Account Director

Ogilvy Australia; Sydney; On-site; AUD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Global opportunities

16 weeks paid parental leave

Leading AI tools

Inclusive culture

Career development

Extra time off

Wellbeing support

Employee Assistance Program

Recognition and rewards

Referral bonuses

Exclusive discounts

Job summary

Ogilvy Australia is seeking an ambitious Account Director to lead a government account, developing a deep understanding of client challenges and driving the delivery of integrated, film-led campaigns from brief through to launch.

You’ll partner with the Strategy Lead to translate organisational and audience challenges into effective communications that matter for Australians, building strong client partnerships and guiding a high-performing team.

Qualifications

• Ambitious, proactive Account Director with strong client leadership.
• Ability to translate client challenges into integrated campaigns.
• Excellent relationship management across internal teams.
• Proven track record delivering high-quality work for complex accounts.

Responsibilities

• Build an open, honest and trusting relationship with the client and internal teams.
• Manage the Client’s expectations by keeping them in the loop and pre-empting issues.
• Lead a mixed-discipline agency team to develop and deliver high-standard creative work.
• Develop short- to mid-term communications strategies based on the client’s business plan.
• Collaborate with Strategy Lead to turn organisational and audience challenges into effective communications.
• Identify opportunities to grow the relationship with the client.

Skills

Client management

Strategy development

Stakeholder management

Team leadership

Communications

Education

Bachelor's degree in Marketing/Communications

Job description

The Account Director will play a central role in leading the account. Working closely with the account lead, you’ll develop a deep understanding of the client’s challenges and help manage and deliver integrated, film-led campaigns from brief through to launch.

Awareness and behaviour-change campaigns will be a major focus, turning complex issues into clear, engaging communications that make a meaningful difference for people across Australia.

Our government client delivers end-to-end campaigns for audiences across Australia, addressing important public issues. We’re looking for an ambitious, proactive Account Director who’s ready to get stuck in, build a strong client partnership and help deliver thoughtful, high-quality work across the account.

This is a highly strategic role. You’ll partner closely with the Strategy Lead and collaborate to turn organisational, policy and audience challenges into effective communications.

WHAT YOU'LL DO:

• Build an open, honest and trusting relationship with the client, the account management team, creative department and all other internal business units.
• Manage 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 organisational structure, culture and politics of the client’s business.
• Contribute to the development of business and marketing plans based on a thorough understanding of the market and consumer.
• Understanding of the trends and influences within the client’s 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.
• 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.
• Responsible for the work produced and seeks out opportunities to grow the relationship with the client.
• Implement new ways of working that allow 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 relationships 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.

WHY YOU'LL LOVE OGILVY

• Global opportunities – Access career pathways, projects and connections across the Ogilvy and WPP network.
• 16 weeks paid parental leave – Gender-neutral leave for all parents and caregivers.
• Leading AI tools – Exclusive access to WPP Open, our global AI platform.
• Inclusive culture – A workplace where everyone can belong and thrive.
• Career development – Personalised growth plans, coaching and ongoing learning opportunities.
• Extra time off – Birthday leave, Summer Fridays and loyalty leave.
• Wellbeing support – Health and fitness discounts, wellbeing programs and mindfulness resources.
• Employee Assistance Program – Free, confidential counselling support.
• Recognition and rewards – Celebrating great work and long-term contribution.
• Referral bonuses – Earn rewards for introducing great talent.
• Exclusive discounts – Savings on major brands through perkSPACE.

At Ogilvy, inclusivity is essential to our success. We're committed to building a workplace that embraces various perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds, knowing that diverse teams drive more impactful work.

We strongly encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, Māori, people with disabilities, diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds, all ages, genders, sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions, nationalities, and family structures.

We believe everyone thrives when they can be themselves. We provide equal opportunities and are committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels valued, respected, and empowered to reach their full potential.