The ideal candidate has strong experience in communications and public relations within an agency environment, including leading culturally relevant campaigns and client accounts for government and not-for-profit organisations.
Why Join Us
* Hybrid work: 3 days in our Richmond HQ, 2 days from home
* Modern office in Richmond (near East Richmond Station)
* Purpose-driven work that shapes how Australia connects with every culture
About Ethnolink
Ethnolink is Australia's largest multicultural communications and engagement agency. We work with government and not-for-profit clients to design inclusive, culturally relevant campaigns and projects that reach and resonate with diverse communities across Australia. Our services span research and insights, communications strategy, creative development, community engagement, media, and translation—delivering end-to-end solutions that build trust and drive action. As our organisation continues to grow, we're looking for a communications and public relations (PR) leader to join our team and help drive the next phase of our impact.
Position Overview
The Account Director, Communications & Public Relations is responsible and accountable for leading the strategic design and successful delivery of Ethnolink's communications and public relations projects for government and not-for-profit clients. This is a senior, client-facing role that combines account leadership, strategic thinking, solution design, and delivery oversight.
You will serve as the primary point of contact for a portfolio of clients, building trusted relationships, understanding client needs, and developing effective communications and PR solutions that deliver strong outcomes. You will scope projects, prepare strategic recommendations, and contribute communications and PR expertise to proposals and tender submissions, while working closely with the growth team, who lead new business development.
You will oversee the end-to-end delivery of campaigns and projects, coordinating internal teams as well as external freelancers, production specialists, and media partners. This includes guiding strategy, managing delivery, maintaining quality standards, and ensuring campaigns are executed effectively to reach and engage diverse communities.
Internally, you will work closely with leadership, growth, and delivery teams to strengthen Ethnolink's communications and PR offering, build capability across the business, and share specialist knowledge. This is a high-impact opportunity for a commercially minded communications leader who is passionate about helping organisations connect more effectively with multicultural Australia.
Responsibilities
* Lead the design and delivery of tailored communications, PR, creative, media and engagement solutions for client campaigns and initiatives, including co-creation approaches with multicultural communities, to maximise reach and impact across diverse audiences.
* Build strong, trusted relationships with government and not-for-profit clients, acting as a senior strategic advisor.
* Provide strategic input into proposals and tender responses, ensuring solutions are commercially viable and aligned with client goals.
* Support the growth team by identifying opportunities to expand existing client relationships, particularly where clients currently engage Ethnolink only for translation services, and by proactively introducing PR and communications solutions.
* Spearhead the development of new service offerings that respond to emerging client needs and market opportunities, with a focus on strengthening Ethnolink's PR capability.
Strategy, Delivery & Oversight
* Act as the subject matter expert across all communications and public relations projects, with a strong focus on culturally appropriate and inclusive approaches.
* Develop communications strategies and media plans tailored to multicultural audiences—including paid and earned media, digital-first campaigns, above-the-line (ATL) and below-the-line (BTL) activities.
* Lead and oversee project delivery across all phases from kick‐off to delivery—ensuring timelines, budgets, and quality standards are met.
* Review and quality‐assure all creative outputs, including messaging frameworks, visual assets, copywriting, and campaign evaluations, ensuring alignment with strategic objectives and audience needs.
* Provide copywriting support for both client projects and internal marketing initiatives.
* Analyse campaign performance and strategic outputs to develop evaluation reports, generate insights, and inform continuous improvement of future campaigns and processes.
Communications, PR & Stakeholder Engagement
* Oversee the dissemination of campaign resources and track their reach, relevance and impact.
* Lead and oversee stakeholder engagement activities, including workshops, presentations, collaborations and consultation processes.
* Develop and execute PR and media engagement strategies that support client campaigns and align with broader communications and engagement plans.
* Develop media materials, including media releases, pitches, case studies and spokesperson briefs, tailored to diverse audiences and channels.
* Build and manage strong relationships with multicultural and mainstream media to maximise coverage and campaign impact.
* Coordinate media outreach, interview opportunities, spokesperson preparation and campaign launches, ensuring alignment with key messages and timelines.
* Monitor media coverage and evaluate PR performance, providing insights and recommendations for future activity, including reporting on reach, sentiment and impact.
* Provide direct management and leadership to the internal account services, communications, design and marketing, and community engagement teams.
* Support internal capability-building by sharing expertise in communications strategy, public relations,, and campaign planning.
* Lead recruitment and onboarding of freelance and partner personnel required for campaign delivery—this may include graphic designers, web designers, media buyers, video producers, community engagement facilitators, and event activation teams.
* Manage relationships with external creative, media, and production agencies.
Skills & Qualifications
Required
* Minimum 7 years' experience in communications, public relations, campaign management, or creative strategy.
* Minimum 4 years' agency-side experience, including significant work with government and not-for-profit clients.
* Demonstrated ability to lead client accounts, develop communications strategies and solutions, and manage complex, multi-channel projects.
* Demonstrated experience in public relations, preferably with government and public sector clients.
* Demonstrated experience in managing internal teams, including junior account services staff and cross‐functional colleagues.
* Strong understanding of media planning, including paid and earned strategies across digital, traditional, and community channels.
* Excellent written communication and copywriting skills.
* Commercial acumen and the ability to manage budgets and delivery schedules with confidence.
* Passion for multicultural communities and improving the lives of migrants through inclusive communications and engagement strategies and approaches.
* A tertiary qualification in communications, marketing, media, or a related field.
* Experience in multicultural communications or working with diverse communities is highly valued.
* The ability to speak a language other than English.
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