Account Director, Financial Services

Account Director, Financial Services

Introduction

MHP is a strategic communications agency built for the networked age, applying the new rules of influence to solve complex problems.

With nearly 200 employees, we provide deep expertise in brand, capital markets, corporate, health, financial services and public affairs – reflected in the fact that 200 organisations put their trust in MHP, including AstraZeneca, beIN Media Group, Coca-Cola, NHS, Klarna, Shaftesbury, KimberlyClark, Roche, and Laing O’Rourke.

About the team

Working with game-changing fintech unicorns such as Klarna, Coinbase and Plaid to established names such as Barclays and ING, MHP’s Financial Services team helps clients craft bigger, bolder and more relevant stories, to build new markets, acquire new customers and shape regulatory debates.

With experience across wealth and asset management, insurance, retail banking & consumer finance, crypto and fast-growing fintech companies, we combine deep sector expertise, creative firepower and behavioural insight to develop communications strategies that define, elevate and amplify our clients’ positioning.

This is an exciting time to join MHP’s Financial Services practice. It is one of the fastest growing parts of the business, winning more than ten new accounts in 2021 alone, and is rapidly scaling as a result. We’re looking for the right person, with the right skills and cultural fit to support the next stage of our growth.

The role

We are looking for a dynamic Account Director to join our team and work on an exciting portfolio of clients, acting as the day-to-day lead on client programmes and to direct, mentor and advise colleagues.

The role will involve managing the daily delivery of client programmes, providing regular advice to clients and support to account teams. The role will suit someone driven, who enjoys working in a forward thinking fast paced environment, loves the media, and who is experienced in taking a proactive lead in a variety of scenarios and with multiple high-profile clients.

You will be passionate about financial services with a view on the evolution of the sector and the reputational challenges and opportunities this presents for clients and prospects. You will have good financial services experience, a deep awareness of what drives the news agenda, and established media contacts at both national and trade publications.

Excellent writing must be a core skill, plus strong organisational and planning skills and the confidence to handle and deliver client programmes without regular supervision.

You will be ambitious and results-driven, with a proven experience of forming strong client relationships built on trust, leadership and respect, and recognize the importance of staying creative and relevant in your approach.

Key responsibilities

• Lead on day-to-day client activity and teams. 
• Build and maintain strong client relationships
• Proactively seek and manage media opportunities for clients.
• Develop and cultivate key media relationships.
• Maintain a good understanding of clients’ business objectives, media and issues in their wider industry sector
• Manage and develop communications programmes for clients that enable them to meet their communication and commercial objectives.
• Assist with new business preparation and pitching.
•  Keep up to date with the latest social media trends, proactively developing material and awareness of MHP’s digital offering.
•  Manage and mentor junior team members.

The successful candidate

• Will have at least 5 years of communications experience working in either agency of inhouse roles
• Will be passionate about financial services and have some experience of working with clients in the sector. You’ll be highly motivated and keen to work across a broad spectrum of clients including wealth and asset management, fintech, retail banking, consumer finance and private equity/venture capital.
• Will have experience of working across corporate positioning, brand building and reputation management briefs
• Will have a track record of forming strong client relationships built on trust and respect and understand the importance of staying creative and relevant in your approach
• Will have forward-thinking view of communications and an appreciation of the role that different disciplines and skills can play in reaching audiences across a range of traditional and digital channels

What we offer You can expect a great working environment and superb benefits to match, including: Free breakfast at the in-house café/bar, gym discounts, pension, season ticket loan, cycle to work scheme and much more!

We believe in a culture of inclusivity, we celebrate difference and believe that diversity makes our business more relevant, our work more meaningful and our people more empowered. We’re committed to equality of opportunity for all and we're open to applications from all ethnicities, orientations, beliefs, gender identities + those with neurodiverse traits.

Our unique structure and culture has meant we’ve featured in The Sunday Times’ Best Company To Work For Top 100 list eight years in a row too.

About MHP + Mischief

MHP + Mischief is a unique combination of two market-leading brands. Together, we are greater than the sum of our parts.

We are a collection of 200 communications specialists, blending behavioural science, influencer strategy, creativity, audience insight and industry expertise. MHP helps clients navigate a volatile, activist and tribal landscape we call The Networked Age. Mischief helps brands earn attention by playing with the norm and working at the speed of life.

We are PR Moment Agency of the Year and two of the most-awawarded teams in the industry. Our work for the NHS is PR Week’s “Campaign of the Decade” and we are two-time winners of The Creative Shootout