Managing Director, Digital Strategy

Bully Pulpit International; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 170,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company-paid health insurance

401(k) with employer match

Generous vacation

Phone reimbursement

Unlimited sick time

Paid parental leave

Job summary

Bully Pulpit International, an outcomes-focused agency, seeks a seasoned Managing Director to lead and expand its Digital Communications practice across high-stakes public affairs accounts. This leadership role blends digital consulting rigor with campaign agility, reporting to a Partner.

The role oversees multi-channel programs, grows a client portfolio averaging $2M+ in annual net revenue, shapes strategy, and drives talent development and new business, while acting as a visible external

Qualifications

• 15+ years of progressive, senior experience in communications and leadership within an integrated agency or consulting firm.
• Deep expertise advising executive clients on corporate reputation and policy challenges.
• Proven ability to manage multi-million dollar client portfolios

Responsibilities

• Lead client and account leadership across high-stakes public affairs and digital programs.
• Guide senior relationships with C-suite and executives to shape strategy and ensure delivery.
• Drive digital campaign architecture, messaging, and multi-platform content strategy.
• Partner with leadership to originate, shape, and close major new business opportunities.
• Build agency credibility through thought leadership and external engagement.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Client relationship management

Digital communications strategy

Public affairs expertise

New business development

Executive communication

Job description

Bully Pulpit International is an outcomes agency made up of strategists, data scientists, and artists. We come from politics, brands, and government and we communicate without barriers and measure what matters. We have more than 400 team members in six countries and thirteen offices — Berlin, Brussels, Chicago, D.C., London, Los Angeles, New York, Oslo, San Francisco, and Zürich.

We apply our unique expertise across strategic communications, public affairs, research, and digital marketing to create sophisticated and customized strategies that make change possible for both American and European clients.

The Impact You Will Make

We are seeking a seasoned, outcomes-driven Managing Director to lead and expand our Digital Communications practice across a portfolio of high-stakes public affairs clients. This is a leadership role for a proven professional who can operate at the intersection of technology, business, politics, and public policy, combining strategic digital consulting rigor with the speed, agility, and experimentation of a modern digital campaign. This role reports to a Partner.

The Managing Director oversees complex, multi-channel digital programs and drives agency growth by managing a client portfolio averaging $2M+ in annual net revenue, shaping the agency's digital strategy, and contributing to culture, talent development, and retention. They are also responsible for leading digital-centric new business efforts and serving as a visible external thought leader in technology and digital communications.

This role requires a unique blend of high-level digital strategy, senior client counsel, team leadership, and business development, all grounded in deep expertise within the corporate sector.

• Location: Expectation to work from our NYC, DC, Chi, SF or LA office at least 3x a week
• Salary: Starting range of $200,000

What Day To Day Looks Like

• Client & Account Leadership
• Serve as a senior strategic advisor to Partners and Executive Leadership across a portfolio of high-impact accounts, helping shape client vision, long-term strategy, and integrated digital communications programs
• Act as the primary senior relationship owner, engaging directly with C-suite and executive-level decision-makers to guide direction, anticipate needs, and ensure flawless delivery of high-stakes digital and strategic communications work
• Drive high-level strategic development, including narrative, messaging, digital campaign architecture, and multi platform content strategy—while providing rigorous review, direction, and approval across all deliverables (memos, briefs, digital assets, presentations, paid social, etc.)
• Stay deeply informed on real-time political, cultural, policy, and technology developments, proactively translating fast-moving shifts into actionable recommendations and strategic pivots for clients
• Team Leadership & Operational Excellence
• Lead, grow, and inspire a high-performing multidisciplinary team, developing future agency leaders through structured coaching, real-time feedback, and long-term career path planning
• Set and uphold the standard for operational excellence, ensuring teams consistently deliver high-quality, strategic work on time, under budget, and aligned with client priorities
• Foster a culture of collaboration across offices and departments, breaking down silos and driving seamless integration across digital, creative, strategy, public affairs, and analytics teams
• Model clear, transparent communication and empower teams with the context and guidance they need to excel in a fast-paced client environment
• New Business & Market Growth
• Partner with senior leadership to originate, shape, and close major new business opportunities, leading strategy development, proposal creation, and pitch delivery for complex digital and communications programs
• Strengthen and expand the agency's client base, maintaining strong relationships with existing clients while identifying, cultivating, and converting new prospects
• Independently lead proposal development, producing high-quality pitch materials, strategic frameworks, and scopes of work with minimal oversight
• Build the agency's market presence and credibility by cultivating senior industry relationships, representing the firm at key events, and elevating your external profile
• Contribute to the agency's intellectual capital, developing case studies, thought leadership, POVs, and other content that advances the agency's reputation in digital communications and positions you as a recognized industry expert
• Help attract top talent by identifying, engaging, and recruiting leaders who can strengthen the agency's capabilities and culture

Requirements

• 15+ years of progressive, senior experience in communications, public affairs, and a leadership role at an integrated agency or consulting firm
• Deep and demonstrated expertise in advising executive-level clients within the Corporate sector on high-stakes corporate reputation and policy challenges
• Proven ability to manage and grow a multi-million-dollar client portfolio (on track to manage over $2-3M in annual net revenue), including responsibility for profitability and revenue targets
• A track record of success in new business acquisition and leading large, complex pitch processes
• Exceptional executive-level communication and presentation skills, with the ability to translate complex policy or technical details into compelling, high-impact narratives
• Must be deeply knowledgeable about the current political, media, and cultural landscape, with experience running integrated campaigns (combining earned, owned, and paid media)

Benefits

BPI offers a wide range of benefits to U.S.-based employees, including 100% company-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance, a 401(k) program with employer match up to 4%, generous time off for vacation, $50 monthly phone reimbursement, unlimited sick time, and 16 weeks of paid leave for new parents. BPI's benefits prioritize employee wellness and progressive support to our diverse workforce.

We’re looking for all kinds of people.

We are an equal opportunity employer and make employment decisions based on individual commitment to excellence. We want to have the best qualified people in every job. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion or religious creed, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, status as a protected veteran, physical or mental disability, medical condition or genetic information or characteristics (or those of a family member) or any other consideration made unlawful by applicable federal, state or local laws. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. BPI is dedicated to building an inclusive, diverse, equitable, and accessible workplace that fosters a sense of belonging - so if you're excited about this role but your past experience doesn't align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to still consider submitting an application. We consider applications holistically and you may be just the right candidate for this role or another one of our openings!