Account Director

Gmr Marketing; San Jose (CA); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Vision insurance

Dental insurance

401(k) plan

Employee stock purchase plan

Vacation days

Personal days

Paid holidays

Job summary

GMR Marketing, an experience marketing agency, seeks an Account Director to lead a high‑profile HPE Formula 1 partnership from its San Jose area office. You will manage day‑to‑day strategy, stakeholder relations, and activation planning, translating business objectives into compelling sponsorship stories.

You will thrive as an independent, strategic leader, guiding cross‑functional teams, delivering insightful reporting, and driving growth with senior clients while navigating a fast-paced

Qualifications

• Deep understanding of client businesses and strategic advisory
• Ability to connect client needs with agency capabilities in an integrated OneTeam model
• Experience in sports marketing, sponsorships, and program activation
• Skilled at turning insights into client-facing stories and executive reports
• Proven ability to grow client relationships and contribute to agency growth
• Knowledge of budgets, pricing, and resource planning for client work
• Strong presentation and stakeholder management across senior clients
• Experience leading remote and cross-functional teams with clear direction
• Comfortable managing complex programs with competing deadlines

Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day strategic leadership for high-visibility partnerships.
• Build trusted relationships with key stakeholders and translate objectives into business value.
• Oversee activation planning, quarterly reporting, and performance analysis.
• Coordinate cross-functional teams to deliver compelling sponsorship narratives.
• Balance strategic leadership with hands-on execution and client teleconferences.
• Travel domestically and internationally as business demands require.

Skills

Client Business Expertise

Business Acumen

Sports Marketing & Sponsorship

Client Consulting & Reporting

Growth Leadership

Financial & Account Management

Communication & Strategic Thinking

People & Team Leadership

Project Management & Adaptability

Job description

ABOUT GMR MARKETING

We are the Experience Agency Making Unforgettable Stories Born of Humanity

EXPERIENCE.

NOT JUST EXPERIENTIAL. EXPERIENCE.

Not Just Telling. Making.

The best stories are lived, not heard. Make an immersive world for people to explore so they can experience something they’ll never forget.

Not Just Consumers. Humans.

It all starts with the human. If you want to make a lasting impact, look beyond the wallet to understand what motivates and inspires people.

As an Account Director, you will play a pivotal role in leading one of the most visible and innovative partnerships in sports and technology, serving as the day‑to‑day strategic lead for HPE’s Formula 1 partnership. Embedded within the client’s environment, you will build trusted relationships with key stakeholders, shape how the partnership delivers business value, and bring to life compelling stories around shared innovation. You will lead partnership strategy and activation planning, identify opportunities to maximize the impact of a significant sponsorship investment, and translate complex business and technology objectives into meaningful brand and business outcomes. You will also oversee quarterly partnership reporting, bringing together cross‑functional inputs to evaluate performance, uncover insights, and deliver strategic recommendations that demonstrate the value of the partnership.

You will thrive in this role if you’re an independent, strategic leader who is energized by complex partnerships, comfortable navigating senior client relationships, and skilled at bringing diverse teams together to deliver meaningful results. You bring strong client consulting, business acumen, and sponsorship expertise, along with the ability to anticipate client needs, identify opportunities for growth, and translate insights into actionable strategies. You are a confident communicator who can influence stakeholders, lead with minimal oversight, and balance strategic leadership with hands‑on execution. Based in the San Jose/Sunnyvale area, you will work closely alongside client stakeholders while leading agency teams and cross‑functional workstreams in a fast‑paced, collaborative environment.

This position requires up to 3 days per week in office in the San Jose/Sunnyvale area.

