Managing Partner – Corporate & Public Affairs Practice (Strategy and Business Development Focus)

Managing Partner – Corporate & Public Affairs Practice

(Strategy and Business Development Focus)

• Working closely with the Head of Practice, the Managing Partner will play a key role in driving the future growth of the Practice including, playing an active role in shaping the future Corporate and Public Affairs vision, the development of the strategy to unlock future growth, helping those in the Practice and the agency itself achieve its full potential.

• This will involve identifying new markets for growth, emerging capabilities, and growth opportunities, moving with the changing market and with the discipline of communications itself to further strengthen our Corporate and Public Affairs offering, creating a clear, innovative, and differentiated proposition in the market.
• Partner with the Head of Practice to drive and grow the Practice, ensuring it is set up for future success by drive change and transformation across the Practice, embedding new strategic capabilities underpinned by solid business cases, grow the market footprint of the Practice and ensuring sustainable revenue growth.
• Particularly focusing on the development of new business, the role will report to the Head of Corporate & Public Affairs, with an additional dotted line to the CEO, and be responsible for meeting annually assigned financial targets.
• The Managing Partner has strong client relationships and is considered a Corporate and Public Affairs, company, and industry leader. They oversee and develop a wide range of initiatives and projects with existing and/or new clients with a high degree of success and independence. They have the confidence of clients and are hands-on in their approach to managing and developing their portfolio of key accounts as well as their respective teams.
• They are a positive role model across the business and provide mentorship to their direct reports and support the development of the wider team.

Strategy and Business Development 

• Proactively develops a Corporate and Public Affairs Practice business development programme that best leverages the skills of the team and identifies and secures new revenue streams from new and existing clients.
• Identifies and pursues opportunities for developing new Corporate and Public Affairs business within and across company offices and practice areas.
• Provides leadership in developing and presenting new business programmes for potential and existing Corporate and Public Affairs clients.
• Ensures that the Corporate and Public Affairs team contributes quality ideas and recommendations for new/expanded programmes and proposals.
• Delivers strong analyses, strategy, and concepts to new programme development.
• Presents and discusses the Corporate and Public Affairs as well as the agency as whole capabilities, based on knowledge of cases, products, and services.

Initiative and General Management 

• Is familiar with, and supports achievement of, the company’s vision and exemplifies the company’s values.
• Routinely contributes to agency growth and performance as a project, team, Practice, and agency leader.
• Manages people in an effective, productive manner that also develops their skills and loyalty to the firm.
• Delegates effectively.
• Routinely develops and implements solutions where problems arise and assists peers in problem solving.
• Leverages talents of colleagues in own problem solving.
• Routinely seeks and shares information with colleagues.
• Directs and facilitates others’ contribution to team, staff, and client meetings.
• Displays work ethic and values of the firm in day-to-day behaviour.
• Routinely invests in building agency and client accounts and resources.
• Continually seeks new ways to learn and improve.
• Works closely with the Head of Practice and the Wilson Hartnell Senior Leadership team to ensure everyone’s strategic thinking is closely aligned.

Account Management 

• Where appropriate, act as the client’s contact for all strategic and creative issues while ensuring that agency points of contact grow over time and the client is comfortable to deal with more junior staff as work is delegated to the appropriate experience levels within the team structure.
• Develops and manages projects and/or year-long client programmes, including implementation plans, evaluation mechanisms, staffing plans, budgets, and timelines.
• Ensures all brand activity follows agreed brand strategy.
• Has a good knowledge of the implementation of PR evaluation tools as available within Wilson Hartnell and Ogilvy and in the external marketplace.
• Sets and manages client expectations.
• Independently manages several Tier 1 major business accounts or projects, directing most of the day-to-day work with assistance from more junior staff as appropriate.
• Develops presentations for clients including creative, strategic, and tactical elements.
• Anticipates and leads in the resolution of emerging account problems.

Crisis/Issues Management 

• Is experienced in crisis and issues management, and is a key contact for the senior leadership team of our client businesses when handling crisis/issue management situations.
• Prepares and regularly updates pre-emptive crisis and issues management materials e.g. Call out procedures, holding statements, crisis media management etc.

Professional Skills 

• Is strategic in her/his thinking and combines this with strong business development skills.
• Understands business trends for relevant industry segments/brands/products.
• Applies specialised industry expertise to client work.
• Is responsible for the overall development of programmes based on team input.
• Efficiently and effectively plans and manages large-scale events.
• Develops and guides clients’ media relations and social media strategy and activities.
• Has in place a circle of general and/or specialised media, public sector, political and business contacts.
• Has strong presentation skills and demonstrable ability to play a leadership role in a wide range of presentation settings.
• Anticipates and develops solutions to client needs and problems.
• Provides strong leadership in building effective, productive account teams.

Financial/Administrative 

• Develops accurate project budgets and monitors them effectively.
• Oversees the timely development and distribution of invoices and activity reports.
• Completes timesheets daily and otherwise acts in accordance with company policies and procedures and ensures the same for the team.
• Contributes to forecasting/projections.
• Meets her/his own billing targets and ensures the team does the same for their levels.
• Is aware of, and understands, our contractual agreements and their impact on consultancy procedures.

People Management 

• Is involved in the recruitment of new talent.
• Identifies strengths and weaknesses of direct reports and team members, providing day-to-day direction on job performance and career development as appropriate.
• Manages performance appraisals for direct reports.
• Negotiates for resources and allocates tasks within and across clients.
• Manages staff to maximise productivity and individual, team and financial performance.