We are seeking a Cape Town-based Account Director to work on a portfolio of leading financial services clients. The successful candidate must have extensive experience working on consumer and corporate Earned Media clients and integrated campaigns, with specific experience in financial services, essential. It is imperative that the successful candidate keeps abreast of all Earned Media, PR and Influencer trends, within industry best practices.

Responsibilities (include but are not limited to):

• Senior client lead and team lead, interprets, develops, and manages strategy for clients and ensures that all plans are delivered and are in line with scope of work.

• Manage client expectations and service delivery by being a focal point for day-to-day interaction and take responsibility for the delivery of exceptional work.

• Build and manage client business and relationships, taking ultimate responsibility for client relationships with senior client contacts as well as senior business contacts and be a strategic business partner. 

• Understand the client’s strategy and agency process to deliver efficiently and to the highest quality.

• Ensures all work produced by team is of the highest standard and demonstrates creativity, attention-to-detail, contemporary thinking, use of new approaches and links to overall strategy and supports clients' business objectives.

• Actively ensures that team members grow and develop into strong Earned Media professionals, through growth opportunities, upskilling, delegation, accountability, and mentoring.

• Responsible for overall ‘health’ and happiness of client team.

• Expert at delivering content and solutions that speak to full PESO model (Paid, Earned, Shared, Owned).

• Expert in at least one communication area (e.g. media relations, influencer relations, content).

• Handles all contractual and financial aspects of client relationship including scope of work, client KPIs, team resourcing and hour allocation, budget tracking and management. Including renegotiating annual retainer increase.

• Manages profitability of team, over- and under-servicing trends in team and proactively manages to correct.

• Ensures financial admin (Workbook) is running smoothly and accurately.

• Actively looks for opportunities to sell-in new projects, services or organically grow clients in other ways.

• Leads and participates in new business pitches.

• Supports Business Unit Director in driving and growing Earned Media through new business, new products and new thinking.

• Ability to manage different personalities and always strive to get the best out of each individual.

• Keep abreast of industry (Earned Media) trends in order to add additional value to your client’s business.

Personal Attributes:

• Team player with the ability to work independently.

• Ability to remain calm in a fast-paced environment.

• Creative “out of the box” thinker.

• People focused including being approachable, emotionally intelligent, empathetic and compassionate.

• Proactive.

• Resilient.

• Curious and analytical.

• Deadline-driven.

• Solution-driven.

• Meticulous with attention to detail.

• Other: Able to work on-site/ in office and visit clients.