Group Account Director (Bilingual English/Korean)

CHEIL USA•Plano, TX

6d•Hybrid

About The Position

Cheil USA is seeking a Group Account Director who is fluent in both English and Korean and possesses a deep understanding of Korean business culture. This role is crucial for managing and growing client relationships, particularly those centered around Korean businesses. The Group Account Director will serve as a business, agency, and client leader, providing strategic direction, ensuring accountability, and fostering a positive team environment. This position requires a proactive approach to identifying challenges, mentoring teams, and driving financial success while upholding the agency's culture of innovation and collaboration. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in integrated advertising, client leadership, and managing large-scale campaigns, with a proven ability to connect Korean business culture with US domestic business outcomes.

Requirements

Fluent in Korean and Korean business culture
Bachelor’s Degree in advertising, marketing, strategic communication or a related field
15+ years integrated advertising agency experience or combination of agency and in-house preferred
10+ years supervisory experience
5+ years as the leader of client business, leading social media and influencer work
Proven track record of solid client partnership, exemplary team leadership, and world-class output
Excellent communicator (written and oral) in Korean and English
Experience presenting to C-Suite executives
Able to travel to meet business needs (approx. 15-20%)
Experience managing large-scale integrated campaigns and content production, including broadcast/digital, social, email, video production, photo shoots, and audio recording sessions
Well-versed in Microsoft Office Suite
Must be local or willing to relocate to work in a hybrid office environment with 2 days minimum in office

Nice To Haves

Resourceful and inquisitive
Entrepreneurial spirit and the desire to build and lead
Great people skills and the natural ability to maintain a positive outlook
Ability to connect different cultures and working etiquettes specifically between Korean and American cultures
Build relationships far and wide, both internally and externally
Knows how to fix problems and navigate the road ahead to circumvent potential issues with a can-do attitude
Excited about integrated marketing plans and creative work that drives results
Inherently curious and eager to learn and try new approaches or tactics

Responsibilities

Serve as the business lead for multiple assigned business verticals, managing a portfolio of Korean-centered clients.
Proactively partner with agency leadership to expand the business portfolio and contribute to the agency's positive culture.
Imagine and lead the future of the client's business and the agency, staying three steps ahead and bridging Korean business culture with US domestic business outcomes.
Provide strategic leadership and a roadmap that integrates strategy, creative, media, production, and analytics.
Command complete ownership and accountability for assigned lines of business and client relationships.
Encourage a positive, professional environment that supports clients, management, teammates, and the work.
Set a standard of excellence through coaching and mentorship to develop strong, motivated internal teams.
Identify challenges and know when to involve agency leadership, offering solutions for troubleshooting.
Lead and foster a spirit of healthy debate and dialogue in service of the work.
Demonstrate expertise in meeting client objectives across various industries and tactics, including campaign, social media, influencer, experiential, and digital conversion touchpoints.
Build strong relationships with senior clients, handling tough conversations while ensuring account health.
Demonstrate strong supervisory, delegation, and escalation judgment skills.
Identify opportunities to grow billings within assigned lines of business and deliver break-through work.
Lead multi-disciplinary teams, ensuring work is appropriate for experience levels, teams remain challenged and engaged, and cultural nuances are understood.
Provide ongoing guidance to the internal team regarding production processes, budgets, and approvals.
Mentor direct reports, set goals, provide training, and manage the annual review process.
Provide leadership to integrated teams to ensure clients' visions come to life.
Ensure successful financial operations across assigned lines of business, adhering to the Scope of Work.
Manage project plans that can be accurately tracked and set the team up for success.
Establish processes and best practices for account efficiency and profitability.
Maintain ongoing knowledge of work progress against projections and billing.
Understand production bidding and navigate conversations regarding production costs and campaign budgets.
Inspire and encourage innovative thinking and solutions across all agency departments.
Actively participate in internal management and training of agency personnel.
Build trusted relationships with agency leadership, identifying opportunities to impact agency culture and operations.
Lead new business pitches.
Stay informed about industry, cultural, and technological trends and share them with the internal team.
Lead conflict resolution and implement solutions both internally and externally.
Act as a trusted right hand to the Executive Director of Account Services and champion leadership efforts.