• A unique career-defining opportunity to join and lead one of Melbourne’s most established, innovative and award-winning AU/NZ agencies
• Drive integrated earned-first communications including social and content
• Innovate and define our PR Agency of the Future strategy across corporate and consumer comms
• Collaborate on the Trans-tasman Leadership Team working with the most talked about local and global brands
• Join a culture that embraces growth and diversity and with ambition that is Limited by Nothing

LOCATION: Melbourne

We are uniquely Thrive helping our people, brands and community to do just that.  We use the power of communications to help our people, partners and community to grow and be successful.

Born and bred in Melbourne, and with offices across AU & NZ, Thrive is a public relations industry powerhouse and for the first time in the company’s 23-year history, we are recruiting externally for a Business Director to lead our Melbourne team.

This is not your everyday opportunity. This is a chance to work directly with Thrive’s Executive and learn why we are Mumbrella PR Agency of the Year and B&T PR Agency of the Year 2022 and how we came to be awarded the Dan Wieden Titanium Grand Prix at the 2023 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, which celebrates game-changing creativity, for our work with The Monkeys for Tuvalu, ‘The First Digital Nation’.

This role is a career-defining opportunity to lead our Melbourne location as 2IC to the Executive Director, Melbourne. You will be supported by 25+ consultants as you lead client and team growth and retention while driving new business with the support of national specialist squads.  You will partner with our local and global corporate and consumer clients to devise their communications strategies while leaning into national resources to deliver creative and digital integration impacting our clients’ business goals.

The Role

We are seeking a highly skilled and motivated integrated comms Business Director who is well connected in Victoria with business connections and with the media and who can create new opportunities that take our agency to new heights. The ideal candidate will have a proven track record of success in the PR industry, across both corporate and consumer PR and have solid social media and creative content experience. The person must demonstrate strategic thinking, business acumen and have strong leadership skills with proven capability to grow a client portfolio.

This role will help drive operational process excellence, ensuring key stages of projects are executed efficiently and within budget, with a strong commercial mindset, managing financial forecasting, profitability and team resourcing.

• Work across a diverse and high-profile  corporate and consumer client portfolio
• Develop and implement strategic plans to drive business growth and achieve financial
• Manage and develop client relationships to deliver client growth
• Identify new market opportunities and trends to stay ahead in the local PR landscape
• Play an active role in lead generation and business development efforts and the conversion of clients
• Devise and oversee the implementation of first-class strategies with their senior reports for clients
• Provide effective leadership to a talented team of PR and social professionals, fostering a collaborative and innovative work environment.
• Mentor and develop team members, encouraging continuous learning and professional growth
• Oversight of the Melbourne office administration function.

About You

• Australian visa holder - will consider visa sponsorship for a stellar candidate
• Tertiary qualified 12+ years of agency experience in the PR industry
• Proven experience in a senior leadership role within a PR agency delivering integrated earned-first campaigns for global brands
• Strong business acumen and strategic thinking
• Excellent communication, collaboration and interpersonal skills
• Demonstrated success in client relationship management and business development
• Ability to inspire and lead a team to achieve exceptional results
• Delivery of best practice multichannel storytelling with exceptional writing skills
• Experience in B2B and B2C storytelling
• Experience delivering in a fast-paced environment and displaying logical thinking, forward planning, and the ability to manage up and down
• An established network of relationships with media, influencers, suppliers and key stakeholders
• Excellent presentation skills
• Team time management and budget experience
• Technology skills (MAC & Google Drive savvy)
• Media measurement/evaluation skills

This is Thrive.

Culture is everything. It's a reason why we have a 100% return rate by working parents, have had consistent leadership for more than two decades, and continue to welcome Thrive 'boomerangs' back to the agency. . Our team is made up of in-house media, creative and digital specialists who work across five locations in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Gold Coast and Auckland delivering strategic communications services for brands.

 Thrive values work-life integration including hybrid flexible working (currently Mondays and Fridays work-from-home) and delivers many benefits from wellbeing days and initiatives through to early knock-off Fridays. Thrive fosters & supports a work environment that is inclusive as well as diverse, where people can, and are encouraged to, be themselves. Every idea and perspective is welcomed and valued so that our service offering reflects our approach to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion both internally and externally.

Ready to make waves with us locally and globally?

Visit us here for more information - www.thrivepr.com.au.

If you value accountability, curiosity, integrity, collaboration and are passionate about what you do then our values are aligned. Please apply via LinkedIn or email a cover letter and resume to: [email protected].

All contact with Thrive will be treated confidentially. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.