Account Director

This is a role at Ogilvy Network which is part of the WPP Group.

Job Type: Full-time

Salary: $85,000 plus super minimum / year

Location: Office location will be determined dependent on the right applicant, as we have offices based in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane and Perth.

We are on the hunt for an Account Director to work within one of our agencies. This is a fantastic, varied role that would be rewarding for the right person who brings a varied skill set.

About the role:

The Account Director is the leader of the operational and strategic aspects of the account. They are responsible for winning client commitment to the agency's creative strategy and resulting creative recommendations, with a keen understanding of the retail landscape.

The Account Director must anticipate problems before they arise and ensure the smooth running of the account in all matters to do with insight, idea, creative development and production specifically within the retail squad.

Key Responsibilities:

• Build an open, honest and trusting relationship with the client, the account management team, creative department and all other internal business units
• Managing the Client's expectations by ensuring they are always kept in the loop in terms of work in progress, recognising issues early and pre-empting them.
• Demonstrate a clear understanding of the organizational structure, culture and politics of the client's business, with particular insight into the retail sector.
• Contribute to the development of business and marketing plans based on a thorough understanding of the market and consumer, specifically identifying key trends and influences within the client's retail market, including competitor activity.
• Able to lead a mixed discipline agency team in developing and delivering the highest standard creative product for a client or clients, ensuring relevance and impact within the retail environment.
• Make the idea culture a reality within the team by creating an environment of trust, confidence, enthusiasm and excitement both internally and with the client.
• Responsible for the development of short term (12 months – 2 years) communications strategies based on the client's business plan and vision. specifically tailoring these to retail objectives and consumer journeys.
• Responsible for the work produced and seeks out opportunities to grow the relationship with the client.
• Implement new ways of working that allows the company to deliver quality work faster and cheaper.
• Write strategies and briefs that inspire great work.
• Work with the team to ensure that the creative briefing process is brought to life and that meetings are a source of inspiration.
• Ensure the continuous progression of work by building strong relationship with all core disciplines – media, production, planning and creative.
• Ability to attend research debriefs and contribute to subsequent discussions.
• Understanding of the WPP AUNZ group and our offering across all business units.
• Manage agency team members including delegation, coaching, feedback and the completion of appraisals, identifying potential, managing workload and setting priorities.
• Work with the account team to initiate strategic plans and briefs.
• Work with the media department to ensure the optimal planning and buying through clear targeting and budgeting.
• Show ability to debate and negotiate constructively with clients in order to defend successfully the Agency's recommendations or point of view.
• Make major strategic and creative presentations to the Client demonstrating effective influence/persuasion skills through proven success at selling creative ideas.
• Prepare the ground for the creative sale ensuring the client buys the agency's creative recommendation by imparting a real understanding of the advertising idea and its relevance to the task at hand by: Working with the Client to raise their comfort level in assessing, evaluating and responding to creative work; Pre-selling the insight behind the creative brief, putting this within the competitive context in which the work will run.

The above statements describe the general nature and level of work being performed in this job. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, and indeed additional responsibilities may be assigned, as required, by management.

Required Skills:

• Seen as a Client's business partner with a deep understanding of their retail business, proactively identifying and addressing future problems/opportunities.
• Ability to debate and negotiate constructively with clients to successfully defend the agency's recommendations or point of view.
• A passion for big ideas, especially those that drive retail success, coupled with the ability to critically judge creative work for factual accuracy and relevance to briefs within a retail context.
• Leads by example, embodying and reflecting company culture, and serving as a team motivator who sets account tone and manages morale.
• Identifies potential, coaches, and develops account staff, fostering an environment of trust, confidence, and enthusiasm.
• Ability to relate well to a variety of people and build productive relationships, while still introducing elements of fun and humour in the workplace.
• Demonstrates resilience, tenacity, common sense in managing account operations.
• Possesses strong financial management skills and meticulous attention to detail.
• Adept at handling difficult situations with diplomacy and tact, and approaching problem-solving in innovative ways to achieve optimal solutions.
• Strong time management skills and ability to prioritise effectively.

Qualifications & Experience:

• Proven track record of converting major new business pitches
• Proven track record of managing and developing client relationships at the most senior level
• Experience of managing significant levels of fee income and production spends
• Experience of managing large teams
• Experience of hiring and managing first class talent
• Have developed first class creative solutions and campaigns

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $85,000.00 – $100,000.00 per year

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Sydney NSW 2000