Senior PR Account Director

You’ll bring at least 7 years of PR experience, strong media relationships (both old and new media), excellent client and communication skills, and a solid understanding of the travel industry. 

Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people of colour are less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At Lemongrass, we use a blind recruitment process, meaning personal details such as name, age, gender, and education are removed from applications to focus purely on skills and experience. This helps eliminate unconscious bias and ensures a fairer, more inclusive hiring process where every candidate is evaluated on their merits. We are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role and our company values resonate with you, but your experience doesn’t align perfectly with every requirement in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles. 

We have a strong, values-driven culture and are a proud B-Corp, a community of companies that use the power of business as a force for good. Its aim is to create a sustainable, inclusive economy by reducing poverty and inequality, creating high-quality jobs and a healthier environment. 

Client leadership and strategic counsel 

• Provide high-level strategic counsel to clients, ensuring their PR strategies are well-planned, effective, and aligned with business objectives.
• Manage and oversee client accounts, ensuring exceptional service, timely execution, and campaign profitability – clients will range from hotels, tour operators and tourism boards.
• Maintain high-level media relationships to secure key opportunities for clients, leveraging industry connections.
• Oversee client reporting, monitoring KPIs, media coverage, and campaign success, ensuring timely and accurate delivery.
• Handle complex client challenges, providing solutions and managing delicate discussions such as exclusivity agreements and strategic positioning.
• Oversee and coordinate PR events, ensuring strong representation from the agency and attending where necessary.
• Build and maintain relationships with international partner agencies.
• Ensure the client accounts are run profitably as well as ensuring we meet our environmental and social targets (carbon reduction for press trips and business travel).
• Negotiate with client on contract renewals and changes, securing fee increases and developing scopes of activity in line with budget.

New business development & growth

• Lead and participate in new business calls, identifying growth opportunities supporting Managing Director in the pitch process.
• Support the development of new business proposals and pitches (in person and online), providing strategic input and creative campaign ideas.
• Identify and drive opportunities to grow existing client retainers, ensuring additional work aligns with the agency’s values and client targets.
• Attend industry wide events, representing the agency.
• Oversee planning and execution of agency Media Roadshows, managing logistics, media signups, client participation and delegating responsibilities to the wider PR team.  
• Product development of service offering, identifying opportunities and changes in the PR and marketing landscape to address clients needs.

Financial and operational oversight

• Monitor and report on client profitability, ensuring efficient resource allocation and effective budget management.
• Lead forecasting efforts for ongoing clients, tracking revenue, renewals, and upselling potential.
• Conduct quarterly financial updates, providing insights on client profitability, retention strategies, and operational efficiencies.
• Review contracts and provide guidance on commercial agreements, supporting negotiations and renewals.

Team leadership and mentorship

• Directly manage and mentor multiple team members, conducting weekly 1:1 check-ins, performance reviews, and goal setting.
• Champion professional development by guiding team members toward promotions, skill-building, and career progression where relevant.
• Ensure the team is aligned with company values, fostering a collaborative, inclusive, and high-performing culture.
• Manage freelancer hours and capacity, ensuring efficient allocation of workload and resources.
• Please know that whilst you are managing a team we don’t operate in a hierarchical way. So, you’ll need to be happy to pitch in where help is needed (press trips, writing etc).
• Support with recruitment for roles, conducting interviews and feeding back to senior team.
• Support broader HR initiatives, advising on company-wide policies and team well-being.

Sustainability and corporate responsibility

• Champion sustainability initiatives, ensuring PR strategies align with environmental goals, including carbon reduction for press trips and business travel.
• Discuss sustainable developments with clients – advising on regulation updates, certification and educating them on how they can adapt their offering to have a positive impact both environmentally and socially.
• Work with internal teams to monitor carbon budgets for both agency operations and client work.
• Participate in Lemongrass membership meetings/webinars and contribute to the agency’s Green Team efforts.

• 7+ years of agency experience, ideally in travel or consumer PR, with a proven track record of leading successful campaigns and driving client growth.
• A strong communicator and team leader, skilled at motivating, mentoring, and inspiring teams to deliver outstanding work while fostering long-term client relationships.
• Advanced proficiency in PR analytics and digital tools, including Ahrefs, SEMrush, Google Search Console, and Google Analytics, to measure impact and refine strategies.
• Deep understanding of how PR influences SEO, ensuring media strategies align with digital objectives to enhance brand visibility and search performance.
• Confident in pitching, presenting, and articulating the agency’s value proposition, with the ability to secure new business and elevate existing accounts.
• Well-established relationships with top-tier journalists across travel, active lifestyle, and news sectors, ensuring strong media placements for clients.
• Skilled in researching and crafting compelling, high-quality content, including white papers, thought leadership articles, press releases, and blog posts.
• Highly skilled in attention to detail and time management, with the ability to effectively mentor and instil these strengths within the team.
• Proven track record in developing and executing high-impact PR strategies that drive measurable results.
• Adept at balancing hands-on involvement with effective delegation, ensuring the team delivers high-quality work on time and within budget.
• Thrives in a dynamic, fast-paced environment, demonstrating agility in managing shifting priorities.
• A strategic problem-solver who makes informed, decisive choices that drive client and business success.
• A trusted advisor to senior clients, fostering strong, long-term relationships and positioning the agency as an essential partner.
• Understands the interplay between people, planet, performance, and profitability, ensuring a holistic and sustainable approach to PR leadership.

• International languages.
• Curiosity of mind and wanting to learn.
• Passion for sustainable travel.
• Understanding of SEO tools and Google Analytics.

• One of the biggest perks at Lemongrass is that we work a 4-day week – on full 5-day pay.
• Hybrid working, generally one day (Monday) in the office and the others working remotely.
• Competitive Salary.
• Team Bonus Scheme with targets across social, environmental and revenue.
• Carbon literacy training.
• New business and recruitment bonus for introductions to us.
• Generous annual leave entitlement – not pro rata for the 4 day week and increases with length of service.
• Birthday day off.
• Sick pay.
• Responsible Company Pension Scheme.
• Team Volunteering Days.
• Charity Days.
• Lemongrass match personal charity donations.
• Private Healthcare, including optical, dental and mental health support and talking therapies.
• Worldwide Travel Insurance.
• Railcard for discounted rail travel.
• Yearly and half yearly appraisals.
• Career progression.
• Full Induction and on-going training.
• Monthly lunch and learns.
• Travel opportunities.
• Company updates – we want our team to know and feel part of what is going on within the business, we believe in transparency and accountability.
• Team socials and celebrations.

HUNGRY TO LEARN - We care about: opening minds, growing as individuals, and expanding our horizons.

MEANINGFUL RELATIONSHIPS -We care about: symbiotic relationships, shared values and shared happiness. With a commitment to connecting with others and the world around us, we strive to build meaningful relationships.

FOR THE GREATER GOOD - We care about: being meaningful, sustainable and authentic. We want to be a part of the solution. In a changing world, we seek to make a positive impact for our clients, for Lemongrass, and for wider society.

LEADING THE WAY - We care about: carving a path, making change happen, and doing things differently. We’re leading the way in travel PR by combining traditional and digital methods with specific sector expertise.

Please Note: These duties defined in this Job Description are not definitive and may be subject to future amendments following appropriate consultation.