Executive Director

Agency :

Job Description :

About HAVAS Red: 

We are powered by a team with undeniable passion, fearless ambition and incredible ideas.

As pioneers in earned-first communications we believe our best work happens when we shape a singular creative idea to live in any owned, earned, social and paid channel. 

Our 80+ Redsters across offices in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane are smart, hungry, and creative, bringing together a chorus of integrated comms functions including media relations, content creation, social media, influencer marketing, activations, and issues management. We’re trusted by clients ranging from global brands to Australian icons, to some of the fastest growing companies around.

We are part of the HAVAS PR Network, the PR and communications arm of the HAVAS Group that comprises over 40 agencies in over 25 markets worldwide. In Australia, HAVAS Red sits within the HAVAS Village, a brilliant group of agencies and specialisms across communications, advertising, media, and public affairs.

About the role: 

Over the past 20+ years HAVAS Red has established itself as a leader in the Australian communications industry. With Aussie team members in 3 offices and 5 locations, we have the scale to develop hyper local, national, regional, and global campaigns. While Sydney is our largest agency Village, our Melbourne Village has evolved rapidly into a team of 100 specialists following organic growth and recent agency acquisitions.  

Melbourne is home to some of HAVAS Red’s largest clients, a mighty group of Redsters, and plenty of new business opportunities. We are committed to accelerating our growth and investment in the city – which is where you come in. This is a chance for the successful candidate to shape the future of our Melbourne offering with the support of our highly successful and established agency behind it. 

This newly created role will serve many purposes: 

• Drive the vision, evolution, and growth of our Melbourne offering, all with the support of an established executive team and national staff 

• Identify, unlock, and ingrain new Melbourne-based clients to establish a larger portfolio of local business 

• Provide additional scale for HAVAS Red’s existing national clients and team members
• Be our face and key stakeholder in Melbourne across Red’s ELT and the Melbourne HAVAS Village 

• Over time, take on greater commercial and P&L responsibilities, as well as staff and hiring decisions 

• Work in partnership with existing HAVAS Red Melbourne team to ensure a positive, exciting, and high-powered culture  

• Contribute to the overall creative excellence and commercial outcomes of HAVAS Red Australia 

The type of qualities we’re looking for:  

• A proven PR or communications leader who’s still hungry to take the next step in their career 

• Highly connected in Melbourne among brand and businesses communities, with a track record of building lasting relationships and sourcing new client opportunities 

• An entrepreneurial spirit with the ambition (and thick skin) to build, shape, and grow a team

• A natural and inspiring leader – confident, decisive and energetic 

• A vision for the future of earned communications and the role that HAVAS Red can play for our client partners 

• Inherently strategic and creative in solving challenges for clients and teams 

• A willing partner for some of the best practitioners in the business across all functions of the agency 

• Calm under pressure and with a capacity to manage varying business priorities  

• Open, honest and always acts with integrity 

Key responsibilities in detail: 

Melbourne Profile & Marketing 

• Lead an effective marketing plan to raise the profile of HAVAS Red’s Melbourne office with business and trade media and bodies across Australia and the region. 
• Ensure your personal brand is prominent in the Melbourne business community as well as PR and marketing industries  
• Support the agency with meeting award targets and other marketing milestones 

Business Development 

• Drive Melbourne’s efforts in new business, seeking out prime opportunities and leading and managing teams to convert pitches. 
• Actively look for and deliver on opportunities to grow existing business by building client relationships. 
• Establish accurate financial forecasting and plans to deliver against budgets  
• Identify and realize other opportunities to increase revenue. 

Team Leadership and Development 

• An internal figurehead who will inspire, set direction and lead by example
• Partner with CEO and local team members to develop a Melbourne vision and thriving agency culture. 
• Convey the agency’s offering, philosophy and vision to clients and potential recruits. 
• Partner with the ELT to ensure best practice processes are in place. 
• Effective line-management of all direct reports – deliver regular and constructive feedback, identify strategies for developing individuals. 
• Develop and foster strong relationship with senior leaders across HAVAS Village  

Driving Creative Excellence 

• Partner with ELT to ensure the right Creative infrastructure is in place to enable the delivery of ambitious ideas 
• Create the context to do great work across Melbourne and related teams. 
• Build client appetite to buy ambitious ideas. 
• Be an inspiring purveyor of great ideas who can ultimately deliver on them. 

Client Service Excellence 

• Work with ELT and teams to set and uphold standards in client service. 
• Drive account planning process –ensure quality plans are developed, implemented and regularly reviewed to ensure we have strategies in place on all client business to achieve our objectives. 
• Establish a co-operative culture between teams. 
• Foster a shared agenda with clients, inspiring them and giving them the confidence to be adventurous. 

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At Havas, we are committed to building a future that is inclusive to all, where you can bring your whole self to work and feel valued, respected, and supported to succeed. We encourage people from diverse backgrounds, identities, beliefs, age, and abilities, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, to apply for this or any role with us.

Contract Type :

Here at Havas across the group we pride ourselves on being committed to offering equal opportunities to all potential employees and have zero tolerance for discrimination. We are an equal opportunity employer and welcome applicants irrespective of age, sex, race, ethnicity, disability and other factors that have no bearing on an individual’s ability to perform their job.