Group Account Director

About UsThrive is proudly independent and values-driven, with a trans-Tasman footprint across Australia and New Zealand. We exist to help brands grow through relevance, reputation and relationships, creating work that earns attention and builds long-term cultural and commercial value.

Role OverviewThe PR Group Account Director (GAD) is a senior, trusted advisor and growth driver within Thrive Melbourne, sitting at the intersection of corporate reputation, technology, innovation and culture-led storytelling. This role is designed for a strategic leader who can move seamlessly between our earned corporate and consumer offer, working with ambitious brands, a connected leadership team and a culture that backs bold thinking, personal growth and shared success. Shaping narratives that build brand credibility, Culture Currency™ and Excess Earned Attention™
You’ll lead a portfolio of high-profile corporate and consumer clients, guiding reputation strategy, earned-first campaigns and integrated programs that don’t just land in media, they land in our industry, culture and communities. As a senior leader in the business, you’ll be accountable for client growth, commercial performance, team leadership and elevating Thrive’s profile as a modern communications partner for brands shaping the future of business, technology and innovation.

What you’ll do
Clients & Strategy

• Serve as the premier, trusted senior advisor to C-suite and Marketing Director level clients, offering high-level strategic counsel on activations, cultural relevance, and .issue triaging
• Collaborate dynamically with cross-divisional leads (Creative, Studio, Media Relations) to embed social, influencer, and PR amplifications directly into the activation blueprints from incept
• ion.Sign off on all experiential campaign documentation, tactical schedules, Scope of Works, and measurable client KPIs.

Business Development & Growth

• Proactively identify, pitch, and capture organic growth and cross-sell expansion opportunities across current agency retainers
• Lead high-impact new business proposals, responses to briefs, credentials building, and live pitches, acting as a visible market authority for brand activations.
• Maintain a strong pipeline via agency tracking systems, identifying next steps and opportunity stages during weekly reviews.

People & Culture

• Manage, develop, and play an instrumental role in retaining reporting team members by providing consistent performance evaluations, active mentoring, and professional roadmap mapping.
• Guide team members skillfully through internal capability tracking and career planning metrics in our Thrive Professional Development Framework.
• Model time management, operational discipline, and a resilient, positive mindset under high-pressure live campaign schedules.

Commercial, Operations & Finance

• Maintain full financial accountability for the client profitability, tracking resource margins, fee structures, and campaign investment health.
• Manage week-to-week capacity utilizing Thrive’s forecasting platform. Audit client time allocation, proactively managing overservicing and managing scope variations.
• Oversee team members managing supplier quotes, Purchase Orders, agency margins, and credit control. Validate monthly client invoicing and expense reconciliations for line-manager sign-off.

What You’ll Bring

• 10–12+ years’ experience in agency or in-house communications, spanning consumer, corporate, and technology-driven brand environments.
• Proven leadership at Senior Account Director, Group Account Director or equivalent level.
• Strong track record of advising senior clients on reputation, issues management, thought leadership, media strategy and brand positioning.
• Deep understanding of the technology, innovation or digital ecosystem
• A natural ability to blend corporate credibility with cultural relevance and creative, earned-first thinking.
• Established media, industry and stakeholder relationships across business, tech, trade and mainstreamoutlets.
• Commercial confidence — comfortable owning revenue targets, forecasting and account growth.
• Strong presentation and storytelling skills, with the ability to sell ideas internally and externally

Why Thrive?

• You’ll get to shape a growing offer, work with iconic clients, and collaborate with a supportive leadership team who genuinely prioritise our people. Benefits include:
• Culture Connections : Weekly drinks and nibbles at "Thrive O’Clocks" including weekly reflections and a regular speaker line-up, quarterly agency-funded social events a year and other client and Thrive social events
• Flexibility & Travel: Hybrid weeks (3 In-Office Collaboration Days per week with WFH on Mondays and Fridays) plus up to 4 weeks of approved "Work From Anywhere" to work in any of our 4 trans-tasman offices
• Extra Time Off: An annual "Thriving Birthday ‘Me’ Day" and early 4:00 PM finishes on Summer Fridays (Dec–Feb).
• Supercharged Parental Support: An additional 8 weeks of paid parental leave (+ superannuation) on top of the government scheme, plus a dedicated return-to-work transition schedule.
• Growth & Learning: Opportunity to join our AI Digital Council, an individual external L&D budget for your choice of memberships/seminars alongside our internal training programs (including monthly ‘Thrive Bites’, Lunch ‘n Learns with inhouse lunch on Thrive and Thrive Academies).
• Visa support : support for visa holders including 2-year+ option - long standing team member considerations including pathway to company sponsored Permanent Residency.