Group Account Director - Media + Creative

DEPT®

1d•$154,000 - $185,000•Remote

About The Position

The Group Director, Client Partnership at DEPT® leads all cross-functional work delivered for a key client. This role requires expertise in understanding the client's business, challenges, goals, and SWOT, and establishing relationships with senior client stakeholders to drive innovation and strategy. The Group Director represents DEPT® to clients, adding value beyond organizational skills through a blend of account management, strategic planning, and commercial leadership. Responsibilities include developing, negotiating, and managing scopes of work, as well as supporting new business proposals and pitches. Candidates must have experience managing teams, complex campaigns, and high-volume retainers, and be adept at handling high-pressure situations. Commercial success in an agency model, the ability to generate big ideas grounded in insight, and deliver tangible ROI are crucial. The role demands a leader who inspires their team and earns the respect of senior clients.

Requirements

12+ years of experience in roles servicing clients in an agency environment
Experience managing large clients, AOR,s and agency teams
Experience managing complex campaigns and retainers
Experience in leading a high-volume, multi-service retainer(s) for brands/clients
Experience working on a global brand
Confident with both brand and conversion/direct-response campaigns
Experience leading, motivating, and coaching teams of 10+ people
Experience inspiring, and able to create a proactive and energized team culture
Must have strong delegation skills with the ability to coordinate activities between multiple projects without directly managing them
Ability to communicate complex messages to a variety of audiences
Ability to view the big picture, beyond your immediate role or department, and align projects with company strategy, values & goals
Ability to solve problems through collecting relevant information for assessment, understanding solutions & consequences in order to choose a course of action
Ability to connect each project to the business world, thinking through effectiveness, efficiency, and consistency within all interdisciplinary projects
Strong client relationship management skills, including experience working directly with directors, VPs, and C-level clients on strategy development
Excellent project management skills, able to find the most efficient ways of working
Excellent organizational skills and high attention to detail
Excellent written and verbal English communication skills; excellent presentation skills
Advanced problem-solving skills
Excellent time management skills
Ability to react quickly within a fast-paced environment
Ability to remain focused under pressure and work under tight deadlines
Proficient in working with data

Responsibilities

Ability to work in partnership with senior clients to develop annual strategies.
Ability to establish themselves as true business partners, thought leaders and innovators at DEPT.
Responsible for holding recurring meetings with senior leadership on the client side focused on pushing their business forward, macro goals, industry trends/updates, and new opportunities to drive growth.
Responsible for being the primary relationship holder for the client within DEPT®
Responsible for ensuring client satisfaction by regularly communicating with senior decision-makers
Responsible for high client retention and growth
Ability to be a point of escalation on their accounts and effectively solve issues that arise, whether internally or with clients
Ability to reach out to clients directly when service issues arise
Ability to lead new business pitches and proposals alongside leadership and growth team
Ability to forecast, reconcile, and monitor client revenue and profitability
Must have a strong understanding of scope management, inclusive of how to track and manage, escalate scope pacing issues
Responsible for financial management of client portfolio revenue, including updating relevant internal financial systems accurately and in a timely manner
Ability to scope projects and retainers within budget and on brief
Ability to productize our services within a proposal and SOW
Ability to initiate conversations with clients around SOW adjustments
Ability to author written SOWs, amendments, and other legal adjustments in partnership with contracts team as needed
Ability to lead contract negotiations and oversee the implementation of commercial agreements
Ability to proactively pursue cross-sell & upsell opportunities to drive innovation, strategy, and organic revenue growth
Responsible for ensuring teams are operating effectively and efficiently towards clients goals while meeting financial revenue targets on accounts
Ability to successfully work with all craft teams to effectively drive strategies and work that leads clients to the next level of their business
Ability to lead, line-manage, motivate and inspire a team
Ability to craft strategic responses to briefs and the ability to develop a POV on media.
Familiarity with DEPT's service offerings & department leads with the ability to participate in conversations for complex projects or new offerings & know who to to bring into the conversation within DEPT
Responsible for ensuring delivery of work is to the highest possible standard
Ability to contribute to the creative process by sharing their ideas and experience
Ability to present work internally and externally to all levels of seniority
Responsible for ensuring all teams servicing their client(s) identify core issues, proactively develop plans to mitigate issues from restructuring account teams, have hard conversations both on client and employee side, rally team to overcome challenges, and deliver high client satisfaction (validated via CSAT surveys and regular check-ins)
Responsible for periodically reviewing team ways of working and identify opportunities for streamlining or improvement
Responsible for consistently assessing team/client fit, ensuring we have the right talent matched up to the right clients - based on expertise, communication/working styles
Responsible for ensuring new team members are properly onboarded to each account, not just with day-to-day knowledge & skills development, but by providing a full deep dive into each client’s business and priorities.
Ability to determine resolution for any cross-channel issues including performance, tracking, QA issues, etc.
Ability to resolve any collaborative roadblocks between teams
Ability to settle miscommunication or interpersonal issues within the group