Account Director

K2D Strategies; Arlington (VA); Hybrid; USD 81,000 - 99,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health and Wellness

Work-Life Balance

Financial Wellness

Professional Development

Additional Benefits

Compensation: starts at $90,000/year

Job summary

K2D Strategies in Arlington, VA is seeking an Account Director to lead fundraising programs and oversee client relations with a matrixed team. You will shape strategy, manage budgets, and coordinate external partners to deliver impact across political discourse, social action, and culture shift.

The role requires 8–10 years in direct response, agency fundraising experience, and strong leadership. Hybrid work with access to Arlington offices supports collaboration and client service excellence.

Qualifications

• 8–10 years of direct response experience (direct mail or digital account management)
• Agency experience preferred with fundraising programs
• Ability to lead cross-functional client teams and manage relationships
• Strong communication and analytical skills
• Experience managing remote teams and complex program scopes

Responsibilities

• Develop fundraising and engagement strategy and plan for integrated initiatives
• Build and manage client relationships through regular meetings and ongoing communications
• Lead live meetings, including QBRs; prepare meeting materials with account teams
• Determine organizational objectives with clients and create strategies to reach goals
• Develop clients’ annual communication calendars and budgets
• Demonstrate in-depth knowledge of client processes and resources to drive performance
• Provide data-driven analysis of campaigns and KPI data to address challenges
• Foster collaboration within the wider team and external resources
• Ensure fundraising and engagement best practices are applied
• Manage scope and ad hoc billing within the retainer
• Participate in webinars, conferences, and new business proposals

Skills

Client management

Project management

Communication skills

Team leadership

Tools

Convio/Blackbaud

Engaging Networks

EveryAction

Salesforce

CMS (open/proprietary)

HTML/CSS

Google Analytics/SEO

Job description

K2D Strategies isagrowingfundraisingagency that holisticallyapproachesdirect response through a channel-agnostic lens.The Account Director is responsible for developing the strategy and overseeing the execution and implementation of all client fundraising programs, This position is responsible for managing a team to service clients, overseeing client relationships, and coordinating external partners in support of strong fundraising and engagement as well as budget management.

Ourcompanyculture is focused on collaboration, empathy, curiosity, and trust, and our clients are changing the world in Washington, DC, and across the country through political discourse, social action, culture shift,and so much more.

AtK2D, we respect and celebrate our differences and know that employees with varied life experiences, backgrounds and skills make us a stronger company and a great place to work. We aren’t shy about saying our team is the best in the business, and we wonder if you might be the perfect new teammate!

Primary Responsibilities

• Develop fundraising and engagement strategy and a plan for executing integrated strategies as appropriate
• Build and manage client relationships through regular meetings, calls, and ongoing communications
• Lead and participate in live meetings, including QBRs; create meeting material with the assistance of account teams
• Work with clients to determine organizational objectives and create strategies to reach goals
• Develop clients’ annual communication calendars and budgets
• Possess in-depth knowledge of client’s internal processes and resources and generate ideas to enhance overall performance
• Provide in-depth analysis of campaign and segment performance and KPI data, developing data-driven strategies to address program challenges and build on successes
• Build trusting, respectful and collaborative relationships with clients and colleagues ensuring collaboration among the wider team (including outside resources) and fostering positive team work.
• Ensure fundraising and engagement best practices are kept top-of-mind
• Provide risk assessment and management on all aspects of the client relationship
• Manage a matrixed team of technical and client service staff to ensure all deliverables are on time and meet quality standards
• Develop professional goals and development plan for individual team members, work with individuals to help them meet goals through regular meetings and ongoing feedback
• Identify and use work experiences as opportunities to train and develop teammates
• Balance strategic and tactical plans with client business goals and scope/contract deliverables
• Manage client scope, including key deliverables, and ad hoc billing (creative, etc.), within contracted retainer

Additional Responsibilities

• Participates in webinars and attends conferences/workshops to expand skills
• Support ad hoc agency initiatives like case studies, building out internal docs/processes, internal staff education/information sharing
• Provide new business development support through proposal input, estimating scope of work, and participating in presentations
• Participate in hiring process for new employees including interviews and assessments
• Participates in monthly management meetings
• Other duties as assigned

• Team members who are most successful in this role typically have 8-10 years of direct response experience (direct mail or digital account management), preferably including direct response fundraising in an agency setting
• Demonstrated success in client management and customer service
• Ability to build lasting professional relationships with clients
• Experience managing technical and client services teams, some of whom may work in a virtual/remote environment
• Experience in creating and driving long-term fundraising strategies
• Strong customer service and interpersonal skills
• Proven project management and organizational and problem solving skills
• Advanced written and oral communication skills with the ability to effectively present information, respond and follow-up on questions and inquiries from clients and colleagues, and communicate technical information to a non-technical audience
• Strong attention to detail
• Highly self-motivated
• Proficiency in MS Office – particularly Excel
• Experience with, or understanding of online constituent relationship management systems (eCRM) for nonprofits such as Convio/Blackbaud, Engaging Networks, EveryAction, and Salesforce; content management systems (open source and proprietary CMS); email marketing systems; HTML, CSS, and other web development tools and familiarity with digital advertising, Google Grant management, and SEO/SEM
• Experience with or understanding of direct mail audiences and metrics, as well as a broad understanding of implementation

What We Offer

• Health and Wellness: employer-subsidized health, dental, and vision insurance in addition to employer paid short-term disability and life insurance.
• Work-Life Balance: Flexible work hours, remote work environment (with access to our Arlington, VA offices for local employees), and generous time off
• Financial Wellness: competitive salary, 401(k) with company match
• Professional Development: ongoing training, career path development, and a dedicated budget for conferences and training seminars
• Additional Benefits: an opportunity to work with smart people in a supportive environment that celebrates individuality
• Compensation: our budget for this position starts at $90,000/year