Director Job – Africa Specialist at Portland… See details on how to apply for the opportunities available at Portland.
Descriptions;
At Portland, we strive to combine high level strategic counsel with quality execution. Across our targeted network of offices we have the right people, with the right expertise, and the right attitude.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Leading our Nairobi office, managing the team and spearheading new business and marketing efforts across the continent;
- Manage relationships with key pan African and global clients;
- Helping to devise, manage and implement proactive media engagement strategies;
- Dealing confidently with key contacts, providing day-to-day media advice, placing stories and mitigating negative coverage;
- Coordinating research, media materials, news stories and other written outputs;
- Responding quickly and accurately to client requests;
- Managing the work of more junior team members to implement client programmes
- Liaising day-to-day with our office in London, the wider network and our partners in the African region
- Managing relationships within key African media
- Strong commercial understanding and ability to manage key contracts
Person Specification
Competences applicable to the post:
Providing a quality service
- Have strong commercial acumen – utilised with bottom line figures in mind as well as continued high standard service offering to clients;
- Be able to anticipate clients’ challenges and develop strategies to solve them;
- Have the ability to communicate confidently with Portland staff, senior clients and other stakeholders;
- Demonstrable ability to lead teams to achieve results for clients.
Personal Effectiveness
- Be a credible and confident adviser on media and reputation;
- Have strong commercial awareness and ability to support aggressive new business drive;
- Have a network of contacts to help fill pipeline and pull in new business;
- Be media smart with good contacts in national and international print and broadcast;
- Be able to sensitively navigate stakeholder engagement, with particular experience in working with NGOs/non-profits and the challenges that can bring;
- Be able to lead accounts and manage clients – a track record of agency experience handling is not essential but would be beneficial.
Team working and projects
- Be able to work with and communicate effectively with the Nairobi office and others across the agency;
- Be an excellent decision maker with a real ability to lead and mentor a team across different client accounts;
- Develop collegial relationships with individuals at various levels throughout the agency;
- Have excellent interpersonal skills with a real flare for pitching and presenting ideas and business plans;
- Focus on organic growth and development of team, have experience of being a line manager to junior team members.
Qualifications And Skills
- At least eight years of relevant, senior level PR experience gained from an agency, in-house or government facing role;
- The ability to be a key influencer with the gravitas to provide senior leadership and counsel on major complex accounts;
- Excellent client servicing and interpersonal skills, as well as a real ability to lead pitch teams;
- Proven ability to grow and lead teams;
- Tenacity to drive marketing and business development;
- Exceptional written and oral communication skills, excellent client-consultation skills as well as client and agency growth and development.