Senior Account Director - Food and Beverage

Senior Account Director - Food and Beverage
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**Department:** Lifestyle

**Employment Type:** Full Time

**Location:** PURPLE New York

**Compensation:** $120,000 - $130,000 / year

### Description

PURPLE is a global lifestyle communications agency with offices in Los Angeles, Miami, New York, London & Hong Kong.

We seek a **Senior Account Director** with an insatiable passion for food, mixology, and the magic of hospitality to lead high-profile restaurant, bar, and beverage accounts. You’ll blend PR strategy with creative genius to launch Michelin-starred concepts, curate immersive dining experiences, and turn chefs into household names. If you live for the buzz of a packed restaurant opening and dream in press headlines, this is your stage.

### Key Responsibilities

**Culinary Storytelling & Campaign Leadership**

1. Design bold PR strategies for celebrity chefs, luxury hotel F&B programs, and emerging drink brands.
2. Brainstorm *experiential* campaigns—think pop-ups in unexpected locales, chef-artist collaborations, or viral cocktail competitions.
3. Craft narratives that transcend food: Position clients as cultural icons (e.g., linking Francis Mallmann’s fire feasts to sustainability trends).

**Media Mastery**

1. Secure coverage in top-tier food, lifestyle, and business outlets (*NY Times Food*, *Eater*, *Food & Wine*, *Bloomberg Pursuits*).
2. Cultivate relationships with critics, editors, and influencers who shape dining trends.
3. Leverage global agency networks to amplify stories across APAC, EMEA, and Americas markets.

**Client Partnership**

1. Serve as a trusted advisor to restaurant groups, chefs, hotel groups, and beverage innovators.
2. Navigate high-stakes moments: restaurant openings, crisis comms (e.g., supply chain scandals), and brand reinventions.

**Team Mentorship & Growth**

1. Lead a team of account managers and creatives, fostering a culture of curiosity and precision.
2. Collaborate with in-house content creators, social media strategists, and event producers to deliver 360° campaigns.

**New Business Innovation**

1. Identify and pitch prospects in emerging spaces: non-alcoholic spirits, farm-to-table tech, and Web3 dining experiences.
2. Develop proposals that showcase creative flair and ROI-driven results.

### Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

* **8–10+ years** in PR/communications, with **5+ years focused on restaurants, beverages, or luxury hospitality** (agency experience mandatory).
* Portfolio of campaigns that generated national headlines, awards, or viral buzz.
* Rolodex of top food critics, editors (e.g., Pete Wells, Helen Rosner), and influencer-chefs.
* Deep understanding of culinary trends (e.g., regenerative dining, zero-proof mixology) and the media landscape.
* Passion for creative risk-taking: You’ve pitched a client’s tasting menu as performance art or turned a bar into a NFT gallery.
* Bachelor’s degree in PR, Journalism, Culinary Arts, or related field.