Account Director (Public Relations) Job at Citizen Relations in Chicago

Company Description

Citizen is a global PR agency built to unleash the potential of ambitious brands. Integrated teams across PR, creative & strategy, insights & intelligence, digital, and experiential marketing give the curiosity, confidence, and courage to stay ahead of trends, make bold moves, and maximize measurable success.

With 10 offices across North America and Europe, Citizen’s client roster includes P\u003cbr\u003eP&G, Dole Packaged Foods, Duracell, Simon Malls, and Valvoline. The agency's disruptive campaigns have been awarded across the world from The Clios, Webbys, The One Show, LIAs, PRWeek Global, and the Cannes International Festival of Creativity. Since 2022 Citizen has been named a PR Agency of the Year by Strategy Magazine. In 2024 the agency made the "Best in Business" list from Inc. Magazine and was a Campaign Global PR Agency of the Year. In 2025, Citizen was named to PRNews’ Elite Top 120 Agencies List.

This isn't just a job; it's an opportunity to grow, connect, and belong in a vibrant environment. Beyond global opportunities, personal time, and unforgettable team-bonding, we prioritize professional development, committed to unleashing the potential for our talent across all offices.

Position

Account Director

Citizen Relations is looking to hire a Director to lead our Food/QSR and Travel/Tourism accounts. This role focuses on strategic leadership, campaign execution, and client relationship management within these sectors.

About The Role

As an Account Director you are an important member of the senior team. You are responsible for leading your client base, ensuring that campaigns run smoothly, and that your teams are challenged and motivated. You write, present concepts, and develop strategies to best suit client needs and market trends. You cultivate a strong media network and maintain a high level of client trust. You step in to support your teams whenever needed and drive innovative work that gets noticed.

Responsibilities

• Actively participate in strategy and/or creative process/review alongside account lead, offering input and feedback.
• Collaborate with strategy and/or creative to build plan presentations with direction from account lead.
• Champion innovative work that gets noticed.
• Coach and mentor team on client management.
• Manage client satisfaction and loyalty.
• Assume accountability for strategy & execution within agency and client standards.
• Identify and resolve issues quickly.
• Manage client expectations.
• Consistently manage multiple teams and budgets.
• Cultivate and leverage high-impact media relationships to drive earned media results.
• Participate in new business development by increasing business with existing clients, networking, and identifying prospects, and contributing to RFPs and pitches.
• Assist junior team members in preparing new business presentations.
• Contribute to annual business planning (accountable to portfolio plan) across multiple teams and budgets.
• Participate actively in hiring decisions.
• Interact with and gain the trust of senior clients.
• Serve as quality control and ensure only the highest quality work is delivered to clients.
• Be responsible for budgets and proactively ensure account profitability.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of PR experience; agency experience preferred.
• Experience in Food/QSR/Fast Casual and Travel/Tourism/Hospitality preferred.
• Previous management experience where you independently managed a client and a team.
• Ability to lead others and remain calm under pressure; experience coaching staff.
• Superior client relationship management skills.
• Strong business acumen and comfortable dealing with analytics and financial control.
• Exceptional organizational skills with proven ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Collaborative, innovative, and entrepreneurial leadership style.
• Strong negotiation skills.
• Demonstrated results in public relations work, client service, and account leadership.
• Stellar writing and editing skills.
• High-level media relationships.
• Passion for both traditional and digital communications.
• Balance strategic thinking with plan execution.
• Strong presentation and interpersonal skills.
• Excellent thinking on your feet.

Compensation

Salary between $115,000 - $135,000 annually, depending on experience.

EEO Statement

Citizen Relations is an equal opportunity employer. It prohibits discrimination based on age, color, disability, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, and any other legally protected class in accordance with applicable federal, provincial and local laws. Citizen Relations is committed to creating and maintaining an inclusive and accessible workplace. If you are contacted for an interview and require accommodation during the interviewing process, please let us know.