Portland is a fully integrated communications consultancy trusted by some of the highest profile organizations, governments and individuals in the world with global offices in Washington DC, New York, Singapore, Doha and Nairobi, as well as in London.

We are pioneers in integrated communications campaigns help clients manage their reputation, improve their visibility and media coverage – and deliver global communications campaigns across multiple platforms.

Our teams of experienced and multilingual consultants invest time to understand clients from the inside out, work with them to set clear strategic direction, and then bring the whole of Portland’s abilities to bear to deliver their objectives.

At Portland we never rest on our laurels; we constantly strive to improve our work and be at the forefront of the industry.

The Team:

When faced with a dispute, even the strongest personal or corporate reputations are at risk. The Disputes Unit is a dedicated practice within Portland that manages risk for its clients, in high-profile and high-value cases across multiple jurisdictions and languages. Our work extends beyond the court room to encompass complex political and financial considerations.

We work alongside lawyers and advisors to ensure that our clients’ wider interests are protected and their legal and commercial strategies are reinforced.

Led by a former barrister, Portland’s specialist and experienced disputes team is diligent, discreet and results-driven.

The Role:

We are seeking a disputes communications specialist with crisis and issue management media expertise.

As a Senior Account Manager you will be integral to the Disputes Unit’s long term planning and growth. You will be an expert in your field with strong media relationships and the ability to support the senior team with the management of clients. You are a keen problem solver, generating excellent results and giving strong strategic advice.

Key Responsibilities:

• Work as part of the team to lead proactive and reactive PR strategies from formulation through to execution aligning them with the client’s key business and legal objectives
• Develop new business pitches, proposals and presentations
• Act as key point of contact for clients in support of senior consultants
• Lead an account team to develop client proposals and implement communications strategies
• Proactively build relationships with key opinion leaders, media, professional associations, online influencers and other relevant third-parties
• Keep track of impending deadlines and ensuring all work is completed in a timely manner
• Contribute to solutions for new business clients and proactively introduce new ideas to improve the agency offering
• Ensure all work is completed on time and within budget
• Attend and promote client events to the media
• Lead brainstorms and creating workable programmes for new business and existing clients
• Direct and mentor junior account members; providing quality control and overseeing team assignments
• Establish professional relationships with colleagues and clients alike

Requirements

Qualifications, skills and competencies:

You must:

• Have a minimum of five years’ experience in a communications agency is essential with disputes/crisis/issue management experience
• Have strong media relations skills. Proven relationships with business national journalists is ideal.
• Have experience of proactive pitching and active rebuttal with high profile news media
• Be commercially driven and ambitious to help us to develop a talented team in a fast-growing consultancy
• Have experience with supervisory responsibilities; identifying staffing issues and needs, adopting or creating processes, documentation, and templates to meet those needs
• Have strong experience in digital strategies, management and content creation
• Be experienced in copy drafting op-eds/ press releases/ pitch documents

What we offer in return:

• We are committed to employee development and have an open doors culture where you will have the opportunity to learn from some of the most experienced people in the business. We regularly reward and promote success, and actively encourage staff to take on new challenges and responsibilities to aid progression.
• Our remuneration package also includes our competitive pension contributions, private healthcare life assurance cover, company contribution to gym membership, company parties, free daily breakfast and much, much more!
• In addition, every permanent member of staff that works at Portland is eligible for our industry leading annual profit share. When Portland thrives, all of our people share in that success.

Due to the high volume of applications we receive it is unfortunately not possible to respond directly to all applicants, only to those whose candidacy is being pursued. In addition, the length of the recruitment process varies based on the vacancy needs. Traditionally, the process takes approximately 2-4 weeks. Therefore, your patience is greatly appreciated.