Account Manager / Senior Account Manager, Public Affairs

Ankura; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Annual bonus

Promotion pathways

Mentorship

Professional development

Hybrid working

Generous leave

Job summary

Ankura, based in Washington, DC, is recruiting a Senior Account Manager (Public Affairs) to lead campaigns for US and international clients. You will own day-to-day account delivery, build trusted client relationships, and coordinate with senior leaders to translate strategy into execution.

The role requires a self-starter with 5-8 years in relevant roles, strong persuasion and pitching skills, and the ability to mentor junior colleagues.

Qualifications

• 5-8 years of experience in a professional environment; consultancy, Capitol Hill, federal agency, campaigns, or media experience is a plus.
• Self-starter mindset with initiative and willingness to learn from senior counsel.
• Strong understanding of US political and regulatory landscape, with focus areas such as Defense, Energy, or Healthcare.
• Proven client-handling skills and experience managing large accounts and high-stakes campaigns.
• Experience mentoring junior colleagues and bringing them along quickly.
• Excellent persuasion skills and credibility with senior stakeholders and media.
• Proven ability to pitch, negotiate and win new business.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to prioritize under pressure.
• Excellent written and verbal communication; additional languages are a plus.

Responsibilities

• Play a key role in day-to-day client relationships as a trusted adviser.
• Build and execute communications and public affairs campaigns from strategy to delivery.
• Lead project management, reporting, and team coordination; mentor junior staff and coordinate with third-party consultants.
• Manage media and stakeholder engagement for clients, including senior political and regulatory contacts.
• Draft client communications, op-eds, briefing memos, talking points, and social content.
• Plan and run client activity such as fly-ins, media events, briefings, roundtables, and coalition meetings.
• Support new business development by spotting opportunities and contributing to pitches.
• Collaborate across our five offices in a fast-paced, creative environment.

Skills

5-8 years experience

Self-starter

US political/regulatory knowledge

Client management

Mentoring junior staff

Persuasion skills

Pitching/new business

Organization skills

Written/verbal communication

Job description

Ankura is a team of excellence founded on innovation and growth. Permanent, full-time | Based in Washington, DC | Competitive salary Red Flag is looking for an ambitious Account Manager or Senior Account Manager to join our growing Washington, DC team. We want a self-starter who will service major clients, drive day-to-day account delivery, and work on high-impact campaigns for clients across the US and internationally. This is a key hire for Red Flag, the multi-award-winning strategic communications and campaigns consultancy. Our clients trust our global team of strategists and campaigners, drawn from the worlds of media, politics, business and diplomacy, to cut through the noise on their toughest regulatory, reputational and communications challenges. We specialize in integrated advocacy campaigns on sensitive, complex and business-critical issues, combining public affairs, media relations, digital mobilization, coalition building and grassroots activation to deliver for our clients. From our offices in Washington DC, Brussels, London, Dublin and Cape Town, we have delivered for clients in more than 52 countries across five continents, advising some of the world’s most recognized companies, coalitions and industry associations. Now part of Ankura, the world-leading expert services and advisory firm, we can put a global bench of subject-matter experts behind every campaign we run. Ankura hires people to think big and make things happen. On that strength, we are scaling our US operations and expanding our international client portfolio.

About the role

Following a series of major new client wins, Red Flag is recruiting a (Senior) Account Manager (Public Affairs) to help drive engagement across our growing US and international client base. This is a role for a go-getter: someone who looks for the opportunity, brings ideas forward and sees them through, with support from senior leaders alongside you. At Red Flag, Account Managers are central to the accounts they work on. You will help build and run campaigns for our clients, deliver integrated communications and public affairs programs, and serve as a day-to-day point of contact our clients rely on. You will also manage and mentor junior colleagues, and support new business generation and pitching. We give people real responsibility early and the senior backing to deliver on it. This position is scoped to be based in our Washington, DC office, but strong candidates based elsewhere in the US or working remotely will be considered. Some domestic and international travel may be required.

Responsibilities

• Plays a critical role in the day-to-day client relationship, acting as a trusted adviser and the first call when the issue is urgent.
• Builds and executes communications and public affairs campaigns from strategy through to delivery.
• Leads project management, reporting and team coordination, including managing and mentoring junior colleagues and getting the best out of specialist third-party consultants.
• Manages media and stakeholder engagement on behalf of clients, including senior political, regulatory and press contacts.
• Drafts and edits client communications, including op-eds, briefing memos, talking points and social content.
• Helps plan and run client activity such as fly-ins, media events, briefings, roundtables and coalition meetings, including logistics, materials and on-site support.
• Supports new business development by spotting opportunities, helping shape the approach and contributing to pitches.
• Works closely with colleagues across our five offices in a creative, fast-paced environment.

Required Skills and Experience

We are looking for a confident, highly capable consultant with:

• 5-8 years' experience in a professional environment. Experience in consultancy, on Capitol Hill, in a federal agency, on a campaign or in the media is a plus.
• A self-starter mindset: you take the initiative, make good use of senior counsel and hold yourself to a high standard.
• A comprehensive understanding of the US political and regulatory framework, with a focus on Defense, Energy, or Healthcare.
• Proven client-handling skills, with experience managing large accounts and complex, high-stakes campaigns.
• Experience managing and mentoring junior colleagues, and bringing them on quickly.
• Exceptional persuasion skills and real credibility with senior stakeholders and the media.
• Demonstrable experience in pitching, negotiation and winning new business.
• Excellent organizational skills and the judgment to prioritize under pressure.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills. Additional languages are an advantage.

What we offer

At Red Flag, you'll join a fast-growing agency that invests in talent and rewards performance, with the reach of Ankura behind you. We are proud to offer:

• Competitive salary and benefits, tailored to experience
• Annual bonus and new business commission scheme
• Clear pathways to promotion and internal advancement
• Structured mentorship and in-house training
• Professional development support
• Hybrid working options
• Generous annual leave entitlement

We are an equal opportunity employer and we value diversity and inclusivity.

We do not discriminate on the basis of age, pregnancy or maternity, marital/civil partnerships, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation, gender or gender reassignment, disability or race.

Ankura is an affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against based on disability.

Equal Employment Opportunity Posters, if you have a disability and believe you need a reasonable accommodation to search for a job opening, submit an online application, or participate in an interview/assessment, please email [e-mail] or call toll-free +1.312-583-2122.

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Ankura Consulting Group, LLC is an independent global expert services and advisory firm that delivers services and end-to-end solutions to help clients at critical inflection points related to conflict, crisis, performance, risk, strategy, and transformation.

The Ankura team consists of more than 2000 professionals serving 3,000+ clients across 55 countries who are leaders in their respective fields and areas of expertise.

Collaborative Lateral Thinking That Delivers, hard-earned experience, expertise, and multidisciplinary capabilities drive results and Ankura is unrivalled in its ability to assist clients to Protect, Create, and Recover Value.

For more information, please visit, ankura.com.