Account Director, Health Policy, Public and Government Affairs

Edelman is a voice synonymous with trust, reimagining a future where the currency of communication is action. Our culture thrives on three promises: boldness is possibility, empathy is progress, and curiosity is momentum.

At Edelman, we understand diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) transform our colleagues, our company, our clients, and our communities. We are in relentless pursuit of an equitable and inspiring workplace that is respectful of all, reflects and represents the world in which we live, and fosters trust, collaboration and belonging.

Edelman’s Public and Government Affairs team of consultants are trusted and experienced public affairs advisors—including former government officials, political advisors, policy and regulatory experts, lawyers, economists, and industry professionals.

Their experience within national, regional, and global government and regulatory systems allows us to help our clients understand and engage with them effectively. We help our clients engage with government, politics, policy, and regulation to help them earn trust and achieve success. Across North and South America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and Asia Pacific, our teams are rooted firmly in local markets and local public affairs, and work together across regions and internationally to provide regional and global perspectives.

Our best-in-class consultants ensure our services are business-driven and add value for clients through their insight and impact. We work seamlessly with Edelman’s 6,000+ other world-class communications professionals to integrate Edelman’s unparalleled suite of services—public and media relations, brand, marketing, digital advocacy, data analytics, and more—to add further value in building client confidence and stakeholder trust.

Joining our team will provide team members with the opportunity to be involved in the building of this growing firm—from creating a new culture, to redefining public affairs services, to exploring new services, such as data analytics and political risk analysis—across the regions where we operate: APAC, MENA, Europe, North America, Latin America, and India. We view ourselves as a start-up built on top of one of the world’s most recognisable brands.

About the job

Do you want to be part of a team developing sophisticated public affairs strategies for leading pharmaceutical companies in the field of health policy and life sciences?

Do you have strong, proven experience in health policy, and are you looking for an opportunity to develop your consultancy expertise in UK, European and global health policy in a thriving, fast-paced agency setting?

Are you a go-getter with proven experience of leading on new business development, pitching and identifying opportunities for organic growth?

Are you interested in taking a leading role in helping to develop a UK health policy offering?

If so, read on to see if you’d be a good fit for our team!

Health is the largest sector across Edelman worldwide and our team helps the worlds largest pharmaceutical companies and healthcare brands to show government, policymakers, parliamentarians, patients, regulators and medical professionals how their complex products deliver the thing we value most: life.

We partner with clients to deliver global, regional and UK integrated campaigns for disease awareness, policy change, advocacy building, patient and employee engagement, and much more.

An Account Director is responsible for securing, maintaining and growing business in their team. They will provide strategic counsel and guidance to clients on achieving policy and business objectives. They will be a self-starter with a strong business network, have extensive experience of leading and managing teams, and overseeing the development and delivery of high-quality UK, European and global health policy programmes, engagement and counsel. As a member of the Edelman broader network they will also have the opportunity to work as part of the EMEA Health team, collaborating with colleagues in different markets.

Job responsibilities:

• Taking a leading role in working to develop a UK health policy offering, as well as working closely with P+GA and Edelman colleagues in the health sector to leverage opportunities with existing global clients.
• Identifying and leading on both organic growth and new business development.
• A focus on regional and global health policy, engagement, and advisory programmes for clients.
• Providing strategic counsel to clients on relevant health policy challenges and opportunities and coordinating teams to deliver public affairs strategies.
• Development of research and analysis on various health policy issues, including briefings, reports, updates and other forms of client counsel.
• Exhibiting excellent communication, written and project management skills.
• A details focused individual with an eye for detail, a passion for healthcare, and proven experience and understanding of regional and global healthcare policy.

Qualifications and requirements:

• Working experience in the private sector, a consultancy, not-for-profit organisation, a government institution (or a combination of any of the above).
• Proactive approach, willingness to take the initiative and ownership of an assignment, and ability to network.
• Consistent ability to develop, manage, and implement client strategies.
• Ability to manage up by ensuring client strategy leads have necessary and current information; manage down by imparting knowledge to more junior team members; and manage across by ensuring that relevant expertise across the EGA and Edelman network are brought together to ensure unique insights and strategies are delivered and implemented for our clients.
• Strong skills in organisation, research, writing, editing, and client interaction, while thriving under pressure and fostering teamwork.
• Proven ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and serve as an internal hub for clients work and a working level point of contact for clients.
• Digital literacy through the use of social and digital tools, channels, and platforms that drive public affairs activities with clients.
• An interest in advancing the business organically and through new business initiatives.
• Capability to work effectively in a varied environment and within small dynamic teams.
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), additional IT skills are a plus.
• Curiosity in how health systems and policymaking processes work.

We are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your experience doesn’t perfectly align with every qualification, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

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