Founded in 1984, APCO Worldwide is an award-winning, independently owned global communication and business strategy firm with offices in major cities throughout North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. APCO combines a global perspective with local expertise to help clients around the world manage challenges, opportunities, perceptions and reputations. APCO clients include corporations and governments; industry associations and nonprofit organizations; and six of the top 10 companies on the Fortune 500. The firm is a majority women-owned business.

The Senior Associate Director is responsible for leading Client engagement ,advising the client and managing a team to deliver an integrated program including strategy, planning and management of events, activations, thought leadership, media relations and social media with a strong understanding of renewable energy and the UAE ecosystem.Joining us at the start of a major project, the writer will be a responsive, responsible and authoritative self-starter who can write original, compelling content across all platforms and, vitally, contribute across the project management team with coherent strategic inputs.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

SENIOR ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR DUTIES:

• Manages independently Client relationships to build confidence in APCO as a trusted business partner, while preserving APCO\xe2\x80\x99s interest in the business relationship
• Organizes teams around business development opportunities and manage proposal process ensuring quality of thinking, APCO\xe2\x80\x99s work standards, and accurate scoping of work
• Develops positive reputation and has visibility in within the APCO network and be viewed as a thought leader in the market
• Establishes strong network across APCO and engages in productive exchanges with colleagues to promote knowledge sharing and business opportunities
• Leads confidently internal and external client meetings, offering knowledgeable observations and suggestions; establishing credibility by insights shared; encouraging and motivating others to communicate ideas
• Serves as principal client contact; knows when to leverage senior level relationships within APCO to further build the relationship within the client organization
• Networks actively to identify new business prospects as routine activity
• Demonstrates consistently APCO\xe2\x80\x99s values in all interactions with colleagues, vendors and clients
• Proactively identifies external meetings and trainings to attend to enhance sector knowledge and contacts
• Demonstrates an understanding of effective project management, can effectively address issues, and understands how managing account engagements tie to APCO\xe2\x80\x99s business success and makes changes as necessary to improve account performance
• Participates in annual business planning, forecasting opportunity with clients managed
• Takes ownership and actively engages in team member development; demonstrating thoughtful planning to increase individual skill sets by setting smart objectives
• Meets or exceeds assigned utilization/AIP targets
• Demonstrates performance in growing clients organically and actively pursues new opportunities with prospects
• Shares opportunities across the network looking for the best resources to service the account (s)

CLIENT RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT

• Develops relationship of trust with clients
• Provides constructive advice and counsel about client issues and, when appropriate, to clients
• Ensures agreement with client at the outset of what can be expected and within agreed timescales
• Seeks client input to better understand needs and develops ideas for how to meet those needs
• Communicates with clients on priorities and deliverables, and ensures team is up to date and has the information required to meet client needs
• Adjusts to changes in scope initiated by client and communicates effectively to project team
• Cautions clients about possible risks or downsides to certain courses of action
• Addresses dissatisfied client or issues by remaining calm and professional
• Anticipates clients\xe2\x80\x99 needs and makes recommendations/proposals that reflect understanding of client issues
• Strives to meet and exceed client expectations and instills the same across the team
• Adjusts to changes in scope initiated by client and communicates effectively to project team

ACCOUNT & PROJECT MANAGEMENT

• Manages self and team to ensure that projects are progressing on schedule as expected
• Ensures teams have skills and knowledge to deliver to clients expectations
• Identifies resource needs for projects
• Recognizes in good time when a task will not be completed within an agreed and expected timeframe and makes necessary changes to ensure client deliverables are not compromised
• Effectively manages workload for self and team; helps more junior colleagues prioritize work if necessary.
• Reports budget variances in timely manner
• Completes pre-bill and client billing review responsibilities in time frames as determined by finance
• Manages client expectations for deliverables
• Effectively delegates tasks to team members in order to meet project objectives/milestones and deliverables
• Assigns realistic workloads

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

• Analyzes client requirements to scope opportunity and budget projects effectively and profitably
• Uses tools to review project and account performance, making adjustments as necessary to achieve account performance expectations
• Demonstrates understanding of office/practice business strategies and imparts to team members and more junior colleagues.
• Sets self and team priorities on work that accurately reflect needs of business and clients
• Ensures projects are billed accurately, and communicates to team members as need to ensure they have accurate budget and deadline information for their tasks
• Considers, and where appropriate, notifies management of potential opportunities, risks or challenges that could impact the business.

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

• Actively participates in pitches and demonstrates knowledge of issues by contributing ideas and strategy to proposals and drafting RFPs
• Actively participates in professional organization/networks by attending events/volunteering as appropriate
• Develops network of professional contacts
• Demonstrates knowledge of APCO\'s service offering by providing innovative ideas for growing existing business into other practice areas or finding new business. Actively seeks knowledge about other service offerings
• Contributes to proposals by committing to specific time and deliverables and balancing those against existing obligations
• Demonstrates understanding of new business goals and objectives for the of department/practice areas/office
• Encourages team members to work with colleagues and readily share contacts/opportunities as appropriate across the business

AD-Hocks Assignment/reports:

• As per the Direct Manager\xe2\x80\x99s requests

Competencies

• Client relationship skills
• Customer service skills
• Leadership skills
• Decision making skills
• Analytical skills

Requirements

• Bachelor\xe2\x80\x99s or Master\xe2\x80\x99s Degree
• Ideally, a minimum of 8-10 years\xe2\x80\x99 of relevant communications or public affairs experience that includes working with clients in the energy, environment or renewables sectors, or organizations with related interests/needs.

Work Conditions

The physical abilities needed to perform the duties of this position, in addition to the office climate:

• Office environment is general office setting
• Some travel may be required
• Must reside in Dubai, Abu Dhabi or be willing to relocate
• Willing to work additional or irregular hours as needed and allowed by local regulations

About APCO in the Middle East and North Africa

Home to some of the fastest growing economies in the world, the Middle East and North Africa region has a pivotal role to play in driving global conversations \xe2\x80\x93 from environmental policies to religion and pop culture. The UAE and Saudi Arabia are clear leaders in this equation, although the wave of innovation continues to transcend borders.

APCO launched its regional operations in 2006 in Dubai. Growing from a team of less than 10 consultants, APCO today has over 200 people from 26 countries working in teams across Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Manama and Kuwait and our projects take us to countries across the region and the Levant. APCO was awarded Best Agency in the Middle East by PRWeek in 2019 and Best Agency to Work for: EMEA Network by PRovoke Media in 2017 and 2019.

With a portfolio of over 100 clients, APCO\xe2\x80\x99s MENA offices deliver public relations and digital communication support across health, food, consumer & retail, finance, technology, real estate & hospitality, non-profit and public affairs practices. The region also offers specialized services, created for the Middle East, such as our Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) model and our Compass and License to Operate offerings.

In addition, APCO\xe2\x80\x99s global AI Comms Lab, a first-of-its-kind innovation center which utilizes artificial intelligence to build and protect the reputations of major global brands, governments and organizations is driven from the Dubai office.

From helping governments connect with the private sector and civil society, to supporting the Pope\xe2\x80\x99s historic visit to the region and launching iconic brands and destinations, we understand the nuances of the MENA region and pride ourselves on making an impact.

APCO Worldwide