Public Relations Account Manager

If you are interested in this opportunity, please send a CV and cover letter to REJ @ [email protected] - applications sent without a cover letter will not be considered.

About 89up

89up is the global agency for not-for-profits and good causes. Our mission is clear: to help our incredible clients tackle the world’s greatest challenges, with a focus on climate action, social justice, economic fairness and helping to deliver the UN sustainable development goals.

We work with organisations across the UK, Europe, the US, and beyond. Across the agency, we deliver public relations, creative campaigns, website development, advocacy, insights, and mobilisation. 

Our insight-led approach builds award-winning campaigns that drive meaningful change. 

We’re looking for an Account Manager to join our award-winning PR team. We want someone who can create news hooks and compelling stories from complex materials, and build lasting relationships with the media across global markets.

This role offers the opportunity to work across an exciting and diverse client base, covering everything from international policy summits and data-driven research campaigns to community-led storytelling and digital advocacy. You’ll be working closely with a fantastic team of former journalists, podcasters, civil society campaigners, and long-term agency hands.

Your day to day work will be focused on helping our clients get their campaigns in the media; that may mean close reading of a research report or policy document to spot the killer insight that will form the basis of your story, driving a sell-in of a larger news story, drafting and placing a convincing opinion article, or being in regular contact with journalists to understand the stories they want, and how your clients can seize the opportunity.

As an account manager at 89up, you will be working closely with senior members of the PR team to execute the strategic direction on all of your accounts. As a key member of the PR team, you’ll help drive projects forward, support junior colleagues to do their best work, and play a hands-on role in shaping the strategic and editorial direction of campaigns.

This role gives you experience working on a broad range of projects with some of the world’s most innovative non-profits. Some of the areas you’ll work and train in are:

• Global media relations: You'll manage media relations and cultivate strong personal connections with journalists, bloggers, and influencers across international media. You’ll stay abreast of the global media landscape and political events, and use all of this to generate story ideas daily.
• Craft media stories: The stories are not always right in front of us. You will be reading through assets such as academic research reports, polling data, or case studies, as well as doing your own research and creative ideation to build out a story. You will turn this into beautifully crafted press releases, pitches, quotes, and media briefings.
• Drive campaign execution and manage projects end-to-end: You'll be the key driver in coordinating and executing client campaigns (e.g., sell-ins, launches, press trips, events) to a high standard. You'll take full responsibility for project timelines and deadlines, implementing and improving task and time management processes.
• Work in an integrated way with other parts of the agency: We rarely work on pure PR projects - most often, we work collaboratively across teams to bring cutting-edge digital strategy, public affairs and media work together to shift public and political opinion. You’ll be up for stretching and learning across all communications disciplines, while bringing PR skills to the table.
• Support strategic campaigns development: While you will always have a senior on your accounts, there will be lots of room for you to be part of the strategy creation at the beginning of campaigns, and throughout the execution. Gathering and distilling insights, including through audience research, polling, focus groups and social listening, will help you to track trends, decode public sentiment, and craft winning strategies that cut through the noise.
• Mentor and guide junior team members: You'll manage your team and resources, providing mentorship and guidance to junior staff and ensuring, e.g. the consistent high quality of their written copy through practice, guidance, and editing. 
• Foster client relationships: You’ll play a key role in building strong, positive relationships with clients through confident account handling and consistent, high-quality delivery. You’ll provide regular updates, help ensure KPIs are met through smart proactive and reactive strategies, and keep projects on time and budget. You’ll be supported by experienced team leads and senior PR colleagues who will work closely with you to shape strategic direction and provide guidance when needed, ensuring you have the backing to make sound judgment calls and grow into a trusted PR advisor to your clients.

Curious about the kinds of organisations you’ll be working with? Check out the case studies on our website for an idea: https://89up.org/our-work 

We’re looking for a proactive individual who is excited about a career in strategic communications and media relations. 

We will provide training in specific skills, but we are looking for candidates with these core skills:

• 3+ years of experience in a PR role: Ideally with agency experience of working with global clients, you will know how to turn any topic into a pitch that makes journalists bite, and you have a track record of landing top-tier coverage. You follow the news, spot emerging trends and have an intuitive sense of what makes a good story
• Exceptional writing skills: You can create high-quality copy, from crisp headlines to polished opinion articles and detailed press notes.
• Ability to tackle complex subject matters: You have experience turning complex topics into compelling narratives, sourcing the right spokespeople, and landing media coverage.
• Global perspective and political instincts: You have hands-on experience navigating politically and culturally sensitive campaigns and issues. You understand how narratives land differently in international markets and can adapt accordingly.
• Thinking outside the box: You’ve brought original thinking to tricky briefs, whether by reframing a narrative, finding a fresh hook, or pushing for a bolder approach. You’ve trusted your instincts — and persuaded clients or colleagues to do the same — with proven results.
• Excellent stakeholder management: You're personable and have a natural ability to build strong relationships with clients and external partners. You'll have proven experience in managing diverse stakeholders. 
• Strong account handling: You’re organised, calm under pressure and able to juggle multiple priorities while keeping quality high. You lead calls confidently, present ideas with clarity, and can offer smart counsel in the moment.
• A team player: You will be a confident self-starter who can drive progress on projects, and be able to get the best out of working collaboratively with team members who bring a wide variety of their own unique skillsets, managing both up and down. You bring out the best in junior colleagues, helping shape strong outputs through guidance.
• Commercial understanding: You understand the need for projects to be not only well executed but also commercially viable. 

Not essential, but previous experience in health and/or technology is an advantage.

• Hybrid working with 3 office days (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday as core days. You may need to come into the office on Mondays and Fridays for important meetings) 
• 24 days holiday (a max of 4 days are taken for closure over Christmas (plus an additional day off on your birthday)
• A competitive base salary with performance-linked discretionary bonuses twice yearly
• Enhanced maternity/paternity pay
• Pension company contributions
• Gold-plated sickness benefits and life insurance
• Online GP, private counselling, eyecare vouchers, wellbeing service
• Cycle-to-work scheme
• A commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI)
• Clear career progression pathways and opportunities to develop in a fast-growth agency
• Formal mentoring and training schemes to support your success
• A dynamic work environment where your contributions are heard and counted, not lost in the noise and tangle of a large corporate business

This is an opportunity to work on some of the most pressing issues of our time, with people who are committed to making a difference. If you’re passionate about politics, media, and driving change, we want to hear from you.