PR Account Manager - CAPE TOWN

MSL; Cape Town; On-site; ZAR 420,000 - 540,000; Full time

Job summary

MSL Cape Town is seeking an Account Manager to own daily client initiatives, develop editorial plans, and ensure accurate reporting. You will lead media relations, drive strategic programs, and oversee invoicing within your stream while mentoring junior team members.

The role requires strong communication, proactive upskilling, and the ability to manage client expectations across corporate and financial portfolios.

Qualifications

• Experience coordinating multiple client activities and reporting.
• Strong media relations knowledge in South Africa and broader Africa.
• Ability to craft editorial plans and strategic client programmes.

Responsibilities

• Manage day-to-day client initiatives and act as primary contact for clients.
• Own editorial plans, reporting, and monthly billing with profitability awareness.
• Lead client meetings, develop media lists, and maintain coverage.
• Collaborate with senior staff on strategy and program calendars.
• Oversee budgeting and time management with junior team members.

Skills

Account management

Media relations

Pitching

Writing

Project management

Strategy

Research

Media lists

Newsdesk

Job description

Company description

MSL is an award-winning global public relations firm focused on building influence to deliver meaningful impact on business and the world.

We are a global collective of modern communicators who are building the brands and leaders of tomorrow. Our business is making our clients – of all shapes and sizes – more influential. And our passion is shaping and evolving the public relations industry and what PR can accomplish.

We love being in the right place at the right time and with our network of offices and partners across the globe there isn’t a market we don’t understand and communicate in. Given the importance of deep local insights and stakeholder relationships, we operate a bit differently than other global PR agencies: with CEOs at the country level vs one global figurehead, we build for excellence in market with as much priority as we ensure integration, sophistication and innovation across the world.

Overview

Account Manager - CAPE TOWN

As an Account Manager at MSL, you are on top of all day-to-day initiatives in your portfolio of clients – you know what needs to happen, when it needs to happen, and ensure that it gets done. You are the primary point of contact for clients, and they trust you. With the help of your team (Intern/AA/AE), you ensure reporting is slick and accurate. You own the editorial plans for clients and are involved in strategy development, alongside your SAM/AD/SAD. You own the monthly billing process and will start to get to grips with the concept of profitability for your stream.

Responsibilities

Core capabilities

• Account management: Demonstrate real-time knowledge of all client activities, ensure status documents are accurate and updated, run client status meetings and take ownership for client and agency initiatives.
• Media relations: Drive journalist relationship-building initiatives within the team, across your full client portfolio, display an excellent knowledge of the South African media landscape (and an interest in the broader African media landscape), develop solid media relationships, and oversee the effective running of your team’s entire media relations process.
• Pitching skills: Write and pitch excellent quality, relevant story angles to targeted media and stakeholders, finding creative, newsworthy angles with minimal input from your SAM/AD/SAD.
• Writing: Demonstrate an ability to write effective content for your full client portfolio, and have the ability to effectively brief the content team when specialist help is needed.
• Project management skills: Take responsibility for specific projects from start-to-finish.
• Strategy: Develop, alongside your SAM/AD/SAD, strategic and tactical client programmes, plans and calendars.
• Research: Demonstrate effective research skills, and assimilation and presentation of information.
• Media lists: Ensure your team regularly updates media lists, informs the broader agency of media changes, compiles tailored media lists per client content piece, and ensures that master client media lists are kept updated.
• MSL Newsdesk: Participate in daily newsdesk/media meetings and ensure relevant news and angles are marked and shared with clients.

Sector Experience

• Corporate and Financial Communications Experience
• The ideal candidate will have experience or interest in working across corporate, financial and business-to-business communications portfolios, with exposure to various sectors.

Qualifications

Personal attributes

Quality: Consistently deliver quality work to professional, MSL standards.

Detail-orientated: Execute unwavering attention to detail in all aspects, including documents, presentations, emails and all other communiques.

Proactive upskilling: Constantly work to ensure an excellent understanding of content for all clients (even beyond your portfolio), your client’s industry, staying abreast of the broader news environment and spotting opportunities for media conversation building.

Proactive learning: Demonstrate use of the Marcel Classes portal and other internal training sessions to upskill yourself, taking initiative and responsibility for your learning journey.

Taking initiative: Demonstrate consistent self-starter approach.

Time management: Display impeccable time management skills and help your AA/AE/SAE manage their time and deadlines.

Profile: Manage and build your own profile within your team and the broader agency.

Respect: Acknowledge and respond to instructions from senior staff as soon as possible (email, instant message or spoken).

Client services

Client relations: Demonstrate excellent client relationships and ability to manage their expectations.

Client meetings: Drive participation in client meetings, managing meeting protocols, agendas, etc.

Understanding: Demonstrate a detailed, thorough and informed understanding of your clients’ businesses and knowledge of their competitors, for effective idea generation. Demonstrate value to your clients by keeping them abreast of competitor news.

Reviews: Take responsibility for planning and compilation of client review documents/ presentations/reports, and participate in client review meetings with your team.

Agency operations

Billing: Accurately review billing arrangements for clients and action monthly billing timeously.

Timesheets: Demonstrate effective time recording and reporting (daily, accurate data logged on Chase, as per Groupe deadlines).

Coverage: With Intern/AA/AE, take ownership of daily coverage tracking for reports and timeous client coverage updates.

Reporting: Ensure quality, timeous monthly reports are delivered, and initiate new reporting ideas and processes where improvements can be made.

Budget: Start to work with SAM/AD/SAD to understand stream budget and profitability.

Know the agency and the Publicis Africa Groupe (PGA): Demonstrate familiarity with both MSL and PGA's organisational structures and offerings.

Business development

Grow your ability to identify opportunities for organic growth of existing business and business retention.

Grow your ability to draft proposals and improve your pitch preparation skills, in conjunction with your SAM/AD/SAD.

People development

• Become a role model and mentor for junior staff, and be seen as an ambassador for the company.
• Conduct appraisals for junior staff.
• Contribute to, and participate in, personal development activities for junior staff (i.e. coaching, workshop development, etc.).
• Actively look to maintain and build positive working relationships with colleagues.
• Assist your fellow AMs with skill development and peer-to-peer mentorship.

Additional information

Publicis Groupe Africa is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits any forms of Discrimination or Harassment. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all our employees in line with our Employment Equity Plan.

All appointments will be based on qualifications, experience and best fit but preference will be given to candidates from designated groups. Interested candidates must please submit a concise CV including a link to your portfolio if necessary. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Should you not hear from us within 2 weeks after submitting your application, please consider your application as unsuccessful.