Senior Business Director

UMT - Internal•New York, NY

1d•$150,000 - $180,000

About The Position

The Senior Business Director is a senior client and business leader responsible for the success, growth, and health of a significant, complex account. The role requires demonstrated success at the Business Director level and greater executive influence, commercial judgment, and organizational leadership. The Senior Business Director serves as a strategic advisor to senior clients, leads integrated teams, and remains close to the work while shaping and pushing clients forward in culture. The role owns the health, performance, growth, and senior client relationships for a flagship national account. It includes developing organic growth opportunities, co-owning account financial health, managing risks, and coaching Business Supervisors. The Senior Business Director also contributes to agency leadership through new business, recruiting, departmental standards, cross-functional improvements, and developing future Business Leadership talent.

Requirements

10+ years of experience leading integrated client relationships within a creative, marketing, or communications agency, including demonstrated success operating at the Business Director or equivalent level.
Proven experience owning senior client relationships, complex integrated campaigns, organic growth, account economics, and cross-functional team leadership for a major consumer brand.
Demonstrated experience coaching and developing account leadership talent while independently navigating high-stakes client and business decisions.
Exceptional business judgment and the ability to connect marketing decisions to broader client goals, organizational dynamics, and commercial outcomes.
Executive presence and communication skills, including the ability to read complex rooms, tailor counsel to different stakeholders, and navigate sensitive issues with discretion.
Strong strategic fluency and the ability to turn ambiguity into clear, actionable direction without prescribing the creative solution.
Commercial acumen across scopes, staffing models, forecasting, profitability, and investment decisions.
Ability to lead and inspire multidisciplinary teams, resolve tension constructively, and create accountability without relying solely on hierarchy.
A growth mindset, with curiosity and proactivity to identify unmet client needs and translate them into meaningful opportunities.
Cultural fluency and a strong understanding of how contemporary culture, audiences, and communities influence brands and business.
Sound prioritization and decision-making skills in a high-volume, fast-moving, highly visible client environment.
A coaching orientation and the ability to raise the performance, confidence, and judgment of other leaders.
Ability to balance client needs, creative ambition, executional feasibility, team sustainability, and financial health.

Nice To Haves

Experience leading a large, complex, or matrixed national account across multiple stakeholders and workstreams.
Experience in QSR, retail, CPG, telecom, financial services, sports, entertainment, or another high-velocity consumer category.
Experience working within or leading an integrated agency team or multi-agency ecosystem.
Experience leading culturally specific or multicultural marketing while connecting the work to a broader brand and business strategy.
Track record of identifying and converting organic growth opportunities.
Experience leading scope development, staffing recommendations, forecasting, and profitability management.
Experience supporting new business pitches, agency initiatives, recruiting, or talent development.

Responsibilities

Own the overall health, performance, growth, and senior client relationships for a flagship national account.
Serve as a trusted strategic advisor to Director-level stakeholders, shaping agendas, influencing decisions, and constructively challenging clients with a clear point of view.
Translate business, consumer, category, and cultural dynamics into strategic direction and stronger creative work.
Lead integrated teams across Business Leadership, Strategy, Context, Creative, Program Management, Production, Analytics, and Partner Agencies, clarifying objectives, priorities, roles, and decisions.
Ensure work meets Translation’s standards for strategic rigor, creative ambition, cultural excellence, and client readiness before presentation.
Develop and drive the organic growth strategy, identifying and converting opportunities across stakeholders, business units, audiences, and workstreams.
Co-own account financial health with Program Management, including revenue, profitability, staffing, forecasting, scope performance, and investment recommendations.
Anticipate relationship, delivery, and commercial risks, intervening before they affect the client partnership, work quality, team health, or profitability.
Lead, coach, and develop Business Supervisors through clear expectations, ongoing feedback, performance reviews, and development opportunities.
Contribute to agency leadership through new business, recruiting, departmental standards, cross-functional improvements, and development of future Business Leadership talent.