Account Director - Planning

Havas Media; Manchester; On-site; GBP 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Havas Market in Manchester seeks an Account Director to lead senior client relationships and oversee integrated media campaigns across a portfolio of accounts. You will inspire teams, steer strategy, and ensure delivery excellence while contributing to the growth of the Manchester office.

You will own strategic planning across digital and offline channels, manage senior stakeholders, and drive profitability and operational efficiency, with a focus on developing talent and sustaining client

Qualifications

• Extensive media agency experience and senior client leadership.
• Proven ability to manage complex client relationships at a senior level.
• Deep understanding of integrated media planning across digital and offline channels.
• Strong commercial acumen and financial management.
• Confident presenting to senior stakeholders and guiding strategy.
• Experience coaching and developing high-performing teams.

Responsibilities

• Act as a senior day-to-day client lead and trusted advisor.
• Lead and inspire their team, the wider agency, clients, and other external partners.
• Lead strategic planning across integrated media campaigns.
• Translate business objectives into effective media strategies.
• Oversee campaign delivery and ensure quality across all outputs throughout the planning cycle.
• Manage senior stakeholder relationships both internally and externally.
• Support commercial growth, account development and retention opportunities.
• Lead, coach and develop Managers, Senior Executives and Executives.
• Drive collaboration across specialist channel teams.
• Ensure financial accuracy, profitability and operational efficiency.
• Contribute to wider department and agency initiatives.

Skills

Media agency experience

Senior client leadership

Integrated media planning

Strategic stakeholder influence

Team coaching

Commercial acumen

Presentation skills

Fast-paced environments

Job description

Agency: Havas Market

Job Description :

At Havas Media Network we create Meaningful Media that drives growth for the world’s most ambitious brands. Guided by our values—Human at Heart, Head for Rigour, and Mind for Flair—we embed genuine human insight, data-driven discipline and creative daring into everything we do. This role sits at the heart of that promise, bridging day-to-day planning with specialist capabilities to ensure data-driven thinking enhances every stage of media delivery.

Snapshot

The Account Director is responsible for leading client relationships, driving media excellence and overseeing the successful delivery of integrated media campaigns across a portfolio of accounts. This role combines strategic thinking, commercial awareness, leadership and client partnership. You'll be responsible for ensuring exceptional work is delivered whilst supporting team development and contributing to the continued growth of the Manchester office.

Responsibilities

• Act as a senior day-to-day client lead and trusted advisor.
• Able to lead and inspire their team, the wider agency, clients, and other external partners.
• Lead strategic planning across integrated media campaigns.
• Translate business objectives into effective media strategies.
• Oversee campaign delivery and ensure quality across all outputs throughout the planning cycle.
• Manage senior stakeholder relationships both internally and externally.
• Support commercial growth, account development and retention opportunities.
• Lead, coach and develop Managers, Senior Executives and Executives.
• Drive collaboration across specialist channel teams.
• Ensure financial accuracy, profitability and operational efficiency.
• Contribute to wider department and agency initiatives.

Who We're Looking For

• Strong experience within a media agency environment.
• Proven track record managing complex client relationships at a senior level.
• Extensive understanding of integrated media planning across digital and offline channels.
• Ability to lead strategic conversations and influence senior stakeholders.
• Experience managing, coaching and developing high-performing teams.
• Strong commercial acumen and financial management skills.
• Confident presenting in front of senior stakeholders across the campaign cycle.
• Comfortable working within fast-paced environments and balancing multiple priorities.

Contract Type

Permanent

Here at Havas across the group we pride ourselves on being committed to offering equal opportunities to all potential employees and have zero tolerance for discrimination. We are an equal opportunity employer and welcome applicants irrespective of age, sex, race, ethnicity, disability and other factors that have no bearing on an individual’s ability to perform their job.

About Us

Founded in 1835 by Charles-Louis Havas, Havas is one of the world’s largest global communications groups, with more than 23,000 people in over 100 countries sharing one single mission: to make a meaningful difference to brands, businesses, and people. Havas has developed a fully integrated model covering all communications activities. The teams of the three business units, Creative, Media and Health & You, work together with agility and in perfect synergy to offer clients tailor-made, meaningful, innovative and entertainment-oriented solutions that support them in their positive transformation.

Life at Havas

We take great pride in our Havas family. They bring many unique personalities, perspectives and passions to their work. Collaboration is at the core of how we operate, and Havas Villages are the homes we work in. We encourage our people to take advantage of our many opportunities to learn and grow. Through local agency training sessions, our unique global and development programs, we offer our people endless opportunities to explore.

Havas Media Network

We create the best media experience, capitalizing on the most meaningful media to build more meaningful brands. We know how to connect a client with their target audience – in the context of where they are, through the content they pay attention to. We deliver this expertise through the Mx System, our global operating methodology and strategic planning process, that creates value for our clients by turning consumer intelligence into clear growth targets, aligning stakeholders and KPIs, and measuring the impact of media experiences.

Havas Creative Network

At Havas, we believe creativity isn’t just a description of our business, it is part of our agencies’ DNA. We bring together some of the industry’s most creative and accomplished agencies. By combining creative expertise with the strategic and innovative power of our Villages, we can build seamless teams around the individual needs of each of our clients.

Havas Health

Driven by human purpose and focused on the betterment of humanity through health, Havas Health & You leverages a global collection of experts and individuals to help people everywhere live healthier lives. With a spirit rooted in innovation, creativity, and education, we are dedicated to delivering consistent excellence and groundbreaking work.