Overview                                             

 As a Senior Account Manager you’ll be involved in all aspects of a growing office, including taking responsibility for achieving performance and revenue goals for clients, the development of new business and helping build and motivate teams.  You will be expected to deliver a high standard of results to clients and contribute creative ideas for client work and business development.

 General Responsibilities

• Day-to-day responsibility for a number of clients ensuring final delivery is to the expected level and quality.
• Leading on local language PR and social media projects (Cantonese and Mandarin).
• Creating compelling content for use across traditional and digital channels.
• Developing and maintaining strong working relationships with clients and journalists.
• Monitoring account revenue/hours to ensure alignment.
• Supporting colleagues in other Cognito offices as required on regional/global accounts.
• Working on new business pitches as required.

Account Specific Responsibilities

• Working with colleagues to determine how best your clients’ business objectives can be met, to develop effective PR/marketing strategies and to identify key messages.
• Selling in new ideas/stories to your clients.
• Drafting, editing and pitching content for clients.
• Providing leadership and guidance on projects assigned to you, motivating and managing any junior colleagues working with you in order to achieve set objectives.
• Managing client relationships to: provide strategic guidance; ensure expectations are managed; ensure the right people are working on the account; ensure delivery is to the standard required.
• Devising PR and marketing campaings to solve client’s business problems.
• Monitoring progress of your projects and making recommendations for modifications where appropriate.
• Monitoring time spent on accounts and where necessary communicating to clients the need for additional budget.
• Identifying and introducing new opportunities to clients.
• Helping prepare estimates and proposals.
• Presenting proposals/estimates to clients and securing client agreement.
• Ensuring clients are invoiced on time and in line with work carried out.
• Participating in media training sessions for clients when required.
• Building solid working relationships with journalists.

 Personal Specification

We’re looking for an excellent individual with minimum 4 years of agency or equivalent experience. Knowledge of the financial sector is not essential but is an advantage. Candidates must have strong communication skills with a track record of success. The successful candidate will have fluency in written and spoken English, Cantonese and Mandarin and be comfortable working with both clients and journalists in each language.  Strong relationships with Hong Kong media is a pre-requisite. Experience of Mainland Chinese media will also be an advantage.  This position will suit a team player who can demonstrate enthusiasm, motivation and commitment with initiative and a persuasive manner. They must be able to work under pressure and to tight deadlines, and to enjoy working in a team as well as operating independently.  They must be keen to help create a high performance but enjoyable working atmosphere, leading to Cognito’s and their own personal success.

Standard tasks and responsibilities requested of ALL Cognito employees

Improved service delivery

• To recommend and implement procedures, policies and standards to improve and enhance the quality and efficiency of the service Cognito delivers to its clients thereby establishing structured and scaleable service delivery. 
• Committed and motivated staff
• To help colleagues in delivering excellent service to clients.
• To help develop a working environment that attracts, retains, challenges and enthuses employees.
• Proactively look for opportunities to transfer your skills and knowledge to other team members.
• Be alert to workload pressures around you and proactively offer to help others when they need it.

Excellent client relationships

• Deliver the services commissioned by clients.
• Understand clients’ business and needs and adapt and deliver our service to meet them whilst managing profitability for us.
• Contribute positively to keeping existing business and winning repeat business and extensions.

 New/expanded client base

• Where appropriate, help secure new clients and ensure service delivery to them meets what we have promised.
• Make sure that existing clients you work with are aware of the full range of our capabilities and services.

Strong reputation and brand

• Over time, to improve the service method, quality and level of professionalism across all of the services Cognito provides and where appropriate help devise, implement and deliver new services.
• To present the professional face of Cognito to the broader PR and technology marketplace.

Profitability

• Actively manage down costs without compromising our delivery standards.
• Ensure that your time is correctly entered into the time reporting system and, where appropriate, correctly billed.