Account Director - Planning & Infrastructure

Our people are in equal parts exceptional professionals and wonderful human beings.

We’ve created a culture that champions personal growth and development, empowering everyone to be creative, innovate enjoy their work.

We’re serious about our work but never about ourselves, so if you’re looking for your next move and are passionate about the built environment you’ve come to the right place.

About Grayling P&I

Grayling Planning & Infrastructure deliver communications and engagement services that protect and enhance our client’s reputations across:

• The UK’s energy transition: policy analysis and supporting energy generation and transmission projects
• Major economic development: freeports, town centre regeneration and garden villages
• Infrastructure delivery: managing ongoing construction communications
• Our multi-award-winning consultants, based across Grayling's nine UK offices, manage communications and engagement for major TCPA and NSIP projects from consultation to consent.

The day to day

As an Account Director, you'll play a central role in helping teams deliver outstanding work while building trusted relationships with clients, stakeholders, and partners. This is a hands-on, client-facing position from day one. Key responsibilities include:

• Leading the planning, development and delivery of community and stakeholder engagement programmes
• Acting as a senior point of contact for clients, offering strategic counsel and clear guidance
• Managing the day-to-day workflow across accounts to ensure exceptional delivery
• Overseeing stakeholder mapping, issues monitoring and strategic insight to guide programme decisions
• Developing clear, compelling communications materials - from consultation content to briefings and project updates
• Supporting major planning applications (TCPA and, ideally, DCO) through targeted consultation and engagement activity
• Identifying opportunities to grow existing accounts
• Playing a proactive role in new business - from identifying leads and shaping proposals to participating in pitch meetings
• Providing thoughtful leadership and coaching to junior teammates, ensuring they have the support and direction they need
• Fostering collaboration across PR, PA, digital and creative teams to deliver joined-up campaigns

What Will Give You the Edge

• Demonstrable experience delivering community and stakeholder engagement projects in-house or agency-side
• A strong track record with clients in energy, infrastructure or regeneration
• Experience of TCPA applications and, ideally, DCO application processes
• A strategic, analytical mindset with the drive to take programmes from concept to completion
• Confident networker and relationship-builder, comfortable maintaining contact with key decision-makers
• Ability to digest, analyse and organise complex information, and stay across political and social developments
• Understanding of both traditional PR and public affairs
• Experience delivering integrated, multi-channel campaigns
• A supportive, inspiring leadership style
• High self-awareness and an adaptable approach to different clients and team members
• Calm, authoritative presence in challenging or crisis situations

Our promises to you

• Flexible working arrangements, including hybrid working, a work from anywhere policy, flexi time and 4pm Friday finishes
• 25 days’ holiday, increasing by one day every year up to 30 days
• Additional day of leave on your birthday & gifted time off over Christmas
• A monthly cash allowance to use on the benefits most important to you - you'll have the freedom to choose how you enjoy it!
• Enhanced family-friendly policies
• Free subscription to Calm app
• Free breakfasts & fruit
• An abundance of personal development opportunities, through our internal training programmes
• New business and employee referral bonuses
• Interest-free season ticket loan & Railcard reimbursement
• Cycle to work scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme offering a 24/7 confidential advice line
• Life assurance

Working Pattern: Full time, hybrid working (3 days in office, 2 days flex).