REQUIRED SKILLS

• Client Business Expertise. You understand your clients’ businesses, industries, competitors, and business objectives. You can engage in strategic conversations with senior stakeholders, uncover business challenges, and translate client priorities into innovative recommendations that drive measurable results. You stay ahead of industry trends and marketplace developments, using research, insights, and benchmarking to identify opportunities and inform better business decisions.
• Business Acumen & Integrated Solutions. You understand how to connect client needs with the right agency capabilities, expertise, and resources to deliver integrated solutions. You bring a comprehensive understanding of agency services and capabilities and can lead within an integrated #OneTeam model, fostering collaboration across departments and disciplines. You balance strategic thinking with practical execution to ensure high‑quality work, deliver client value, and support agency growth.
• Sports Marketing, Sponsorship & Partnership Strategy. You bring experience in sports marketing, sponsorship, or partnership management and understand how to maximize the value of strategic brand investments. You can independently lead complex sponsorship programs, develop activation strategies aligned with client business objectives, and identify opportunities to strengthen partnership impact. You understand how to translate technology and business objectives into compelling sponsorship narratives, connect partnership assets to measurable KPIs, and develop strategic recommendations that demonstrate the value of the investment.
• Client Consulting, Measurement & Reporting. You are skilled at turning insights, research, and performance data into compelling client‑facing stories and actionable recommendations. You can lead partnership assessments, evaluate industry trends, identify competitive benchmarks and whitespace opportunities, and develop executive‑level presentations and reports. You are experienced in coordinating inputs across multiple internal, client, and partner stakeholders to deliver accurate, timely reporting that demonstrates partnership performance and informs future strategy.
• Growth Leadership. You have the business acumen to identify opportunities to expand existing client relationships and contribute to broader agency growth. You understand how to evaluate client KPIs, business priorities, challenges, and industry trends to uncover opportunities for new solutions and services. You can develop strategic growth recommendations, contribute to new business efforts, and confidently participate in client pitches and presentations.
• Financial & Account Management. You understand the financial responsibilities of managing a client account, including revenue, profitability, budgets, and resource allocation. You can monitor hours and expenses against established budgets, support accurate pricing and resource planning, and partner with internal teams to track financial performance. You take ownership of financial accountability and understand how sound business decisions contribute to success.
• Communication & Strategic Thinking. You are a confident, compelling communicator who can adapt your message to different audiences and situations. You can lead client meetings, facilitate strategic discussions, deliver executive‑level presentations, and translate complex information into clear, actionable recommendations. You listen actively, ask thoughtful questions, and use feedback to drive alignment and informed decision‑making. You bring the ability to connect partnership activities and marketplace opportunities to broader business and marketing objectives.
• People & Team Leadership. You are passionate about building strong teams through thoughtful coaching, constructive feedback, and clear direction. You have experience managing and developing team members, providing accountability, mentorship, and opportunities for professional growth. You can lead remote and cross‑functional teams through influence, organization, and proactive communication, fostering a collaborative culture that values ownership, continuous improvement, and shared success.
• Project Management, Technology & Adaptability. You thrive in a fast‑paced environment and can independently manage complex programs, multiple priorities, and competing deadlines with minimal oversight. You are proficient in Microsoft Office and comfortable developing presentations, managing reporting processes, and supporting strategic planning. You are adaptable, solutions‑oriented, and comfortable working in an embedded client environment, collaborating across teams and time zones, and traveling domestically and internationally as business needs require.

The annual range for this role varies between $90,000 and $110,000 annually and may vary depending on the candidate’s experience. Benefits for this role include health/vision/dental insurance, 401k, employee stock purchase plan, vacation, personal days and paid holiday time. You are also eligible to participate in disability, life insurance, FSA/HSA plans subject to the terms and conditions of such benefit plans.

IMPACT & INCLUSION

Our workplace is for ALL. We foster a culture where every background and perspective is valued so we can create meaningful memories that resonate with everyone. We aim to cultivate belonging by meeting people where they are, removing obstacles, and building on their strengths to unlock their fullest contributions. We are committed to recognizing, nurturing, and unleashing the potential in every individual on our team. Together, we're creating something powerful with purpose and impact.

Our guiding principles can be found here.

To view our compliance policies, please go to the main menu on our site GMR Marketing: Experience Marketing Agency.