Account Director (Travel PR)

Job Description

Praytell is a creative communications agency built by strategic minds and spirited hearts who believe original storytelling, unexpected ideas and an instinctive recoil from anything remotely boring can shape culture and make people… well, give a sh!t. We partner with brands to create timely, integrated and headline-worthy campaigns across social, earned, digital, experiential and emerging platforms, all rooted in smart strategy, creative excellence and a deep understanding of what’s resonating right now.

We’ve been doing this for just over a decade and have picked up some pretty cool awards along the way, including PRWeek’s Best Place to Work (8x and counting), Agency of the Year and even a few your mom might recognize - even if she doesn’t fully get what you do for a living.

Our work is collaborative, fast-moving and driven by curiosity, grounded in how we show up for our clients and for one another. If you’re looking to join an ambitious, deeply supportive team that’s focused on doing great work with great people and doesn’t take itself too seriously, we’d love to hear from you.

The Opportunity

Praytell is seeking an Account Director with 7-9 years of experience and deep expertise in the travel and tourism industry - bonus points for big airline experience - ideally within a PR agency setting. This role will lead integrated communications programs across earned, influencer and social, serving as a senior strategic partner to clients and guiding brand storytelling, campaign development and cross-channel initiatives that drive measurable business impact. The Account Director will oversee multiple client relationships and large-scale accounts with substantial budgets, mentor teams and ensure work is executed at the highest level while identifying opportunities for innovation, growth and long-term partnership. This role must be based in the Central or Eastern time zone. The ideal candidate brings strong business acumen, creative thinking and the ability to navigate complex client environments while delivering thoughtful counsel and forward-thinking ideas.

Key responsibilities include:

• Client Service 
• Start with ‘Yes’: Inspire innovation and optimism, providing clear pathways to execution.
• Spidey Senses in Tune: Demonstrate advanced intuition for client dynamics, identifying and addressing potential issues with foresight.
• No Ego, No B.S.: Lead by example, prioritizing the success of the team and client over personal gain.
• Trust & Transparency: Serve as a trusted advisor by delivering honest feedback and transparent recommendations.
• Sense of Humor & Short Memory: Keep teams and clients focused on solutions, using humor to diffuse tension when needed.
• Spirit of Partnership: Deepen client relationships through strategic counsel and delivering mutual value over time.
• Account & Team Management 
• Brand & Business Expertise: Drive strategic planning and innovation across PR, influencer, and social media campaigns, ensuring clients’ goals are met or exceeded.
• Time & Budget Tracking: Lead financial oversight for multiple accounts, ensuring budgets align with profitability targets and client expectations.
• Workflow Management: Implement systems to improve team efficiency and ensure high-quality campaign delivery across multiple clients.
• Staffing: Collaborate with leadership to assess staffing needs and contribute to hiring decisions.
• Employee Development: Provide formal feedback to team members and lead coaching sessions to build expertise within the team.
• Effective Communication
• Client Communication (Emails/Status Calls): Act as a trusted client advisor, leading discussions on campaign strategy, performance, and next steps.
• Written Materials: Provide strategic input on high-level materials, ensuring all content reflects the client’s voice and objectives.
• Deck Development: Oversee the structure and content of decks for large-scale campaigns, ensuring alignment with strategic goals.
• Presentation Skills: Deliver high-stakes presentations, engaging clients with clear and actionable insights.
• Strategic Planning
• Channel Audits (Earned, Social, Influencer): Shape the framework for audits, ensuring insights are leveraged for strategic planning across campaigns.
• Target Audience Analysis (Earned, Social, Influencer): Lead high-level audience analysis, incorporating cultural, category, and competitive insights to inform strategies.
• Channel Fluency & Strategies (Earned, Influencer, Social): Develop overarching strategies that align with clients’ business objectives, integrating all three disciplines.
• Creative Thinking
• Newsjacking/Trend-to-Earned Ideas: Drive strategic ideation around cultural trends, creating campaigns that lead industry conversations.
• Earned Media: Approve and enhance creative concepts for seasonal and evergreen media pitches, events, and other earned tactics.
• Influencer or Talent Partnerships: Define the creative vision for talent partnerships, ensuring alignment with broader campaign strategies.
• Social Media: Shape overarching creative strategies for social campaigns, integrating them seamlessly with earned and influencer efforts.
• Brand Campaign Concepts: Present innovative, big-picture campaign concepts to clients, positioning the agency as a creative leader.
• Execution 
• Earned Media: Shape earned media strategy for clients, ensuring innovative approaches drive measurable results.
• Influencer: Guide cross-functional teams in integrating influencers into broader campaign strategies, with a focus on ROI. Provide oversight for critical activities such as contract development.
• Social Media: Oversee large-scale social initiatives, integrating insights and strategy across paid, earned, and owned media.
• KPI, Merchandising & Reporting 
• Data Analysis & Interpretation: Shape the approach to data analysis for client accounts, integrating broader trends.
• Strategic Recommendations: Lead strategic discussions with clients, positioning data as the foundation for decision-making. Put forth recommendations on tools to leverage for greater program insights (brand lift studies, sales studies, etc)
• Stakeholder Communication: Present high-level insights and recommendations to senior stakeholders.
• Goal Alignment & Performance Metrics: Ensure performance metrics align with client objectives and refine KPIs as needed.

Benefits

We offer a growing list of benefits and perks, including:

• Salary: $110,000 - $125,000 (This range reflects the minimum and maximum compensation. We typically offer salaries within the 25th to 75th percentiles and cannot exceed the listed maximum. Final offers depend on experience, skills and qualifications.)
• Comprehensive health care (Medical, Dental, Vision)
• Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) with annual shares of Project Worldwide, our parent company
• Traditional and Roth 401(k) options with an annual employer contribution based on company performance
• Flexible Time Off (FTO), company holidays and mental health days
• Flexible work locations within the US - remote is a-ok! We also have physical hubs and offices in LA, SF, Austin, Chicago, Minneapolis and New York
• Flex Fridays, designed to keep Fridays meeting-free for focused work and to give you space to support your personal wellbeing while delivering great client service
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) with mental health, family, career, legal and financial support
• Paid parental leave and fertility support
• Training and team-building programs
• Camp Praytell, our company offsite (eligibility based on start date)
• Employee Resource Groups (BEACON, Compañeros, elevAsian, Herizon and Prism)
• And more!

Interview Process

Please note that due to the high volume of applications we receive, while we’re incredibly grateful for your interest, we’re not able to respond to each one individually. We’ll be in touch with candidates we’re moving forward with. We know how hard it can be to wait and wonder, especially in today’s job market, so if you don’t hear from us within 5 business days, it means we’ve moved forward with other candidates for this role. We truly appreciate the time and care you put into applying and will keep your application on file for future opportunities.

Our interview process typically takes 4-6 weeks, and here’s what you can expect along the way:

• Submit Application
• Phone Screen w/ Head of Talent (30 Mins)
• Team Interview (30 Mins - 1 Hour)
• Leadership Interview (30 Mins)
• TBD: Short, Client-Agnostic Take-Home Test (Paid via Electronic Gift Card)
• Offer (Target Start Date: April 2026)

Who We Are

We are an equal opportunity employer. We welcome all people and do not discriminate - period. All qualified applicants will receive consideration in accordance with federal, state and local laws. We prohibit any form of workplace harassment based on any protected class and are committed to creating an inclusive workplace in every location where we operate.