Account Director – Fixed-Term Contract / Freelance

DAC; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

DAC in London is seeking an experienced Account Director for a fixed-term contract from December 2026 to May 2027, or a freelance engagement. You will lead client relationships, oversee integrated digital marketing programmes and work with media, SEO, content, analytics, and development teams to ensure on-time, on-budget delivery.

The role requires a commercially minded, digitally savvy leader who can drive strategy, coordinate cross-functional teams and deliver high-quality client service

Qualifications

• 7+ years in client services or account management.
• ≥3 years managing integrated digital marketing accounts (SEO, Paid Search, Paid Social, Content).
• Proven experience leading account teams, budgets and complex programmes.
• Experience with enterprise brands.
• Strong commercial awareness and opportunity spotting for growth.
• Excellent client relationship management and stakeholder engagement.
• Ability to translate objectives into actionable marketing programmes.
• Strong project management and organisational skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication; compelling presentations.
• Collaborative and proactive with cross-disciplinary teams.

Responsibilities

• Act as the senior day-to-day contact for key client accounts and build trusted relationships.
• Develop understanding of each client's business, objectives and priorities.
• Provide strategic direction to ensure digital programmes deliver measurable results.
• Lead client meetings, discussions and performance reviews.
• Manage expectations and maintain high service levels.
• Identify opportunities to grow accounts with additional services.
• Oversee planning and delivery of integrated programmes across multiple disciplines.
• Collaborate with internal teams to ensure joined-up delivery.
• Translate requirements into briefs, scopes and actionable plans.
• Ensure campaigns are delivered on time and within budgets.
• Monitor performance and identify optimisation opportunities.
• Maintain client documentation including reports and budgets.

Skills

Account management

Digital marketing

Leadership

Budgets & forecasting

Client relationship

Strategic planning

Cross-functional collaboration

AI tools awareness

Presentation skills

Organisational skills

Education

Degree in marketing or business

Tools

PowerPoint

Excel

Job description

About the Role

We are looking for an experienced Account Director to join our London team on a fixed-term contract from December to May, or on a freelance basis.

This is an exciting opportunity for a commercially minded, digitally savvy Account Director who thrives on building strong client relationships, leading integrated teams and delivering outstanding results.

As Account Director, you will take ownership of key client relationships and oversee the strategic direction and delivery of integrated digital marketing programmes. Working closely with our media, SEO, content, analytics, strategy and development teams, you will ensure campaigns and projects are delivered effectively, on time, within budget and against agreed client objectives.

You will be a trusted partner to senior client stakeholders, providing strategic guidance, identifying opportunities for growth and ensuring a consistently high standard of client service.

We are looking for someone who can hit the ground running, confidently lead client conversations and bring together cross-functional teams to deliver exceptional work.

What You Will Bring

• At least 7 years of experience in client services or account management, ideally within a digital marketing or integrated agency environment.
• A minimum of 3 years of experience managing integrated digital marketing accounts, including channels such as SEO, Paid Search, Paid Social, Content and Digital Media.
• Proven experience leading account teams, managing budgets and overseeing complex client programmes.
• Experience working with large, enterprise-level or internationally recognised brands.
• Strong commercial awareness, including experience managing account profitability, forecasting and identifying opportunities for organic growth.
• Excellent client relationship management skills, with the confidence to engage, influence and advise senior stakeholders.
• Experience developing strategic account plans and translating client objectives into actionable marketing programmes.
• Strong project management and organisational skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to develop and deliver compelling presentations.
• A collaborative and proactive approach, with the ability to bring together different disciplines and teams.
• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly PowerPoint and Excel.
• A degree in marketing, business or a related field is desirable, or equivalent relevant experience.
• Confidence and familiarity with AI-powered tools, with the ability to incorporate AI into everyday workflows to improve efficiency, productivity and the quality of deliverables.
• A proactive mindset towards emerging technologies, with a willingness to explore and adopt new AI capabilities to enhance client service and team performance.

What You Will Do

Client Leadership & Relationship Management

• Act as the senior day-to-day contact for key client accounts, building trusted, long-term relationships with stakeholders.
• Develop a strong understanding of each client's business, industry, marketing objectives and commercial priorities.
• Provide strategic direction and recommendations to ensure digital marketing programmes deliver measurable business results.
• Lead client meetings, strategic discussions, presentations and performance reviews.
• Proactively manage client expectations, identify potential challenges and ensure a consistently high level of service.
• Identify opportunities to strengthen existing relationships and grow accounts through additional services and solutions.

Account Strategy & Delivery

• Oversee the planning, coordination and delivery of integrated digital marketing programmes across multiple disciplines.
• Collaborate closely with internal specialists across media, SEO, content, strategy, analytics and development to ensure joined-up delivery.
• Translate client requirements into clear briefs, project scopes and actionable plans.
• Ensure campaigns and projects are delivered to a high standard, on time and within agreed budgets.
• Monitor programme performance against agreed KPIs, working with internal teams to identify opportunities for optimisation.
• Maintain clear and accurate client documentation, including contact reports, status updates, project plans and budget tracking.

Commercial & Financial Management

• Take ownership of account financial performance, including budgets, revenue delivery, profitability and forecasting.
• Develop and maintain account plans that support client objectives and commercial targets.
• Identify opportunities for organic account growth and additional project work.
• Ensure projects and retainers are managed efficiently and in line with agreed scopes and commercial expectations.

Team Leadership & Collaboration

• Provide direction, support and leadership to Account Managers and Account Executives.
• Work collaboratively with cross-functional teams to ensure alignment on client priorities, deliverables and deadlines.
• Foster a positive, solutions-focused working environment that encourages accountability and high performance.
• Support new business opportunities where required, including pitches, proposals and RFP responses.
• Share knowledge, industry insights and best practices across the wider agency.
• Champion the effective and responsible use of AI tools across account management processes, identifying opportunities to streamline workflows, enhance strategic thinking and improve client deliverables.

Working Arrangements

This role is based in London and is available as either a fixed-term contract from December 2026 to May 2027 or a freelance engagement.

We operate a hybrid working model, with three days per week in our London office and two days working from home.

We are looking for someone who can quickly integrate into the team, take ownership of client relationships and make an immediate impact throughout the contract period.