Account Director (Public Relations)

Piper & Gold Public Relations is a social impact communications agency made up of strategic thinkers, storytellers and connectors. We envision a more just and equitable world, where people have the access needed to thrive – without barriers, without shame and without having to earn it. We believe honest, strategic communication is how systems change and how communities are uplifted.

About the role

The Account Director is responsible for owning and leading the overall client relationship, ensuring Piper & Gold understands what matters most to the client and consistently delivers work that advances their goals. The Account Director serves as the primary client contact and leads the overall direction of the account. They identify client needs and opportunities, establish priorities, determine scopes of work, integrate recommendations from subject matter experts, direct the client team, and ensure work is delivered on time, on budget and according to quality standards.

This is an early career Account Director who will be learning alongside senior-level Account Directors. Agency experience preferred but not required. Experience in education, public health, government, association, economic and community development, social justice and equity work is valuable based on our clients.

Responsibilities

• Own and lead the client relationship, serving as the primary point of contact and maintaining a deep understanding of the client's goals, priorities, challenges, stakeholders and evolving needs.
• Establish overall account priorities and ensure the work of the client team remains aligned with the client's desired outcomes.
• Listen and diagnose beyond stated requests to identify underlying problems, emerging needs, risks and opportunities where Piper & Gold can create meaningful value.
• Anticipate what clients will need next and proactively bring recommendations rather than waiting for clients to request services.
• Develop and manage monthly scopes of work that clearly define desired outcomes, deliverables, responsibilities, timelines, hours and budgets.
• Integrate recommendations from the client team and other subject matter experts into a cohesive approach that best serves the client's overall goals.
• Direct and delegate work across the client team, matching assignments to the appropriate level of expertise and ensuring team members understand expectations, priorities and desired outcomes.
• Monitor hours, budgets, timelines and team capacity to ensure work is delivered efficiently and profitably without unnecessary over-servicing.
• Evaluate whether existing work continues to create sufficient value and challenge repetitive, stale or low-impact approaches.
• Generate and champion new ideas that increase impact, including both proven approaches and thoughtful, higher-upside opportunities that allow clients to take strategic risks.
• Expand thinking beyond traditional public relations by identifying digital, paid, engagement and other opportunities that strengthen strategy, extend the life of the work and increase return on investment.
• Translate activities and deliverables into meaningful client outcomes so clients clearly understand the value and impact of Piper & Gold's work.
• Identify and recommend opportunities to expand services when additional work would meaningfully improve client outcomes, solve emerging problems or create greater value.
• Lead client meetings with preparation, confidence and clear recommendations, ensuring conversations focus on priorities, decisions, results and what comes next.
• Communicate proactively with clients and internal team members, ensuring expectations are clear and potential issues are addressed before they become problems.
• Build client confidence by demonstrating sound judgment, strategic thinking, responsiveness, creativity and consistent follow-through.
• Create continuity during account transitions by ensuring institutional knowledge, strategic context, relationships, commitments and opportunities are effectively transferred.
• Partner with PR Strategists and other subject matter experts to continually elevate the quality and effectiveness of client work.
• Develop client team members by providing clear direction, meaningful feedback, appropriate delegation and opportunities for increased responsibility.

Decision Scope

• Owns the overall client relationship and is accountable for the health, momentum, value and performance of the account.
• Establishes overall client priorities and determines how available resources should be deployed against those priorities.
• Approves monthly scopes of work, client requests, resource allocation and account-level priorities.
• Makes final account-level decisions when competing strategies, priorities, client considerations, budget limitations or business needs require.
• Relies on the client team to recommend strategy within their areas of expertise and gives those recommendations significant consideration.
• Has final decision-making authority when disagreements exist about direction or approach, because the Account Director is accountable for the total client relationship and overall account outcome.
• Escalates decisions when they exceed the Account Director's authority, present significant organizational risk or require executive leadership involvement.
• Is accountable for outcomes and client value, not simply completion of contracted activities.

What Success Looks Like

• Clients view Piper & Gold as a trusted, invaluable strategic partner rather than a transactional service provider.
• Clients proactively seek Piper & Gold's perspective before making important communications, reputation or engagement decisions.
• Account strategies remain fresh, relevant and responsive to changing client needs.
• Clients regularly receive thoughtful recommendations and ideas they did not specifically request or anticipate.
• Monthly scopes clearly connect work to meaningful client outcomes rather than simply listing activities and deliverables.
• Client work balances proven approaches with innovation and thoughtful experimentation.
• PR, digital, paid, engagement and other opportunities are integrated when they can extend reach, strengthen results or increase the value of the client's investment.
• Client teams understand priorities, responsibilities, expectations and desired outcomes.
• Work is appropriately delegated and delivered on time, on budget and according to Piper & Gold quality standards.
• Account hours and resources are managed responsibly and over-servicing is identified and corrected.
• Client relationships deepen over time because Piper & Gold continually identifies new ways to solve problems and create value.
• Appropriate opportunities for account growth are identified and confidently recommended based on client need and potential impact.
• Clients experience consistent momentum and understand not only what Piper & Gold is doing, but why it matters.
• The Account Director consistently anticipates the question: “What should we help this client accomplish next?”

Requirements

• Minimum three to five years relevant experience.

Pay

The salary for the Account Director role begins at $55,000 and is commensurate with experience.

Schedule

Hybrid work schedule with a minimum of two days in our Lansing office, and flexible remote work the remainder of the week.

Benefits

• Equitably established, accrual-based paid vacation and sick time.
• More than three weeks of paid holiday time annually.
• Employer-sponsored health insurance package, including medical, vision and dental.
• Employer retirement contributions.
• Paid parental leave.

Piper & Gold is headquartered in Lansing, Michigan’s REO Town. Candidates from any geographic location are welcome to apply. We will require two days per week in our Lansing office upon hiring.