Spitfire Strategies — Vice President

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Spitfire Strategies, an innovative communications firm dedicated to helping clients create positive social change, seeks a Vice President to join its team.  Spitfire Strategies is looking for a savvy communicator with exemplary writing skills, proven client service skills and demonstrated ability to create high-impact outreach strategies that involve multiple forms of media. The right person for the job is a highly motivated, self-starter who takes direction well but can also work independently, thrives on variety and can shift directions seamlessly.

The Vice President’s primary responsibilities are managing client accounts and assisting in growth and development of staff as well as the overall firm. This involves securing new business, overseeing a portfolio of accounts that meet or exceed capacity projections, and participating in the internal management of the company. The Vice President will guide staff development through identifying skills needs, delegating tasks appropriately and motivating the team to provide outstanding client service. Vice Presidents are expected to specialize in a specific business silo (i.e. training, policy, positioning), but should be proficient in all aspects of the business and be able to lead assigned accounts as needed regardless of client’s needs.

A Vice President is expected to work with his or her assigned Team Lead to ensure all accounts assigned to the team are on track and all staff are well managed and have high job satisfaction. This may include providing back up for the team lead on account or staff meetings as needed. This may also include serving as functional manager for some mid- and junior-staff members as assigned by the team lead.

A Vice President is a member of the Spitfire senior staff and as such is also expected to participate in senior staff meetings, actively identify and pursue new business opportunities, contribute ideas into the overall management and well-being of the firm, serve as a mentor to junior staff and consistently identify and implement new ways to improve the quality of Spitfire’s work and job satisfaction for staff. 

As with all members of the Spitfire team, Vice Presidents are expected to follow the policies described in the Spitfire handbook, attend all internal meetings, and conduct themselves in a professional manner at all times while working to instill a positive work environment at the firm.

A successful Vice President demonstrates proficiency in completing the following activities.

Internal Relationships

• Develop junior staff to the next level by ensuring assigned staff fully understand projects, providing effective feedback to staff (positive and critical), identifying and promoting growth opportunities for all junior staff and serving as a mentor to at least one member of junior staff
• Implement firm policies around recruiting, staffing, training and account management that result in top-notch client service as well as a positive work environment that fosters a pattern of long-term staff retention
• Promote a positive environment for staff and identify and work with firm management to address any issues that are creating barriers to an optimal work environment for all staff
• Provide feedback, advice and back up as needed to other members of senior staff team, including those in the Washington, D.C. office as well as those in satellite offices, to ensure all senior staff has support needed to effectively run accounts and promote positive work environment
• Attend and actively participate in senior staff meetings, offering ideas, insights and recommendations firm policies, staffing, client service, new business and other topics that ultimately consider to overall quality of the firm
• Support the team lead in assuring all accounts assigned to that team are in order and  demonstrate enough knowledge of each account assigned to the team to be able to sub in for other project leads at a client meeting and answer questions when posed by firm management or colleagues if needed
• Manage workflow for yourself and all staff to which you are the assigned functional manager
• Consistently demonstrate ability to successfully move into problem-solving mode whenever challenges or concerns arise
• Work well with and demonstrate respect for colleagues at all levels and consistently contribute to a positive work environment for the entire staff
• Take responsibility for one internal area of management (i.e., new hire orientation, tech support, new business, office moral, etc.)
• Take the lead on implementing at least one internal program/procedure per quarter that improves office moral and/or contributes to staff retention
• External Relationships

• Identify new business opportunities, participate in new business pitches and assist in drafting new business proposals, aiming to average at least a 85% success rate when it comes to pitching new business

• Expand existing accounts at least 60% of the time
• Develop and conduct trainings, including regular Spitfire trainings such as the Smart Chart as well as niche areas of expertise, such as collaterals or policy maker relations; consistently receive high scores on training evaluation forms
• Successfully run multiple accounts at any given time, including managing workplans, client expectations, and internal staffing and ensuring project is consistent with time and scope in the contract
• Show impeccable client service as demonstrated by at least one positive, unsolicited remark from a client per month as well as positive reviews from clients when firm management makes periodic check-in calls
• Assist in hiring new staff that ultimately prove to be excellent, long-term hires

• Develop relationships with a minimum of eight vendors or contractors that represent a variety of fields (media, policy, design, Web, etc.) and can be used on projects as needed
• Develop relationships with at least three other firms that are like-minded and suitable for/open to partnering with Spitfire on projects when appropriate

Communication and Process

• Assume all responsibilities for effectively leading multiple accounts, including ensuring all administrative pieces are in place (workplan, contract, budget, projections, etc.), assigned clients report high satisfaction, and project staff reporting into you on assigned accounts clearly understand accounts and assignments
• Write strategic communication plans that demonstrate Spitfire’s creative approach, offer unique strategies tailored to the needs of the client and provide enough detail that they can be implemented by client in the event Spitfire is not contracted for implementation

• Lead proposal process for new business opportunities by adhering to Spitfire’s policies for new business approach and development
• Take a lead role in creating a new piece of Spitfire intellectual property or new Spitfire training at least once per year
• Demonstrate outstanding writing skills
• Consistently meet internal and external deadlines

Financial and Administrative

·         Submit expense reimbursement forms as appropriate

·         Manage project budgets for all accounts assigned to team and ensure all budgets meet or come in below budget

·         Find ways to save company money by improving/streamlining internal systems or procedures

Qualifications

Must have a bachelor’s degree and minimum of 10 years public relations, public affairs agency, Hill or related experience.   Must demonstrate superior writing and editing skills and possess knowledge of state and federal political process.  Demonstrated outstanding public speaking skills are preferred.

To apply:  Send a cover letter and resume to: settleson@verizon.net, subject line Spitfire VP.