Senior Vice President, Corporate & Public Affairs, Workplace & Purpose

More about the role:

Burson seeks a Senior Vice President to help lead and scale the growing Workplace & Purpose Team, that sits within our Corporate and Public Affairs practice. The Workforce and Purpose Team is a group of specialists focused on the intersection of corporate purpose and employee engagement to unlock the power of people and build reputation from the inside out. Our work helps clients activate their purpose to ignite engagement, optimize operational excellence, enhance reputation, and drive strategic change.

This role will focus primarily on the Corporate Purpose side of the practice, working across social impact storytelling, purpose programming and partnerships, and integrated ESG communications and strategy. The ideal candidate will bring 15+ years of experience and a proven ability to operate as a senior business and client leader, strategic counselor, and force multiplier—driving growth, advancing thought leadership, and building high-performing teams.

This is an opportunity to play a key role in the rapidly changing and evolving space with a dynamic and globally influential firm with an impressive client mix including Fortune 100s and nationally renowned not-for-profit organizations as you help to shape the next phase of the practice, moving from strong client delivery to a fully activated growth engine and external market leader.

The preferred location for this role is San Francisco or Los Angeles followed by Chicago, Austin or Dallas.

What you'll do:

• Serve as a senior leader in the Workplace & Purpose practice, responsible for elevating performance, driving growth, and defining market positioning in the Purpose space.
• Lead a portfolio of complex, multi-sector clients, providing senior counsel across sustainability, ESG, corporate purpose, and stakeholder engagement
• Drive organic and new business growth, expanding existing relationships while identifying and converting new opportunities
• Serve as a trusted advisor to C-suite and senior leaders, including Chief Sustainability Officers, CHROs, and Communications leadership
• Develop and execute integrated purpose and sustainability strategies, including ESG communications, reporting, social impact programming, and employee engagement
• Provide expert counsel on complex and evolving issues such as climate, supply chain responsibility, and societal impact
• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of purpose-driven communicators, elevating capabilities, performance standards, and further developing Burson’s approach to Purpose.
• Build and position the practice as a thought leader internally and externally, contributing to POVs, frameworks, and market visibility
• Partner across Corporate & Public Affairs, as well broader Burson and WPP teams to deliver integrated reputation-driving solutions

Experience that contributes to success:

• 15+ years of communications, public affairs, sustainability, or corporate purpose experience, with demonstrated leadership at the SVP level or above
• Deep, credible expertise in sustainability and ESG (beyond generalist communications experience), with the ability to counsel and sell into complex mandates
• Proven track record of growing and scaling a business, practice area and client portfolio
• Extensive experience advising senior clients in complex, multi-stakeholder environments, including high-profile or sensitive issues
• Demonstrated ability to lead and develop high-performing teams, including managing senior specialists
• Strong commercial acumen with experience driving revenue growth and new business development
• Comfort working across both established and emerging sectors, with a pragmatic approach to sustainability and corporate responsibility
• Exceptional communication, presentation, and executive presence
• Demonstrated collaboration and problem-solving skills in a group setting
• Hybrid of agency and in-house experience preferred

Burson is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to particular characteristics. We are committed to fostering a culture of respect in which everyone feels they belong and has the same opportunities to progress in their careers.

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