Senior Account Executive

ERM•Walnut Creek, CA

5h•Hybrid

About The Position

ERM is the world’s largest pure play sustainability consultancy, helping shape a sustainable future with the world’s leading organizations. With more than 8,000 consultants working in 140 countries, our clients receive best-in-class strategy and delivery support, enabled through subject matter expertise and a breadth of capability. ERM Marketing Communications Agency (ERM MCA) is an embedded solution, providing strategic communication capabilities – buoyed by the technical depth of ERM specialists – to clients around the globe. We are constantly innovating to find new ways to help our clients achieve their goals, and the expansion of our Strategic Communications offering to include Reputation Management is an exciting development. It reflects a growing need to both mitigate risk and build value, especially as AI increasingly shapes public perception. We are seeking a Senior Account Executive, Reputation Management, with experience in agency-side corporate sustainability PR and media, as well as experience in risk and crisis communications, to help grow this critical area of our business. The Senior Account Executive will have experience working in a fast-paced agency environment, developing and delivering integrated communications strategies that help clients prepare for, respond to, and recover from reputational challenges. The ideal candidate will be an expert client manager with at least 4 years’ experience in a corporate PR agency environment, who thrives under pressure and is able to stay agile in a fast-paced environment. The successful candidate will have a strong track record in – and passion for - media relations, with a good understanding of how journalists operate, what makes a story resonate, and how to shape messaging and narratives that protect and enhance reputation. The Senior Account Executive, Reputation Management, will also support the emerging practice through trend tracking and business development.

Requirements

Proven experience in delivering integrated, multi-channel sustainability PR programs for clients across sectors and geographies.
Hands-on experience with earned media, including demonstrable relationships with journalists.
Ability to develop and execute proactive media strategies, including story mining, positioning, and tailored pitching approaches for top-tier and trade media.
Demonstrate sound strategic judgment and the ability to connect media activity to broader business, reputation, and stakeholder objectives.
Strong understanding of media monitoring tools (e.g., Signal AI, Meltwater) and how to use insights to inform strategy.
Excellent writing and verbal communication skills, with the ability to craft clear, concise, and compelling content.
Experience working in a fast-paced sustainability communications agency environment, ideally with a focus on B2B clients across sectors such as finance, manufacturing, energy, infrastructure, or technology.
A collaborative, proactive mindset with the ability to work independently and as part of a cross-functional team; willingness to work across time zones; sense of humor appreciated.
Ability to present ideas and recommendations effectively, in an engaging, confidence-building manner – both in prepared presentations and extemporaneously in client meetings.
Minimum 4 years’ experience in corporate communications, preferably in an agency setting.
Requires a 4-year degree (e.g., Bachelor of Arts) or equivalent degree within appropriate discipline such as Business, Marketing, or Communications.

Nice To Haves

Experience in agency-side corporate sustainability PR and media
Experience in risk and crisis communications

Responsibilities

Act as a core member of the Reputation Management team, which is part of the larger ERM MCA Account team.
Develop and deliver earned media strategies aligned with client objectives; create media lists, track coverage; leverage tools and AI platforms; build and maintain trusted relationships with journalists and influencers.
Engage in broader reputation management strategies including monitoring emerging reputation risks and stakeholder sentiment, supporting rapid response and issues management planning, and tracking evolving media, policy, and AI-driven reputation trends
Ability to identify and act on timely news moments, translating complex sustainability topics into relevant, media-ready commentary.
Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple accounts, deadlines, and competing priorities with attention to detail.
Experience analyzing earned media performance and communicating insights and recommendations to clients.
Anticipate client needs, identify opportunities, and proactively recommend solutions.
Assist development of messaging, media strategy, and crisis communications, risk narratives, Q&A documents, and stakeholder communications including preparing responses to industry issues on behalf of clients.
Present ideas and recommendations effectively, in an engaging, confidence-building manner, both in prepared presentations and extemporaneously in client meetings.
Be a collaborative and productive team member who is willing to go above and beyond to ensure results for clients and ERM.
Contribute to new business opportunities, including research and proposal drafts.
Identify opportunities for organic growth within existing accounts.
Support agency leadership in expanding service offerings and market presence.
Maintain strong relationships with key media, influencers, and industry stakeholders.
Provide input on media strategy, storytelling, and thought leadership; demonstrate an understanding of clients’ market and business sectors and their specific challenges and opportunities.
Stay ahead of industry trends and integrate them into client strategies.
Ensure projects are delivered on time, within scope, and aligned with agency standards.
Contribute to new business and organic growth, making a demonstrable contribution to business conversion, including personally identifying new client revenue opportunities.
Achieve 70% billability in line with the agency team’s growth trajectory.
Demonstrate measurable impact on client reputation outcomes e.g., share of voice, sentiment, narrative penetration, or issue containment.
Demonstrate client satisfaction, retention and growth, with a target of 10% YoY growth on retained accounts.
Attend at least one networking event per quarter.