Account Director

Russell Herder; Minneapolis, Saint Paul (MN, MN); On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Russell Herder in Minneapolis seeks a strategic client relationship leader to guide multiple accounts and translate business objectives into effective marketing and creative solutions. You will lead client meetings, provide strategic counsel, and collaborate with strategy, creative, media, and production teams to ensure campaigns meet objectives and budgets.

This role demands proactive communication, strong leadership, and a track record of growing accounts through integrated marketing and

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in marketing, advertising, communications, public relations, business, or related field.
• 8+ years of experience in account management within an advertising, marketing, branding, or integrated communications agency.
• Proven experience managing multiple clients and integrated marketing campaigns.
• Strong understanding of branding, digital marketing, media, content strategy, and creative development.
• Exceptional presentation, communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Demonstrated leadership and team management experience.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
• Proficiency in project management and collaboration tools.
• Strategic with strong business acumen.
• Collaborative and highly relationship oriented.
• Strong negotiation and conflict-resolution skills.
• Passion for creativity, innovation, and delivering measurable results.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the day-to-day senior contact for assigned clients.
• Build trusted, long-term client relationships through strategic counsel and responsive communication.
• Lead client meetings, presentations, status calls, and strategic planning sessions.
• Anticipate client needs and proactively recommend solutions and opportunities.
• Manage client expectations while maintaining agency profitability and scope integrity.
• Identify and cultivate opportunities for organic account growth.
• Collaborate with strategy, creative, media, digital, and production teams to develop integrated marketing campaigns.
• Translate client business goals into actionable marketing and communication strategies.
• Ensure all work aligns with brand standards, campaign objectives, and audience insights.
• Contribute to annual planning, campaign development, messaging frameworks, and performance analysis.
• Monitor market trends, competitor activity, and industry best practices.
• Oversee plans and budgets across multiple projects and accounts.
• Ensure projects move efficiently through the agency and meet quality standards.
• Manage scopes of work, estimates and billing coordination.
• Maintain strong communication across internal teams to ensure alignment and accountability.
• Foster a collaborative, solutions-oriented team culture.
• Provide guidance, feedback, and professional development support to junior staff.
• Help elevate overall account service standards across the agency.
• Monitor account profitability and ensure financial targets are met.
• Assist with forecasting, budgeting, and revenue tracking.
• Support agency leadership in new business efforts, pitches, and proposal development.
• Contribute to agency growth through strategic thinking and relationship expansion.

Skills

Client leadership

Relationship management

Strategic planning

Communication

Leadership

Team management

Account management

Budgeting

Project management

Collaboration

Negotiation

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in marketing, advertising, communications, public relations, business, or related field

Tools

Project management tools

Job description

This position at Russell Herder is a strategic client relationship leader responsible for overseeing multiple accounts, guiding integrated marketing initiatives, and ensuring exceptional client service delivery. This role serves as the primary liaison between clients and internal agency teams, translating business objectives into effective marketing and creative solutions. In this role, you provide leadership to account teams, drives organic growth opportunities, and ensure projects are delivered on strategy, on time, and on budget. The ideal candidate is a proactive communicator, skilled strategist, collaborative team leader, and trusted advisor who can balance client expectations with agency excellence.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Client Leadership and Relationship Management

• Serve as the day-to-day senior contact for assigned clients.
• Build trusted, long-term client relationships through strategic counsel and responsive communication.
• Lead client meetings, presentations, status calls, and strategic planning sessions.
• Anticipate client needs and proactively recommend solutions and opportunities.
• Manage client expectations while maintaining agency profitability and scope integrity.
• Identify and cultivate opportunities for organic account growth.

Strategic Planning

• Collaborate with strategy, creative, media, digital, and production teams to develop integrated marketing campaigns.
• Translate client business goals into actionable marketing and communication strategies.
• Ensure all work aligns with brand standards, campaign objectives, and audience insights.
• Contribute to annual planning, campaign development, messaging frameworks, and performance analysis.
• Monitor market trends, competitor activity, and industry best practices.

Account Management

• Oversee plans and budgets across multiple projects and accounts.
• Ensure projects move efficiently through the agency and meet quality standards.
• Manage scopes of work, estimates and billing coordination.
• Maintain strong communication across internal teams to ensure alignment and accountability.
• Foster a collaborative, solutions-oriented team culture.
• Provide guidance, feedback, and professional development support to junior staff.
• Help elevate overall account service standards across the agency.
• Monitor account profitability and ensure financial targets are met.
• Assist with forecasting, budgeting, and revenue tracking.
• Support agency leadership in new business efforts, pitches, and proposal development.
• Contribute to agency growth through strategic thinking and relationship expansion.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in marketing, advertising, communications, public relations, business, or related field.
• 8+ years of experience in account management within an advertising, marketing, branding, or integrated communications agency.
• Proven experience managing multiple clients and integrated marketing campaigns.
• Strong understanding of branding, digital marketing, media, content strategy, and creative development.
• Exceptional presentation, communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Demonstrated leadership and team management experience.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
• Proficiency in project management and collaboration tools.
• Strategic with strong business acumen.
• Collaborative and highly relationship oriented.
• Strong negotiation and conflict-resolution skills.
• Passion for creativity, innovation, and delivering measurable results.

Success Metrics

• Client satisfaction and retention
• Account growth and profitability
• Quality and effectiveness of campaign execution
• Team leadership and development
• Timely delivery of projects and initiatives
• Contribution to agency culture and business development

RUSSELL HERDER

Russell Herder is an independent strategic and creative ad agency based in Minneapolis. As a certified B Corp, we help organizations solve meaningful business and communications challenges through strategy, branding, creative, digital, media and integrated marketing. We believe good agency work begins with good thinking, is strengthened by collaboration and succeeds when it creates meaningful results for our clients. We are looking for people who want to contribute to that kind of work - and who understand that the details, discipline and teamwork behind the scenes are essential to making it happen.

Russell Herder is an equal opportunity employer.