Account Director

Direct Recruitment; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work

London office

Job summary

Direct Recruitment is seeking an experienced Account Director to lead family-focused retail marketing campaigns for a major global brand from briefing through to delivery. You will head internal specialists, build senior client relationships and manage large, complex campaigns spanning packaging, in-store experiences, digital formats and partnerships.

The role requires proven AD-level experience in an agency setting, strong leadership, and a proactive, detail-oriented approach.

Qualifications

• EOI: proven account leadership in an agency environment at AD level.
• Experience across shopper, retail, packaging or activation campaigns is ideal.
• Strong client-facing and commercial awareness with leadership skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead major campaigns from briefing to delivery with internal specialists.
• Develop trusted senior client relationships and steer meetings.
• Oversee multi-channel retail programmes and partnerships.
• Ensure campaigns are strategically strong, creatively effective and delivered on time.
• Mentor junior team members and manage high-volume activities.

Skills

Account management

Client relationships

Integrated marketing

Stakeholder management

Presentation skills

Strategic thinking

Education

Marketing degree or equivalent

Tools

PowerPoint

CRM

Excel

Job description

We’re looking for an experienced Account Director to lead high-profile, family-focused retail marketing campaigns for a major global brand.

This is an opportunity to join a collaborative integrated marketing agency and work on campaigns that reach millions of families. You’ll lead a busy annual programme of activations, working approximately two years ahead across point-of-purchase communications, packaging, in-store experiences and digital retail formats.

The role

You’ll take ownership of major campaigns from briefing through to delivery, leading internal specialists and building trusted senior client relationships. The work spans:

• Family and children’s retail campaigns
• Packaging and print production
• In-store point-of-purchase communications
• Digital screens, interactive retail formats and gamification
• Toy, premium and promotional-product development
• Partnerships with leading children’s entertainment and licensing brands
• Sustainability-led innovation across materials, packaging and products

You’ll bring a confident point of view, identify the underlying business challenge behind each brief, and ensure work is strategically strong, creatively effective and flawlessly delivered.

What we’re looking for

• Proven experience already operating at Account Director level within an agency environment.
• Previous line-management experience, with a genuine interest in developing others.
• Strong integrated marketing experience, ideally across shopper, retail, packaging, print, promotional or activation work.
• Comfortable managing complex, high-volume campaign programmes with multiple stakeholders.
• A confident and articulate presenter, able to lead and steer meetings with varied audiences.
• Excellent client-management skills and commercial awareness.
• A proactive, solutions-focused approach and strong attention to detail.
• An interest in children’s, family or youth-focused brands and experiences would be highly advantageous.
• Adaptable, organised and comfortable navigating detailed production and delivery processes.

This is a hybrid role requiring 2-3 days a week in the London based office. A genuinely supportive, open, and collaborative culture with real scope to contribute ideas and make an impact, alongside the chance to work on large-scale internationally recognised campaigns.

We are ideally looking for someone who can start in October 2026 however this may be flexible.