As Account Director, you’ll be a driving force within the Client Service team, managing the delivery of memorable and effective transcreated campaigns for our client. All the while building and maintain strong relationships with both our clients and internal agency stakeholders. You will consistently drive excellence and have an excellent eye for detail.
Your duties will include but are not limited to:
Leadership & Teamwork
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Strong team player
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Support team development and mentorship of junior account staff where required
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Actively look to maintain and build positive working relationships
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Manage up – ensure your seniors are abreast of all activity on the account and empower them to support you through open lines of communication
Client services
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Drive client meetings when necessary, managing meeting protocols, agenda, etc.
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Ensure status is consistently up-to-date and correct
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Ensure that all meetings have thorough agendas, driving a productive outcome
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Ensure that contact reports are delivered timeously with key deliverables and then drive out those deliverables to the agreed timings
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Plan and participate in client review/approval meetings with team
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Develop a consulting / advisory capability with client and internal teams wherever possible
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Always be consistently responsive and accessible to your client
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Have tough and honest conversations with your client to enable service delivery excellence and to create trustwith your client
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Manage all kinds of personalities and always strive to get the best out of each individual
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Have an excellent knowledge understanding of the client, the agency, the strategy and the process to deliver efficiently and to the highest quality
Account Management, Project Management and Planning
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Work together with your full team across Creative (studio), Production, Development, etc. to deliver high quality work
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Manage tight deadlines while adhering to processes
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Seamlessly manage multiple stakeholders under the guidance of your business lead
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Take full ownership of every job that comes through you – ensure that every job is measured against client requirements and on-brand
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Write briefs with full clarity on all requirements
- Consider the impact of any given change briefed by client on other elements in a campaign or other jobs in the system – this might be a timing impact, or it might require more work on other elements / jobs
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Communicate with excellence, maturity and intent when writing or speaking
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Have excellent self-management, with thorough to-do lists and personal organization which supports your ability to be efficient and effective in your job
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Have an opinion and be solution-orientated
Finance
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Work with senior to finalise programme and budgets for client
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Assume accountability for financial aspects of cost management on client programmes
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Aware of financial status of accounts always
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Accurately review billing arrangements for clients
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Identify early account problems and act / advise solutions, in conjunction with seniors
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Support seniors to ensure smooth integration of new business and smooth running of existing accounts
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Understand what jobs are in scope and out-of-scope to ensure that costs are raised accurately and upfront as required
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Ensure that your billings are completed by billing cut off each month
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Ensure that client CEs are approved before any supplier POs are raised
Excellence in Digital Delivery
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Maintain the integrity of the creative strategy and work throughout the campaign
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Ensure that the right people have approved all work before it is sent to client
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Understand digital best practice, platforms and specs
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Ensure that the right people have been included in client meetings to support the outcome of the meeting and that everyone is prepared and aligned
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Keep abreast of what is happening in the market (broad communication trends and client competitor work) to add additional value to your client’s business
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Be prepared to work long hours as and when is necessary in order to deliver according to the deadline and to support the broader team
Culture
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Support company culture; actively seek new, smarter ways of doing things
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Be seen as an ambassador for the company
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Join in the agency culture to build strong relationships across the business
You will be a strategic thought leader within the agency, expected to bring a mix of business acumen, brand expertise, and leadership skills to guide your team towards consistently achieving excellence. Your ability to create and execute integrated marketing solutions across a range of platforms will be key to transforming brands and building lasting client relationships.
You will stay at the forefront of industry trends, with a sharp understanding of South African culture, consumer behaviour, and the digital landscape. Your expertise will drive the strategic vision of each project, ensuring that the work resonates with target audiences while aligning with both the brand’s and agency's objectives.
Immaculate attention to detail, financial acumen, and a deep understanding of what it takes to build and sustain client partnerships will be paramount in this role. Your ability to lead and inspire your team while navigating the complexities of client needs and expectations will set you apart as a true leader.
You will collaborate closely with cross-functional teams—creative, strategy, media, and production—to develop and execute campaigns that make an impact. This role requires a confident communicator, a proactive problem-solver, and someone who thrives in a fast-paced, results-driven environment.
Must have a working knowledge of the following platforms and tools:
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Microsoft Word
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Microsoft Excel
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Microsoft PowerPoint
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Chase Software
These KPIs will help ensure that you are aligned with your performance expectations in order to set yourself and the team up for success.
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Build and maintain strong relationships with clients, including monthly connects.
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Build and maintain strong relationships with the Last Mile teams, including weekly connects.
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Foster a culture of collaboration, innovation, and continuous learning within the agency.
KPIs:
KPI 1: OTIF – on time, full delivery:
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Lead and ensure all 2025 adaptation campaigns across the four Markets are delivered on time and in full. Phased deliveries does not count as meeting OTIF.
- Ensuring Monday.com timing plans are created for all campaign deliverables and are updated regularly/as required to hold the client accountable for any delays. Monday.com timing plans are the only way to ensure we monitor OTIF.
- Wash-Ups
KPI 2: Asset Tracking:
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Naming taxonomy & DAM Uploads – 100% accuracy
KPI 3: Precision Marketing Test:
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Ensure you take and pass the Precision Marketing test – date TBC
Governance & Brand CI:
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Ensure campaigns being delivered align to the Global guidelines, Governance local client brief.
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Responsible for risk management and proper escalation with regards to deviations.
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Ensuring STQ to manual deviation comms are being shared with local client for CDU to be aware of what the deviation requests mean from a STQ vs manual POT (cost & time affects).
- PBR (OTIF, Asset Tracking & PM Test)
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Quality control is essential to ensure that the adaptation from the Global/Regional Playbooks aligns with the client brief and incorporates feedback as well as maintaining Brand CI and Governance.
- To achieve this, there needs to be a balance between OTIF, quality, and budget when delivering campaigns.
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Continue to maintain strong and trusting relationships both internally and externally.
BUSINESS GROWTH AND OPERATIONS
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Flawlessly execute all campaign deliveries across the Markets in time and in full, in line with agreed SOW.
- Proactivity in planning and briefing will be imperative.
- 100% OTIF on all South African and MENA Last Mile briefs
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100% Naming Taxonomy Compliance
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100% Asset Tracker Compliance
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100% DAM Upload 10 working days post delivery
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Precision Marketing Test Pass
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Demonstrate thought leadership and category expertise in the BDF business portfolio.
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Drive business growth through OOS identification and proactive opportunities
PERSONAL GROWTH
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Seek and apply feedback from peers, managers, clients, and other sources to improve personal and professional skills and competencies.
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Build confidence in leading the full team collective
- Engage in continuous learning and development activities, such as attending training, workshops, conferences, and webinars.
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Balance personal and professional priorities and maintain a healthy and positive work-life integration.
KPIs
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Monthly connects with Adaptation HUB Lead to understand the bigger business picture and business acumen.
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Lead internal status meetings
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Take the lead in 80% client meetings
