We are looking for a talented Associate Director to work outside of London and support the growth of our regional offer.

About the role

As an Associate Director, your role will include providing strategic advice on developing innovative and ground-breaking campaigns, independently securing new business as well as having an area of expertise that ensures you are the ‘go to person’ at Kanda to help grow our Regional offer.

You should be a capable and confident operator with a thorough understanding of the required political, media and communication skills.   As well as being able to secure the confidence of clients as their key contact it is important that you are a team player within Kanda displaying delegation and supervisory skills as well as seeking guidance from Directors as needed.

Your duties will include, but will not be limited to:

• Maintaining and enhancing Kanda’s reputation through effective client care and project management. Providing intelligence-led advice, autonomously and independently from a Director
• Driving high-quality, innovative written, digital, and creative content
• Developing a specialism within the Kanda team and becoming the ‘go to’ person on at least two areas of the business; business planning/policy expertise or geographical areas
• Developing and implementing your own new business pipeline
• Independently managing client risk and developing reactive strategies as required throughout the lifetime of a project
• Working across Kanda Consult, Create and Shape divisions to ensure project teams are working collaboratively across sectors and geographical locations
• Developing and maintaining strong relations and understanding across local government including elected Members, officials and other interest and community groups
• Independently identifying and producing new business proposals, working with the Managing Director to achieve business goals and develop areas of growth
• Maintaining responsibility for client billing, forecasting and contractual process to ensure accuracy and prompt payment including updating forecasting spreadsheets
• Sharing best practice, ideas and documents with the rest of the business
• Being an active and effective Kanda Ambassador across the industry and wider local government using an existing and expanding network 
• Demonstrating a clear understanding of the commercial drivers for the business evidencing how to achieve profitable and well-serviced accounts

Kanda roles:

• Actively contribute towards Kanda marketing initiatives, sharing and inputting into social media content and attendance to events etc.
• Timely delivery of all business administrative responsibilities e.g. timesheets, expenses, providing feedback for reviews etc.
• Provide effective line management capabilities in supporting the growth and development of team members
• Work collaboratively with Head of People & Culture in supporting and delivering technical training to upskill Kanda talent
• Working collaboratively with the operational team to manage client credit control
• Ensure GDPR requirements are met across all projects
• Leading by example in reflecting Kanda’s core values; Integrity, Collaboration, Creativity, Openness and Inclusivity

Emerging skills for promotion to Director:

• Sustaining a strong pipeline of independently-sourced new business
• Clearly evidencing strong contacts and networks, adding value to Kanda’s brand and business development
• Demonstrating the ability to maintain the key client role as the ‘trusted strategic advisor’ for key accounts and clients
• Managing a profitable, well managed forecast and invoicing process

** The above is not an exhaustive list and will develop as the business grows and evolves**

Key Attributes and Skills:

• Strong interpersonal skills, good communicator – clear and directive
• Excellent organisational skills, good time and project management
• Enthusiastic, approachable, ‘can do’ attitude
• Self-starter, proactive, takes initiative
• Works collaboratively, good team player
• High quality of work/attention to detail
• Strong copywriting skills
• Articulate and confident presenter   
• Demonstrate agility, decisiveness and responsiveness
• Works calmly under pressure, exercising discretion and demonstrating gravitas
• Active networker and Kanda Ambassador
• Confident negotiator, driving budget discussions
• Actively keeping abreast of developments in communications and property and best practice

Kanda is a flexible working employer, applicants selected to work in our Regions team will need a full driving license and access to a car on account of the travel involved.