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Purpose Union is a specialist agency comprised of strategists united by the belief that the world is better off when companies and organisations think, act and communicate with a defined social purpose.

Our purpose is to combine our knowledge, experience and connections in the private, public and social sectors to help organisations drive social change and achieve their strategic objectives at the same time. We work with our clients to develop compelling narratives, identify winning arguments, build valuable coalitions and create distinctive campaigns.

Our team comprises a new and diverse generation of strategists, which enables us to offer world-class advice to our clients in a digitally native and increasingly millennial-driven world.

Our clients include public, private and social sector organisations from the world’s most recognisable brands to start ups and social entrepreneurs.

About the role

After a successful two years in operation, we are looking to make a senior hire to work closely with the Co-Founders to grow the company through its next phase of development. In this role you will help build a new kind of agency aiming to become a global leader in the social purpose sector.
We are committed to diversity and inclusion as a founding principle of our agency and we strongly encourage applications from under-represented groups in the sector. If you require any reasonable accommodations to assist in your application, please let us know.

About you

You will have already succeeded in an interesting and influential role, but you will be looking to develop your expertise and skills further to really make your mark. You have probably worked in a public relations, strategic communications or advocacy role before (either in-house or agency). However, if you come from a different discipline but have relevant experience and compelling ideas, we would still like to hear from you.

You’ll be good at all the things a top-class agency director should be good at – client management, team and project leadership, winning and maintaining business, creative and strategic thinking, sound political judgement.

Additionally, you’ll be intellectually curious and emotionally intelligent. Clients will want to hear what you think about the big issues of the day such as climate change, gender equality, the future of capitalism, health and education. And you’ll be able to communicate your views and advice effectively.

Equally you’ll be happy to get stuck into the delivery of your strategies, working side by side with our core team and network of partners.

We’re also especially interested in meeting people who have a specialisation or experience relevant to some of our core areas of work, including:

  • Diversity, equality & inclusion communications and campaigns;
  • ESG investment.

More specifically, day-to-day you will:

  • Lead new business pitches, managing input from colleagues and partners, developing strategy, tactics and content ideas, as well as pitch deck development;
  • Manage a portfolio of clients, with performance set against clear objectives and measures of success;
  • Produce exceptional content – narratives, messaging, articles – both for clients and for Purpose Union;
  • Contribute to overall operations (i.e. budget management; workflow; contract management etc.) within the agency;
  • Represent Purpose Union in various external meetings, industry forums and relevant conferences;
  • Be an active contributor to the agency’s positive and productive company culture.

The ideal candidate for this role will have / be:

  • Exceptional written and verbal skills – a diplomat and a negotiator;
  • A demonstrated creative and strategic thinker;
  • Adept at working across multiple tasks at once, maintaining oversight of overall workload while progressing individual work streams;
  • Able to balance use of data and insights with following your instincts;
  • Attention to detail, with first-rate copywriting and editing skills;
  • A team player – collaborative and non-hierarchical;
  • Demonstrated leadership skills and ability to manage cross-functional, multi-partner teams and mentor colleagues;
  • Knowledgeable about current affairs, and able to provide well-reasoned insights and opinions;
  • The ability to handle difficult and sensitive conversations;
  • Keen to make your mark and use your initiative to help build a team and a brand;
  • A broad and relevant network, with enthusiasm to expand that network;
  • A flexible approach to work, with the ability to attend evening and weekend events.

In addition to the above, we are interested in hearing from people with some of the following specialisations:

  • Experience working in markets outside the UK and Europe;
  • Significant digital expertise/ experience.

What we offer:

  • Salary based on experience (please indicate expectations in your application);
  • 25 days holiday plus bank holidays (we also offer a bonus day on your birthday and we close the office over the Christmas period);
  • Pension;
  • Modern office within a friendly coworking building;
  • Flexible working hours on agreement;
  • Participation in our discretionary bonus scheme;
  • A learning and development culture with a personal development budget.

Closing date

Applications for this post closed 11:59pm on Thursday 30th December 2021