Creative Account Director

RR Donnelley • New York, NY

5d • Onsite

About The Position

Williams Lea is seeking a Creative Account Director to help establish a global in-house creative services offering in New York for a leading global bank. The role combines business development, account direction, project management, and creative leadership in a highly regulated environment with strict brand guidelines. The Director will promote the new location and share services delivered by creative teams in other regions, working with the Global Creative Director based in EMEA and collaborating with a global team.

The Creative Account Director will serve as a strategic and operational leader, connecting creative ambition with operational excellence and communicating a vision for how Williams Lea can serve clients across its service offerings. The position is responsible for strong day-to-day client communication, aligning creative delivery with campaigns and business objectives, maintaining client satisfaction, optimizing cost-to-serve models, and driving continuous improvement. The role also supports team growth and development, operational excellence, and the development of new operating models as client needs and business plans evolve. Design work is not expected, but the Director must understand the design process and execution across media including social, ATL, motion graphics, film, and print.

Requirements

• Experience as a Creative Account Manager, ready to step into a demanding leadership role.
• Creative background and experience in a creative environment that includes design, motion graphics, and film; hands-on design work is not required.
• Proven project management and delivery skills.
• Strong client management skills and the ability to engage key stakeholders.
• Ability to develop and implement strategic objectives.
• Strong commercial awareness and ability to plan and negotiate.
• Detail-oriented approach.
• Self-motivated and able to work autonomously.
• Ability to manage, motivate, and develop a diverse team.
• Fluency across the marketing operations stack, including creative production and campaign delivery.
• Strong communication skills at all levels.
• Ability to lead teams through challenging and busy periods while maintaining Williams Lea values.
• Understanding of Williams Lea company values and business objectives, with the ability to deliver against them.
• Strategic thinking, organization, and leadership skills.
• Personable, inquisitive, and a good listener; willing to question and seek underlying facts.
• Confident speaker who is comfortable leading conversations.

Nice To Haves

• Corporate experience, ideally in a regulated environment, or design or creative agency experience.
• Pragmatic approach to adopting AI.

Responsibilities

• Gather and analyze client feedback to inform creative process improvements.
• Partner with client leads to identify growth opportunities and improve delivery.
• Lead strategic planning across the account.
• Identify new services and manage them from sale through implementation and ongoing management.
• Implement tools and systems that improve team efficiency and visibility.
• Drive operational excellence and client satisfaction.
• Oversee the creative workflow, work with the Global Creative Director, and highlight potential risks to the client.
• Analyze data and reports to identify service adjustments and improvements.
• Grow existing services and identify new service opportunities.
• Track Williams Lea and client budgets and purchase orders across creative projects.
• Complete month-end activities and invoicing.
• Manage contractual governance.
• Maintain excellent day-to-day client communications and align creative delivery with campaigns and business objectives.
• Support team growth and development and help the Global Creative Director enable the team to deliver the shared vision.
• Promote and help establish the new creative services location in New York.

Benefits

• Medical coverage
• Dental coverage
• Vision coverage
• Paid time off
• Disability insurance
• 401(k) with company match
• Life insurance
• Voluntary supplemental insurance coverages
• Parental leave
• Adoption assistance
• Tuition assistance
• Employer and partner discounts
• Potential participation in a bonus, commission, or incentive program, depending on the role

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Education Level: No Education Listed