• Collaboration– build strong relationships at all levels across the organization
• Critical Thinking– ask probing questions; anticipate and address critical talent gaps and needs
• Conflict Resolution– possess sound judgment and savvy in navigating and resolving complex talent and organizational issues

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing, Communications, Public Relations
• 6 to 7 years’ relevant experience
• Media relations experience

The Weber Shandwick Collective recognizes that your health and wellbeing are a priority. This is why we offer a full suite of benefits including:

• Medical
• Dental
• Vision
• 401k (with employer match)
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Juice Money - $60 monthly reimbursement to be used towards purchases that nourish your health, mind, body, and soul
• MyDays – Flexible holiday schedules
• Short-Term Disability
• Paid Employee Family Leave
• Family Building Benefit

Weber Shandwick is proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. Weber Shandwick recruits qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, gender, age, ethnic or national origin, protected veteran status, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status or citizenship status.