Senior Associate Director or Director, Health Policy/Communications

APCO's London office is hiring a Senior Associate Director/Director to join our fast-growing healthcare team. We are looking for an ambitious, enthusiastic, and talented professional to join our team based on The Strand just a few minutes' walk from Parliament.

We work with high-profile companies and organisations spanning emerging biotech to established pharmaceutical companies and public health organizations, whilst the wider agency works with clients spanning energy, transport, tech, sustainability AI and professional services. Candidates with an interest in these sectors would be welcomed. You will have strong expertise navigating UK health policy issues on behalf of clients in an agency setting and a deep understanding of public and government affairs.

The ideal candidate would need to have a minimum of nine years of relevant experience in consultancy/agency, whilst we are also very open to candidates who have worked both in-house and agency, however, this is not a pre-requisite for the role. This is a fantastic opportunity to be a key figurehead for our healthcare offering – driving new business, offering high-value strategic advice to clients and leading a world class team.

You will be self-directed, proactive and motivated to win for your clients every day, with a real appetite for new business generation. You will have experience leading teams and managing work streams while also serving as senior counsel on major projects. You will have a desire to learn and grow – both across industries/sectors and communication mediums, such as traditional media, social/digital media, issues advocacy, grassroots, and stakeholder communications. You know how to work with clients and have a positive, proactive attitude that wins the confidence of clients and inspires teams.

2025 promises to be a hugely exciting year in the ever-changing global healthcare space. By joining our team, you will be working with colleagues across APCO's international network of 32 offices who are open, collaborative, collegiate, supportive and diverse.

Responsibilities:

• Identify and lead new business opportunities for APCO, with an emphasis on growing a domestic pipeline of health business.
• Lead a wide range of healthcare, strategic communication and issue campaigns for our clients.
• Manage and grow client relationships including overseeing client projects, supervising project teams, allocating resources, and delegating and reviewing work effectively.
• Provide the highest level of client service on a daily basis through proactive account management, serving as the key client contact while also managing staff (both senior and junior) to successfully maintain and grow client relationships.
• Design and implement integrated campaigns to position client issues, messages and priorities with key audiences that may include politicians (national, regional and local), civil servants, media, trade associations, consumers and other key stakeholders for our clients.
• Lead strategy development and craft effective messages for both prospective clients (as a key part of the new business process) and for existing clients.
• Monitor developments in key client issue areas and flag opportunities for further client engagement.

Qualifications:

• At least 9 years of UK healthcare, public affairs and strategic communications campaign experience including leading successful teams.
• Exceptional presentation, writing and analytical skills, and the ability to write both strategically and creatively under tight deadlines.
• Solid project management experience, including overseeing a team and multiple deliverables, providing clear and concise feedback to maintain high standards.
• Demonstrated success formulating and leading strategic engagements with external stakeholders.
• Proven track record in developing and leading new business generation initiatives and driving successful organic growth. 
• Have strong enthusiasm and connections in  the UK health space; deep understanding of the NICE process and experience of helping clients navigate the UK reimbursement landscape both for pharma companies and med tech clients.
• Indepth understanding of the ABPI code and advising clients on how to navigate this successfully.
• Have strong enthusiasm for UK politics and a deep understanding of Westminster & Whitehall, how connections are built, and policy forged.

We are recognised as one of the best agencies to work for in our industry, providing:

• The opportunity to work on a diverse range of clients and projects with some of the industry's best and brightest.
• A collegial and collaborative working environment, where you will work closely with colleagues from around the world.
• Significant opportunities to develop professionally, with extensive training and personal development programmes.
• A competitive compensation and benefits package, including private medical insurance and mental health support.
• An enhanced Parental leave policy for all our employees from day one
• A paid opportunity each year to contribute to your community as part of our APCO Gives Back scheme.
• Annual health, wellbeing, and fitness allowance.
• Industry-leading global exchange program.

About APCO In London

APCO London has over 140 staff working with more than 100 clients and sits at the centre of the agency's global operations. Thanks to a diverse and multilingual team, APCO London leads on many of the agency's most dynamic global assignments.

With a growing client base in the most pressing issues facing the world today such as the transition to Net Zero and access to healthcare, APCO has been a fixture of the UK communications market since 1996 and continues to be at the forefront of the seismic changes facing economies and societies today.

We are a truly integrated agency, with deep expertise and experience across the full range of communication offerings including corporate communications, public affairs, digital strategy and paid media, as well as capital markets thanks to our recent acquisition of Camarco.

Careers at APCO

Through our recruitment, hiring and retention efforts, APCO is committed to building teams to bring the best possible expertise and robust perspectives to our clients. We embrace differences in experience, viewpoint and ideas, starting with our values and extending to our behaviors, policies and practices. We aim to create a positive work experience and welcoming environment where everyone feels they belong and can thrive.