Group Account Director (1 year FTC)

Group Account Director (GAD) - 1 year FTC

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The Role

We seek a dynamic, confident and ambitious 1 year Mat Leave Cover GAD with proven track record in driving transformative growth for clients and leading a portfolio of clients.

As the ideal candidate you will have a growth mindset, entrepreneurial spirit and be a natural go getter when it comes to driving business growth. You will be excited by the prospect of leading business growth across a portfolio of clients, skilfully identifying client needs and selling solutions to their problems. You will be passionate about our agency proposition and the value we can add to clients with the ability to excite and inspire clients with our full agency offering. You will be driven by client growth and driving commercial business outcomes.

Reporting into one of our Board Directors, you will autonomously lead multiple accounts and take overall accountability for client development. Your role will be instrumental in building the reputation and profile of We Are Futures within our client business, building deep and trusted client relationships at senior levels. You'll also play a key role in leading new business pitches, providing internal teams with clear direction and the 'client voice' whilst working collaboratively to deliver pitch winning responses.

As someone with a passion for client development and sales, you'll be ruthlessly focused on unlocking new opportunities. You will be highly strategic with strong influencing skills and the ability to inspire clients as well as lead and mobilise internal teams. You will use your client understanding to guide and direct internal teams across Strategy, Marketing and Comms, Content and Design/Creative ensuring everyone is working towards a shared goal and are set up for success.

Key Skill Sets and Responsibilities

• Senior client relationship building & influencing - Being relentlessly focused on becoming an indispensable partner for clients, bringing them proactive ideas and work that positively drives business outcomes. Strong track record in becoming trusted and long term partner to clients and leveraging relationship to drive growth.
• Strategic growth and consultative selling - developing and executing ambitious growth plans, harnessing the skills within the business to align on a vision and drive success. Using your proven business acumen, consultative selling techniques, and sales strategies to unlock transformative growth opportunities that have the potential to step change business performance. A strong track record in client growth is essential.
• New business pitching - leading pitch winning responses for new business. Working with internal teams to develop boundary pushing, brave ideas that excite clients and provide solutions to their needs. Landing powerful and data driven business cases that demonstrate how our work drives business value.
• Landing our full agency proposition with clients - showing confidence and fluency in our agency proposition, championing new types of work and continually pushing the ambition of clients and internal teams to ensure we fulfill our potential. This means taking a cross company approach opening new doors and embedding We Are Futures within our clients business e.g. customer marketing team, insights team, corporate affairs, HR and Talent and any other relevant departments.
• Delivery direction - working closely with our Project team and internal teams across all aspects of delivery, providing critical oversight and direction (without being in the detail), bringing both the client and internal teams on a journey and fostering a culture of quality. Working closely especially with Project Directors and Project Managers to ensure smooth and quality delivery. Confidently working across multiple sectors, business areas and types of programmes to drive success.
• Advanced business acumen - demonstrating clear grasp on all aspects of commercial leadership from forecasting and resourcing planning to campaign profitability, working closely with Commercial Director, Client Service Director and Board Directors as required.
• Leadership - demonstrating key leadership characteristics - including vision, integrity, communication, empowerment, self knowledge and competence. Establishing positive, productive and collaborative relationships with wider Senior Leadership Team. Inspiring, empowering and motivating your team to drive business outcomes, setting the tone, culture, ambition and expectations that drive success.

Responsibilities

• Leading development and execution of ambitious growth plans across a portfolio of clients (up to £2m) taking ownership of numbers and growth strategy, pivoting where needed to drive success.
• Delivering against client partner KPIís including revenue, client satisfaction and FOP targets.
• Establishing long term partnerships with senior clients and being seen as a credible trusted advisor, leveraging relationship to unlock growth opportunities across business.
• Taking ownership of commercial reporting and board updates across portfolio, demonstrating proactive growth measures and best practice conversion and growth strategies are being adopted.
• Demonstrating clear leadership qualities, characteristics and values that align with our agency culture and leadership expectations. Contributing at wider Senior Leadership Team level supporting the business to achieve its goals.
• Building and developing high performing teams that work efficiently, effectively and profitably.
• Keeping our agency vision and business goals front of mind at all times. Ensuring wider team feel connected to business direction and how they can impact success.
• Leading our multi disciplinated internal teams to create creative, best in class work that drives both brand and social impact for clients and pushes our FOP ambitions.
• Providing Account Director(s) and Project Director(s) with clear and empowering leadership ensuring effective delivery of our work, striking the right balance of strategic oversight without being pulled too far into delivery.
• Taking ownership for ensuring our internal processes are championed and followed at all times and that clear expectations are set across the team.

Requirements

• About 3+ years of experience in similar role at this level within an agency environment.
• Proven success in strategic client development and establishing long term client partnerships.
• Credible leadership skills with experience building and leading high performing teams.
• Highly motivated and passionate about client development, growth and selling.
• Excellent account leadership skills with financial and commercial acumen, growth mindset, creative judgement and the ability to think strategically.
• Client or stakeholder management experience within a client service organisation such as a full service marketing, experiential or PR agency.
• Experience and skills in CSR / social impact / youth engagement / PR / experiential / Digital and New media would be an advantage.