Senior Account Manager (Maternity Cover)

Johnson Banks; Greater London; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

20 days annual leave

Company pension

2 days annual conference/training

Networking opportunities

Job summary

Johnson Banks in London is seeking an experienced Senior Account Manager to join on a fixed-term maternity cover. You will manage day-to-day client relationships, ensure projects are well briefed, organised and delivered to a high standard, and take over existing client relationships with a smooth handover.

You’ll work closely with the Creative Director and design team to maintain client satisfaction, manage budgets and deadlines, and uphold commercial awareness while coordinating across a

Qualifications

• At least 6 years’ experience in account management within a creative agency.
• Experience managing budgets, timelines and project scope.
• Strong client relationship and communication skills.
• Experience briefing and working with creative teams.
• Excellent organisational and administrative skills.
• Confidence communicating with senior client stakeholders.
• An understanding of branding, design processes.
• Ability to use Excel/Google Sheets and Keynote to an intermediate level.
• Familiarity with a Mac environment.

Responsibilities

• Act as the main day‑to‑day contact for a portfolio of existing clients.
• Lead regular client communications, meetings and project updates.
• Take ownership of existing branding and design projects from brief through to delivery.
• Develop and maintain project plans, schedules and milestones.
• Coordinate work across the Creative Director and design team.
• Manage project budgets, estimates and scopes of work.

Skills

Client relationships

Budget management

Project management

Communication skills

Organisational skills

Mac OS familiarity

Branding knowledge

Tools

Excel/Google Sheets

Keynote

Mac environment

Job description

• Location: Clapham Common, London (On-site at least 3 days a week)
• Contract: Fixed-term maternity cover, 12 months, full-time
• Reporting to: Creative Director

In a nutshell: You'll be the main link between our clients and our creative team, managing relationships, projects, budgets and deadlines across a range of branding and design work for a fantastic array of not-for-profit, cultural, philanthropic and & higher-education clients. You'll be stepping into an established role, so we're looking for someone experienced, organised and confident enough to take ownership quickly and keep things running smoothly.

About the role

We’re looking for an experienced Senior Account Manager to join our small, but well-known award-winning branding agency on a fixed-term maternity cover.

This is a hands‑on role at the heart of the studio. Working closely with our Creative Director and design team, you’ll be responsible for managing our day‑to‑day client relationships and making sure projects are well briefed, well organised and delivered to a high standard.

You’ll be stepping into an established role, taking over existing client relationships and live projects. We’ll provide a thorough handover, but you’ll need to be comfortable taking ownership quickly, managing your own workload and using your judgement to keep things moving.

You’ll be the key link between our clients and the creative team — understanding what clients need, keeping them informed, managing expectations and making sure the studio has everything it needs to deliver great work.

This is an ideal role for someone who enjoys the variety and responsibility of working in a small agency, but with large, well-known clients and who can combine excellent client management with strong project organisation and commercial awareness.

What you’ll be doing

Managing client relationships

• Act as the main day‑to‑day contact for a portfolio of existing clients including the Imperial War Museum, University of Cambridge, University of Manchester, the National Trust and many more
• Get quickly up to speed with each client’s organisation, priorities, ways of working and current projects.
• Lead regular client communications, meetings and project updates.
• Make sure clients understand what’s happening, what’s needed from them and what happens next.
• Manage client feedback and expectations clearly and constructively.
• Deal confidently with changes, questions and challenges as they arise.
• Maintain continuity and a consistently high level of client service throughout the cover period.

Managing projects

• Take ownership of existing branding and design projects from brief through to delivery.
• Get up to speed quickly with live projects, timelines, budgets and outstanding actions.
• Develop and maintain project plans, schedules and milestones.
• Coordinate work across the Creative Director and design team.
• Keep projects moving and flag risks, delays or changes early.
• Manage the flow of feedback and approvals between clients and the creative team.
• Ensure briefs and requests are clear, complete and actionable.
• Coordinate external suppliers and production partners where required
• Make sure final deliverables are accurate and delivered as agreed.

Commercial management

• Manage project budgets, estimates and scopes of work.
• Monitor costs and scope throughout delivery.
• Identify potential changes to scope or additional costs and discuss these with clients and the Creative Director.
• Prepare estimates and proposals, and support the preparation of invoices.
• Help ensure projects remain commercially viable and appropriately resourced.

Working with the creative team

• Work closely with the Creative Director and designers to manage studio priorities.
• Make sure the team has clear briefs, deadlines and client feedback.
• Cross-check client feedback against the team’s work to ensure all feedback has been actioned or responded to
• Help protect creative time by taking ownership of day-to-day client and project administration.
• Act as a constructive bridge between client requirements and creative ambition.
• Use your judgement about what you can resolve yourself and what needs to be discussed with the Creative Director.
• Contribute to a collaborative and positive studio environment.

Supporting new business and client development

• Maintain awareness of opportunities within existing client relationships.
• Support the Creative Director with tenders, proposals, presentations and pitches where required.
• Help develop new opportunities that arise during the cover period.
• Ensure any new business activity is followed up and managed appropriately.

About you

We’re looking for someone who can hit the ground running and quickly become a trusted member of the team.

You’ll ideally have experience in an account management, client services or project management role within a branding or design agency.

You’ll be:

• Organised and self-sufficient — able to take ownership without needing constant direction.
• Client-focused — confident building relationships and managing expectations.
• Commercially aware — comfortable with budgets, estimates, scope and fees.
• A clear communicator — able to keep clients and creatives aligned.
• Proactive — you’ll spot potential problems and deal with them before they escalater
  
• Calm and pragmatic — able to manage changing priorities and the occasional tight deadline.
• Detail-oriented — particularly when it comes to project information, deliverables and deadlines.
• Creative-minded — genuinely interested in branding and design and comfortable discussing creative work with both clients and our design team.
• Collaborative — happy working closely with a small team and contributing wherever needed.
• Confident in your judgement — able to make decisions independently while knowing when to involve the Creative Director.

Please note that we are unable to provide visa sponsorship for this role. To be considered, candidates must have the independent legal right to work in the UK at the time of application.

Experience and skills

Essential

• At least 6 years’ experience in account management, client services or project management within a creative agency.
• Experience managing multiple projects and clients at the same time.
• Strong client relationship and communication skills.
• Experience managing budgets, timelines and project scope.
• Experience briefing and working with creative teams.
• Excellent organisational and administrative skills.
• Confidence communicating with senior client stakeholders.
• An understanding of branding, design and creative processes.
• Ability to use Excel/Google Sheets and Keynote to an intermediate level
• Familiarity with a Mac environment

Desirable

• Experience within a branding or design agency.
• Experience working across brand strategy, identity and brand implementation.
• Experience managing external suppliers and production.
• Experience supporting pitches and new business.

The handover

As this is a maternity cover position, there will be a structured handover from the current Account Director before the start of the role.

We’re looking for someone who can use that handover as a foundation and then confidently take ownership of the role.

What we offer

• 20 days annual leave plus 8 bank holidays, and extra leave over the Christmas period.
• A company pension with generous employer contributions, along with a pension advisor
• 2 days annual conference/training leave plus training/conference budget
• Networking opportunities, global clients and guaranteed access to important projects

About us

We’re a small independent branding agency, working closely with our clients to create thoughtful, distinctive and effective brands.

Our team is deliberately small, which means everyone has a meaningful role in the work and in how the agency operates. You’ll work directly with the Creative Director and design team, with genuine responsibility for the clients and projects you manage.

This is a great opportunity for an experienced Account Manager who enjoys close client relationships, good creative work and the variety and responsibility that comes with working in a small studio.