Digital PR Lead
The first Digital PR role accountable for other people's campaign output, while still substantially hands-on. You are accountable for a portfolio of client accounts managed by your team, and set the direction of the people working on them. It is the first role where you are responsible for the output of others, so you must communicate process and output expectations clearly. You keep your own expertise in digital PR sharp while building it in the Executives you direct.
How this role differs
You move from being trusted on complex work yourself to being accountable for the output of Executives, while staying substantially hands-on.
The Lead delivers the campaign through Executives and answers for their sell-in. The Digital PR Strategist owns whether the idea is the right one and carries the difficult sells personally, with no reporting line.
Roles and responsibilities
- Own the campaign concept on your accounts and brief it with the angle, data and targets explicit.
- Direct Executives through outreach, and review copy and targeting before anything is sent.
- Sequence campaigns and reactives across the people available, and flag when it will not fit.
- Step in on the sells the team is not landing, and show them why it changed.
- Hold the coverage and link quality standard for everything your accounts produce.
- Hold weekly one-to-ones with one or two Executives, setting clear objectives and giving feedback close to the work rather than saving it for a review.
- Write campaign briefs the team can act on without a follow-up conversation, with clear acceptance criteria and deadlines.
- Oversee day-to-day client communication (status updates, weekly calls, reporting and reactive queries), with Executives running it and you stepping in on anything sensitive.
- Be accountable for a portfolio of a minimum of 3 client accounts (or £10k MRR) managed by your team, including scope and hours, and flag commercial risk early.
- Make sure the team members on your accounts follow the client quality SOPs for reporting, communication and daily work.
- Track campaign performance against agreed KPIs and raise risks with the account senior before they become client problems.
- Onboard new Executives onto accounts and into the agency process, and be their first point of escalation.
- Sit on interview panels for Executive hires and review candidate task submissions.
Entry requirements
Gateway skills needed at 8+ in the previous role to step into this one.
How this role is weighted
Immediate growth path
Operates across multiple accounts. Consistent, not occasional, performance at level 4 behaviours.
First step beyond own output. The Strategist owns the thinking. Same level, no drop in title or reward.