Vice President Public Affairs

Who Is Weber Shandwick

Weber Shandwick is a leading global communications network that delivers next-generation solutions to brands, businesses, and organizations in major markets around the world. As part of the wider Omnicom Group, we combine global reach with a strong local footprint - serving clients both locally and internationally. Guided by world-class strategic and creative thinkers, we have earned some of the most prestigious awards in the industry.

Vice President, Public Affairs

Brussels

Who Is Weber Shandwick

Weber Shandwick is a leading global communications network that delivers next-generation solutions to brands, businesses, and organizations in major markets around the world. As part of the wider Omnicom Group, we combine global reach with a strong local footprint - serving clients both locally and internationally. Guided by world-class strategic and creative thinkers, we have earned some of the most prestigious awards in the industry.

At Weber Shandwick, we believe in contributing value to earn value - whether that’s earned media, attention, reputation, loyalty, or business. Our culture is dynamic, inclusive, and open-minded. Here, you can be yourself, take ownership of your impact, and collaborate with a diverse team of media experts, strategists, creatives, digital specialists, and policy advisors. We invest in your growth and foster a supportive environment where creativity and innovation thrive.

What's Happening

Our EU Public Affairs Practice is growing, and we’re looking for a VP to join our Public Affairs team in the Brussels office. This is a great opportunity to have an impact on high-profile clients across a diverse range of sectors, including digital, energy, transport, sustainability, trade, and financial services and grow your career at a global, award-winning agency.

The successful candidate will demonstrate the following key attributes:

CLIENT AND WORK

• Own responsibilities for leadership of multiple client programs, budgets and integrated teams
• Serve as primary or day-to-day client contact on corporate reputation, public affairs and corporate communications accounts
• Serve as trusted advisor, counsellor and business partner to key client contacts and internal team members
• Facilitate dynamic team integration across the VBCs to create development of strategic plans, translating strategies into tactics, and ensuring team deliverables align with strategies; Successfully partner with IATs (Interagency Client Teams)
• Cast diverse, integrated teams with an emphasis on expanding engagements into new areas
• Successfully grow existing client budgets and pursues opportunities to engage other offices or Geos, specialty expertise, and IPG agencies to provide fully integrated marketing programs/experience for clients

LEADERSHIP AND TALENT DEVELOPMENT

• Spearhead agency projects focused on team culture, staff education and skill building
• Actively seek out own learning and advances skills (leadership and professional expertise) to better develop and coach others and build own cultural competency and ability to lead diverse teams
• Mentor and empower teams (across all departments) to do their best work, impress clients and grow remits
• Model agency values by actively sponsoring/mentoring emerging diverse leaders and diverse staff across all levels
• Manage team/direct reports and coach diverse set of employees within and outside of team to develop and advance our next generation of leaders
• Set tone for inclusive hiring on team, partnering with Talent Acquisition to establish and support inclusive hiring practices
• Is responsible for billability of self and teams

GROWTH AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

• Identify opportunities for agency growth and innovation and lead key new business pitches and organic client growth efforts
• Execute at least one idea per year that is turned into an agency case study and entered in industry awards
• Demonstrate understanding and competency in facilitating client needs across agency offerings (digital, strategic planning, analytics, etc.); can articulate and activate against our full toolkit of expertise
• Advance industry/sector leadership and drives agency reputation through industry thought leadership and relationships

BUSINESS ACUMEN

• Successfully manage capacity, utilization, resource management data, financial planning and proactively avoid revenue deficits and or overservice, collaborating with project management and finance on scope updates, implications
• Maintain proactive communication with Finance partners and provide as much notice as possible regarding changes in client budgets and/or staffing issues/changes; Enact solutions to make up any deficits in order to m