Senior Account Director

Publicis Groupe Holdings B.V; Sydney; On-site; AUD 140,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Birthday leave

Flexible working

Leave after 2 years of service

World travel opportunities

Mentoring programs

Job summary

Herd MSL, part of Publicis Groupe ANZ, is seeking a Senior Account Director to lead our award‑winning Consumer team in Australia. You will partner closely with senior clients, drive earned-first ideas, and guide major integrated campaigns, shaping strategy from brief to delivery.

You’ll mentor teams, manage budgets, and contribute to growth opportunities while navigating a fast‑paced, flexible agency environment in Sydney or Melbourne.

Qualifications

• Proven Senior Account Director with integrated communications or PR expertise.
• Strong ability to present strategic recommendations to senior clients.
• Excellent relationship-building and trust-building capabilities.
• Solid commercial acumen including budgeting, forecasting, and account management.

Responsibilities

• Lead key client relationships as trusted advisor to senior stakeholders.
• Develop earned-first, culturally relevant ideas to drive attention and results.
• Shape strategy, creative thinking, and integrated campaign solutions.
• Oversee delivery of campaigns, ensuring quality and on-time execution.
• Collaborate with social, influencer, creative and media specialists on integrated campaigns.
• Mentor and develop high-performing account teams and drive momentum.
• Manage forecasting, budgeting, profitability and growth opportunities.
• Support new business opportunities and agency growth initiatives.

Skills

Senior leadership

Earned-first ideas

Client relationship

Budgeting

Team leadership

AI tools knowledge

Tools

Marcel AI Platform

Job description

Herd MSL represents one of Australia’s largest and most awarded group of agencies. Part of Publicis Groupe ANZ and global PR network MSL, Herd MSL has more than 21 years in the market and has achieved multiple agency and campaign wins and Cannes Awards for creativity – including PRIA’s 2022 Agency Team of the Year.

We work with an impressive portfolio of clients ranging from established multinational technology companies and leading consumer and corporate brands to innovative industry leaders and state and federal government departments.

At Herd MSL, we encourage our people to work in a way that provides balance, and we pride ourselves in fostering a behavior-led approach to flexibility. We are fun and fast-paced and thrive in a learning-based culture.

Company description

Herd MSL represents one of Australia’s largest and most awarded group of agencies. Part of Publicis Groupe ANZ and global PR network MSL, Herd MSL has more than 21 years in the market and has achieved multiple agency and campaign wins and Cannes Awards for creativity – including PRIA’s 2022 Agency Team of the Year.

We work with an impressive portfolio of clients ranging from established multinational technology companies and leading consumer and corporate brands to innovative industry leaders and state and federal government departments.

At Herd MSL, we encourage our people to work in a way that provides balance, and we pride ourselves in fostering a behavior-led approach to flexibility. We are fun and fast-paced and thrive in a learning-based culture.

Overview

Role Overview:

Ready to lead some of Australia's most recognised consumer brands and shape work that gets people talking?

Herd MSL is looking for a Senior Account Director to join our award-winning Consumer team. This is an opportunity to step into a high-profile leadership role working across major integrated brands, partnering closely with senior clients, driving earned-first ideas, and helping grow some of the agency's most important accounts. The role sits within a business experiencing strong momentum, new business success, and exciting growth opportunities.

You'll be a trusted advisor to clients, a mentor to talented teams, and the person who can turn ambitious briefs into culturally relevant campaigns that deliver real impact. You'll have the autonomy to lead, the support to grow, and a genuine pathway towards Group Account Director level.

Whether you're Sydney-based or an exceptional Melbourne candidate, we'd love to hear from you.

Responsibilities

• Lead key client relationships and act as a trusted strategic advisor to senior stakeholders.
• Develop and sell earned-first, culturally relevant ideas that drive attention, conversation, and results.
• Lead responses to client briefs, helping shape strategy, creative thinking and integrated campaign solutions.
• Oversee campaign delivery, ensuring work is executed to a high standard, on time and within scope.
• Partner with social, influencer, creative and media specialists to deliver integrated campaigns.
• Guide and develop high-performing account teams, creating clarity, confidence, and momentum.
• Manage forecasting, budgeting, profitability and account growth opportunities.
• Support new business opportunities and contribute to agency growth initiatives.

