Account Director

FIRST; New York (NY); On-site; USD 105,000 - 121,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental & Vision

401(k)

Flexible Spending Accounts

Paid Time Off

EAP

Life, Disability & Pet Coverages

Wellness Stipend

Headspace access

Aura Identity Theft Protection

Discretionary Bonus

Global Opportunities

Job summary

FIRST is a leading global brand experience agency. The Account Director will manage client relationships and oversee program delivery across assigned accounts from the New York area.

You will lead strategic planning, contract and financial oversight, and cross-functional collaboration with teams to ensure high-quality service delivery and long-term partnerships. Travel 20–40% may be required.

Qualifications

• 8–10 years of client management experience delivering services to large accounts.
• Experience with corporate/financial clients is highly preferred.
• 3+ years of event management experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• Act as primary contact and strategic advisor for assigned clients.
• Manage account performance, renewals, and budgets.
• Lead monthly updates and quarterly reviews.
• Identify growth opportunities and develop proposals.
• Collaborate across FIRST and external teams to deliver client commitments.

Skills

Client management

Strategic planning

Sales & account growth

Event management

Stakeholder management

Education

Bachelor's degree preferred

Tools

Salesforce

Job description

Building a Brand starts with a Story

FIRST is a leading global brand experience agency providing Content, Creative, Digital Technology, Management & Delivery, and Data & Insights services. For 30 years, we have utilized three flexible delivery models: Embedded teams, Corporate Campus operations, and a Full‑Service Agency.

Building a Brand starts with a Story

FIRST is a leading global brand experience agency providing Content, Creative, Digital Technology, Management & Delivery, and Data & Insights services. For 30 years, we have utilized three flexible delivery models: Embedded teams, Corporate Campus operations, and a Full‑Service Agency.
Managing over 37,000 events & projects annually across 110 countries, FIRST serves 130+ brands, specializing in Fortune 500 companies within the Financial Services, Technology, Healthcare, Media, and Professional Services sectors. FIRST is part of the broader Encore family of companies. Encore is a global leader in event production and technology.
Consistently recognized for excellence, recent honors include 2026 Chief Marketer Agency of the Year, the Ad Net Zero Award for sustainability, and more.
Learn more at www.firstagency.com

What You Would Get To Do

The Account Director plays a key role in managing client relationships and supporting the strategic development of assigned account(s). This role is responsible for ensuring the successful delivery of programs, driving client satisfaction, and contributing to revenue growth opportunities.
Acting as a trusted partner to clients and an internal leader, the Account Director oversees account performance, supports financial management, and contributes to long‑term account planning. The Account Director demonstrates strong client management experience, commercial acumen, and the ability to guide teams toward consistent, high‑quality service delivery.

Your Contributions

Account Leadership & Client Growth

• Act as the primary point of contact and strategic advisor for assigned clients
• Build and maintain strong client relationships, ensuring long‑term partnerships and continued growth opportunities.
• Maintain account plans and develop a pipeline of growth opportunities across the client’s business
• Conduct monthly updates and lead quarterly account reviews
• Monitor monthly performance against annual targets, proactively identifying gaps and implementing actions to close them.
• Monitor client satisfaction trends and proactively address issues, risks, and opportunities for improvement and growth
  

Contract & Financial Oversight

• Manage contract negotiations and renewals, collaborating with shared services
• Monitor client contracts, service level agreements (SLAs), and key performance indicators (KPIs) to ensure service excellence.
• Collaborate with the Commercials Team to manage account budgets, forecasts, and financial performance, ensuring accuracy and account profitability
• Follow client invoice and finance processes
• Analyze historical information and trends to provide insights for current fiscal status
• Identify future opportunities and track in CRM system
• Manage and execute client requests for Compliance and Account related matters
• Maintain accurate reporting in internal systems such as CRM (Salesforce), ensuring visibility into pipeline, performance metrics, and financials
  

Business Development & Growth

• Act as the primary point of contact and strategic advisor for assigned client
• Build and maintain strong client relationships, ensuring long‑term partnerships and continued growth
• Identify new opportunities and develop proposals for account growth
• Qualify all new business opportunities and pull in the needed expertise and capability from across FIRST as well as externally to deliver on commitments to clients
• Proactively look for ways to streamline processes, identify best practices and new solutions
  

What We Are Looking For

• Bachelor's Degree Preferred
• Position requires 8‑10 years of experience
• 8+ years’ client management experience, delivering exceptional service to large client accounts
• Strong and consistent track record of meeting and exceeding account/departmental targets and objectives
• Experience with corporate/financial clients is highly preferred
• 3+ years’ event management experience highly preferred
• 20‑40% Requirement to travel domestically and may require international travel when necessary
  

At FIRST, we believe that our success is driven by the passion, creativity, and commitment of our teams. That's why we offer a range of benefits and perks to support your personal and professional growth:

Benefits

• Medical, Dental & Vision which includes the option of a high deductible health plan (HDHP) with a health savings account (HSA)
• 401 (k)
• Five Flexible Spending Accounts Options
• Generous Paid Time Off Allowance
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Life, Disability & Pet Coverages
• Wellness Stipend
• Complimentary access to Headspace, Teladoc, Maven, Rocket Lawyer, Mobilo & more
• Aura Identity Theft Protection
• Discretionary Bonus Structure
• Global Opportunities: With a presence in 7 countries worldwide, including headquarters in London, New York, and Singapore, you may have the opportunity to work on exciting projects across different locations.
  

United States Residents:

The base pay for this position ranges from $105,444 - $121,261. This role is also eligible for an annual discretionary bonus.

Please note that the national salary range listed in the job posting reflects the new hire salary range across various U.S. locations that would be applicable to the position. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors