Media Account Director

ADLIB; Bristol; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading independent media agency is seeking a Media Account Director to lead strategic planning and delivery of paid media campaigns for various clients. In this pivotal role, you will manage client relationships, negotiate media partnerships, and guide campaigns across digital platforms while mentoring junior team members. This position offers the chance to shape impactful strategies and collaborate with professionals in the industry.

Qualifications

• Solid background in media planning or strategy, ideally in an agency setting.
• Strong working knowledge of Meta, Google Ads, and YouTube.
• Commercially aware, with experience in media buying or negotiations.

Responsibilities

• Leading paid media strategy, recommending channel mix and budgets.
• Advising on budget splits and platform strategy.
• Negotiating media buys and partnerships.

Skills

Media planning

Digital channels

Negotiation

Client management

Performance insights

Job description

We’re working with a brilliant independent media agency that partners with global brands on creative, high-impact paid campaigns. They’re looking to bring in a Media Account Director – someone who can lead the strategic planning and delivery of paid media activity across a mix of clients.

This role is all about thinking big: making sense of client goals, shaping smart media plans, and working closely with channel specialists to ensure campaigns land well. You won’t be hands-on in platforms, but you’ll need to know what good looks like – and be able to guide others towards it.

What you'll be doing:
You’ll lead paid media strategy from the top – recommending channel mix, allocating budgets, and developing campaigns across Meta, Google, YouTube and specialist platforms. Your role will be to steer the thinking, keep performance on track, and offer clients real clarity on where their spend is working hardest.

You'll also negotiate media partnerships and branded content deals, and support the team in developing bold, insight-driven campaigns that deliver.
Key responsibilities include:

• Leading paid media planning across awareness, consideration and conversion
• Advising on budget splits, flighting and platform strategy
• Shaping and evolving campaigns based on performance data and insights
• Negotiating media buys and content-led partnerships
• Acting as the strategic point of contact for your clients
• Collaborating with channel and delivery teams to keep work sharp and effective
• Mentoring junior team members and helping them build strategic confidence

What we’re looking for:

• A solid background in media planning or strategy, ideally in an agency setting
• Strong working knowledge of digital channels – Meta, Google Ads, YouTube and beyond
• Comfortable leading conversations around performance, insights and optimisation
• Confident managing client relationships and bringing clarity to complex plans
• Commercially aware, with experience of media buying or partnership negotiations
• Not hands-on – but you understand the detail, and how to get the best out of specialists

This is a great opportunity for someone who’s ready to own the strategic direction of campaigns and build strong, consultative relationships with both clients and internal teams. If that sounds like your next move – we’d love to chat.