Qualifications

• Proven experience at Senior Account Director level leading integrated communications, PR or earned-led accounts.
• Demonstrated success developing earned ideas that generate media impact and cultural relevance.
• Confidence presenting strategic recommendations and creative concepts to senior clients.
• Outstanding relationship-building skills and the ability to establish trust quickly.
• Strong commercial acumen, including budgeting, forecasting and account management.
• Experience leading teams, managing multiple workstreams and maintaining high-quality delivery.
• Strong understanding of earned media, social trends and integrated communications.
• A proactive, collaborative and solutions-focused approach, with the confidence to navigate ambiguity and drive progress.
• Experience using AI tools and emerging technology to enhance team effectiveness is highly regarded.

Why Herd MSL?

• Work on some of Australia's most recognised consumer brands.
• Join an agency in a strong growth phase with exciting new account wins.
• Genuine career progression and development opportunities.
• Flexible working and access to world-class learning and mentoring programs.
• International travel opportunities, high-profile events and integrated campaigns.
• Backed by the scale, benefits and career opportunities of Publicis Groupe.

If you’re a strategic thinker, natural relationship builder and passionate about creating work that earns attention and drives business impact, we'd love to hear from you.

What we will offer you

Herd MSL offers flexible working arrangements to suit personal commitments in a fast-paced and fun environment. We offer a people focused learning culture, variety and opportunity, and a heap of added benefits including birthday days off, Friday 3pm finish throughout summer, additional leave with longevity, access to industry leading mentors and much more. Plus, you get to work in our creative and open office in the heart of Pyrmont.

#LI-JH2

Additional information

Publicis Groupe benefits: Be a part of the Publicis Groupe family, recent winner of the Employer of Choice Awards and one of the world's most progressive and dynamic modern communications businesses. You can learn more about us at www.publicisgroupeanz.com.

Enjoy all the perks that come with our network offering:

• A comprehensive Wholeself program supporting physical, mindful, and financial wellbeing.
• A creative, lively, and rewarding office environment where people love working with each other, supported by our Publicis Liberté flexibility approach — "working your way with us."
• Access to our Global AI Platform Marcel, connecting Publicis Groupe employees with opportunities for career mobility and collaboration across our global network.
• Extensive Learning & Development opportunities including more than 15,000 learning programs via our online learning platform, Marcel Classes.
• A culture of open feedback and support to reach your goals through our Career Conversations program.
• A committed Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion strategy driven through our Viva Women, Égalité, enABLE, EmbRACE, and Écologique committees.
• Leave benefits including Birthday Leave, Flexible Public Holidays, and an additional 5 days of leave after 2 years of service.
• Work Your World program enabling employees the flexibility to work from anywhere in the world for up to 6 weeks per year.
• Parental leave policy with up to 18 weeks based on tenure, paid primary carer leave, secondary carer swap, and Cub Care leave.
• Access to counsellors, psychologists, and professionals through Sonder, an all-in-one digital wellbeing technology platform designed to support psychological, medical & safety needs.
• A workplace that stands together to provide a more open, supportive, and recovery-forward culture for all employees with life-threatening illnesses. Read more about our Working With Cancer Pledge: https://workingwithcancerpledge.com/
• Proud partners of Diversity Council Australia, Pride in Diversity, Family Friendly Workplaces, Supply Nation, and the Australian Disability Network.

If you don't tick every box in this ad, please don't rule yourself out. Research suggests that women and other people in underrepresented groups tend to only apply if they meet every requirement. We focus on hiring people who share our values of inclusion, collaboration, adaptability, fearlessness, and integrity rather than ticking boxes — so if this role resonates with you, please apply.

Diversity. Inclusion. Equity. More than just words; these are part of our DNA. At Publicis Groupe, we are committed to the inclusion and recognition of all people regardless of race, age, culture, ability, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, and religious affiliation. We believe that to deliver the best solutions to our clients, our people need to reflect the diverse communities in which our clients operate. We value diversity and the skills, knowledge, and experience that difference brings to our culture and solutions.

Uniqueness is powerful; without it, we wouldn't be where we are today. So be you — we like it that way.

We are committed to providing reasonable adjustments for people with disability or those that require additional support throughout the application process. If you need any assistance or adjustments, please contact us via ***********@publicisgroupe.com; your personal information will be kept confidential.