As a part of The Brandtech Group, we're at the forefront of leveraging cutting-edge AI technology to revolutionise how we create and deliver work. Our AI solutions enhance efficiency, spark creativity, and drive insightful decision-making, empowering our teams to produce innovative and impactful results.

Role: Account Director (FTC - 2 months)

Location:Reading, London,  England, United Kingdom (1-2 days in the office)

ROLE MISSION

Working in partnership with our client, the Account Director will act as the operations business partner to clients. You will work with the Northern Europe clients to forward plan their activity, help them make smart and informed decisions about how to spend budgets, and act as their brand guardian for briefs. You will lead and oversee projects, working with the wider team to deliver work on time and partnering with the creative and strategy leads to develop world-class effective work that answers the client’s brief. You will be comfortable working in close partnership and collaboration with the client. This role will need to be onsite with the client in their Reading office at least one day a week to build influential relationships, with further flexibility to go onsite when required.  In addition, we request at least one day a week in our London hub Rosebery Avenue.  Remaining days can be remote from home. 

WHAT YOU WILL BE DOING IN YOUR ROLE

Client services: 

• Develop influential and intimate client relationships (from mid to senior level) built on a foundation of trust and manage these via a client engagement strategy. 
• Be the brand guardian by safeguarding the brands within the team and ensuring consistent brand representation.
• Oversee the work planning, ensuring SOW is planned and delivered on time.  
• Support with the most complex campaigns and the team where needed.
• Diplomatically manage and resolve any difficult situations should they arise.
• Share thought leadership with the client that will help them hit their objectives or positively influence the client’s learning and growth.  
• Demonstrate the value of our service to brands by reporting to brands how we are helping to achieve agreed objectives, via monthly MI reports.  
• Identify risk in client relationships and escalate this to the Managing Partner, with a proposed plan to solve it.  

Processes: 

• You will have high levels of agency operational knowledge. 
• Ensure adherence to OLIVER and client processes and procedures.
• Take responsibility for training clients on OLIVER ways of working and help them see the benefit in them.
• Identify where processes can be optimised to deliver more efficiency and speed to the client or create a better environment for creative to thrive.  
• Closely monitor our agreed Scope of Work for the year, ensuring delivery of all agreed projects, and re-prioritisation / scoping of new opportunities as they arise. 

Project delivery: 

• Lead project pipeline planning with clients and brief the project management and operations team of incoming requirements to ensure we are set up to deliver them. 
• Take accountability for the timely delivery of projects for your accounts and serve as the escalation point for project leads in case of delays.
• Partner with clients to ensure they provide quality briefs on time.
• Ensure that our teams are briefed on the client ambitions, strategy, brand, and project brief.
• Collaborate with the creative and strategy teams to ensure all work we deliver is on brief and on brand. Use your intimate knowledge of the client to elevate the work.  
• Collaborate with account leads in other markets to drive efficiencies in campaigns and asset re-use.
• Accountable for timely invoicing on your accounts.  
• Monitor project progress and client satisfaction on projects and participate in the regular Pulse reviews.
• Identify projects that are at risk of unsuccessful delivery and escalate the issue to the Managing Partner and the Operations Lead with your view on a solution. Work together to mitigate the risk.
• Promote and coach excellent servicing levels on projects. 

Commercial acumen:

• Identify organic growth opportunities that complement client objectives and successfully collaborate with OLIVER team members to deliver.  
• Report on the commercial position of your accounts on a weekly basis.
• Support the Managing Partner with the development of account strategies and plans for your account. 

Team development and inspiration: 

• Drive learning in the team by actively sharing relevant knowledge. 
• Encourage a collaborative, motivated and inclusive team environment whilst keeping client centricity at the core of the team culture and values.
• Influence and inspire the team to deliver projects to a high standard.  
• Contribute to the team’s development by providing constructive feedback.  
• Monitor the performance of the team on your account, and work with the Managing Partner and Global Programme Director to elevate it.  
• You will be open and willing to attend sustainability training relevant to your role and soak up recommended research and reading about sustainability issues

WHAT SKILLS WILL HELP YOU BE SUCCESSFUL 

• Minimum 5-8 years’ experience in client servicing and account management in relevant roles.
• A proven track record in leading and growing accounts, able to demonstrate hands-on management of a large & complex client.
• Excellent organisational skills, with the ability to manage and prioritise multiple clients and projects.
• Able to operate with confidence and gravitas.
• Experience working on demanding global brands.  
• Comfortable in leading teams in integrated communications creative development and execution, especially social & digital channels. Good creative eye - able to work to success with Creative Director and Planning teams.
• You will have established collaborative relationships in a cross-agency team, including with media. You have experience influencing the client’s agency ecosystem to deliver effective work.
• Ability and desire to thrive in a high growth environment – adaptable and able to embrace change.  
• Knowledge and a passion for new technologies, with an eagerness to integrate them into your day-to-day work and solutions for clients.   
• A focus and passion on producing stand out creative work that is effective. You will be able  
• Proven people and management skills. Ability to identify and retain talent. Experience in managing multiple teams, skill sets & stakeholders for success.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to influence client and agency stakeholders with your presentation skills.   
• You will have buckets of initiative and be solution focussed. You will know how to work autonomously and know when to bring in the right stakeholders and skillset to deliver the client and/or agency goals.  
• Conflict resolution and negotiation skills. You can always mediate towards a successful solution.   
• You can be the change - you prioritise environmental responsibility, social equity, and economic viability and how that translates into your day-to-day role

Job Id: 9974

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ABOUT OUR COMPANY

Lots of agencies say they're different. OLIVER is.

OLIVER believes that agencies work better inside a brand's organisation; delivering more effective work at the speed required to drive modern businesses forward. Using our unique Inside Intelligence methodology, we build specialist, dedicated in-house agencies that collaborate with clients to form better marketing solutions.

Established in 2004, our model is now driven by over 4000 people, working across more than 200 in-house agencies globally. Clients include The Guardian, Unilever, Barclaycard, PepsiCo, AXA, The AA, Adidas, BMW, Post Office, and 3M. OLIVER is part of the Inside Ideas Group (IIG), which also includes a global content agency to Adjust your Set, design, experience, and engineering company DARE and property marketing specialists Aylesworth Fleming.

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OUR VALUES

We are a company built on our values, we have given you a brief overview below but would love to tell you more.

Be Ambitious to succeed

Be Imaginative to push the boundaries of what’s possible

Be Inspirational to do groundbreaking work

Be always learning and listening to understand

Be Results-focused to exceed expectations

Be actively pro-inclusive and anti-racist across our community, clients and creations

We've set ambitious, market-leading environmental and social goals around sustainability at OLIVER. We have committed to be net zero by 2030 and take far-reaching action on DE&I in the sector. We expect everyone to contribute to our mission, embedding sustainability into every department and through every stage of the project lifecycle. 

Inside Ideas Group and its affiliates are equal opportunity employers committed to creating an inclusive working environment where all our employees are encouraged to reach their full potential, and individual differences are valued and respected. All [suitable] applicants shall be considered for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, neurodiversity, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by local laws.