We’re looking for an experienced Senior Client Lead and Team Lead, who will Interpret and direct strategy for clients and ensure all plans are delivered and are in line with scope of work, drives creativity and freshness in approach. Ensures that team is profitable (servicing trends, timeous billing) and will actively ensure that team members grow and develop into strong Public Relations professionals.
Role Purpose
The Account Director is the senior strategic and operational lead for assigned client accounts
and teams. The role is responsible for interpreting client business objectives, setting communication strategy, leading high-performing teams, ensuring excellent client delivery, and driving profitable account growth. The Account Director plays a critical role in maintaining strong senior client relationships, ensuring quality and innovation, and developing future PR and communications leaders.
Key Responsibilities
1. Strategic Leadership
- Set and interpret communication strategy for clients and guide teams in delivering
against agreed objectives. - Ensure all work aligns with the client strategy, scope of work, and broader business goals.
- Deliver integrated solutions across the PESO model (Paid, Earned, Shared/Social,
Owned). - Track industry trends, emerging issues, and developments, and determine how best to
apply them to client work. - Ensure continuous reinvention and contemporary thinking in line with the evolving
communications landscape.
2. Client Leadership
- Take ultimate accountability for the overall client relationship and delivery of exceptional
work. - Build and maintain trusted relationships with senior client stakeholders, including
executive and board-level contacts. - Act as a senior advisor to clients, providing strategic counsel and expert guidance.
- Demonstrate subject-matter expertise in at least one communications discipline (e.g.
media relations, influencer relations, employee communications).
3. Team Leadership & People Management
- Lead, manage, and mentor client teams, focusing on growth, upskilling, delegation, and
accountability. - Ensure the overall “health” and wellbeing of the team, fostering a positive, highperformance culture.
- Delegate effectively and empower teams without micromanaging.
- Identify individual strengths and development areas and actively support professional
growth. - Handle staff-related matters professionally, including performance and incident
management.
4. Financial & Commercial Management
- Manage all contractual and financial aspects of the client relationship, including:
o Scope of work
o Client KPIs
o Team resourcing and hour allocation
o Budget tracking and management - Ensure profitability of accounts by monitoring over- and under-servicing trends and
implementing corrective actions. - Ensure accurate and timeous financial administration, including cost estimates (CEs),
purchase orders (POs), and billing.
5. Revenue Growth & New Business
- Drive revenue growth across new and existing clients.
- Identify and convert opportunities to sell additional services or grow accounts
organically. - Lead and contribute to new business pitches and proposals.
- Negotiate annual retainer increases where appropriate.
6. Quality Control & Governance
- Ensure all work produced by the team meets the highest quality standards and
demonstrates:
o Creativity and innovation
o Attention to detail
o Strategic alignment
o Contemporary thinking
o Measurable support of client business objectives
o Act as the final quality gate before work is delivered to clients
Required skills & competencies
- Strategic communications planning and integrated campaign delivery
- Strong financial, budget, and commercial management skills
- Proven senior-level client relationship management
- Effective team leadership, mentoring, and people development
- Broad understanding of integrated marketing and communications disciplines
- Ability to manage incidents, issues, and risk confidently
- Confident, values-driven leadership with strong decision-making ability
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
- High emotional intelligence; empathetic and approachable leadership style
- Creative, innovative, and comfortable taking calculated risks
- Highly organised, deadline-driven, and reliable
- Ability to have courageous, constructive conversations and unlock team potential
Minimum Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Marketing, Journalism, or related field
- 8+ years’ relevant experience in PR / communications
- Proven experience managing teams and senior client relationships If you’re a hands-on technical leader passionate about resilient, scalable systems,
we’d love to hear from you.
CLOSING DATE: 10 FEBRUARY 2026
Email your application (CV, and certified copies of ID and qualifications)
to careers@phungela.co.za