Account director

Substance Global; United States; On-site; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Substance Global seeks a senior social-accounts lead to drive day-to-day delivery and senior relationships for a pharma-focused Business Unit. You will lead visually impactful social content, partner with Group Account Director, and work with Strategy, Creative, Insights and Paid teams across global markets.

The ideal candidate has 5+ years in pharma/healthcare account management, strong senior stakeholder skills, and a track record of growing accounts and managing budgets.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of social-first account management in pharma/healthcare.
• Experience leading senior-level meetings and presenting strategic recommendations.
• Proven track record growing accounts and expanding services.
• Ability to lead integrated teams across strategy, social, creative, paid media and insights.
• Strong written and verbal communication with brand teams and partners.
• Experience in proposal writing, scoping, pitching and cost/funding discussions.
• Ability to manage multiple projects, deadlines and budgets.

Responsibilities

• Own day-to-day senior relationships across allocated accounts.
• Deliver work aligned with brand strategies, objectives and scope.
• Lead meetings, strategic discussions and project communications.
• Identify stakeholder needs early and strengthen long-term relationships.
• Own health and commercial performance including budgets and resourcing.
• Identify opportunities for organic growth and additional services.
• Set priorities, lead workflows and delegate to Account Managers.
• Provide direction and feedback for team progression.
• Collaborate with Group Account Director on strategy, forecasting and growth.
• Work with Strategy, Creative, Social, Insights and Paid teams for integrated output.
• Challenge briefs to ensure the team solves the right problem.
• Oversee insights deliverables, paid campaigns and wider social activity.
• Escalate issues and maintain confidence in the team.
• Stay current on healthcare, pharma trends and competitor activity.
• Contribute to new-business opportunities, costing and pitches.
• Raise Substance profile within pharma through thought leadership and networking.

Skills

Social-first account management

Pharma/Healthcare familiarity

Senior stakeholder relationships

Cross-functional leadership

Proposal writing & scoping

Budget management

Social platforms knowledge

AI & digital technologies interest

Strategic thinking

Business development

Job description

This role leads day-to-day delivery and senior relationships on a project-based account for a pharmaceutical Business Unit. The account covers every social media discipline: organic and paid content, insights, project management and social creative.

This is a fast-paced, high-volume environment. Priorities shift quickly, several projects run in parallel, and deadlines are tight. The work is agile and varied, and the ideal candidate thrives in that pace while keeping quality high.

You will lead the delivery of social content that stands out visually and pushes the boundaries of innovation and performance. You will partner closely with the Group Account Director and work alongside Account, Strategy, Creative, Insights and Paid teams across multiple Business Units to grow the account and raise its standing.

Required skills, experience and competencies

The ideal candidate:

• Has 5+ years of social-first account management experience within pharma or healthcare, including time at a senior account management level
• Builds trusted relationships with senior stakeholders, leads senior-level meetings and presents strategic recommendations with confidence across global markets
• Has a track record of leading and growing accounts, identifying opportunities to expand relationships and services
• Leads integrated teams across strategy, social, creative, paid media and insights
• Communicates clearly in written and verbal formats with brand teams, external organisations, partners and third parties
• Has strong experience in proposal writing, scoping, pitching and presenting campaign and strategic ideas
• Oversees multiple projects and workstreams simultaneously, maintaining quality and deadlines
• Takes ownership of issues, with excellent problem-solving and decision-making skills
• Understands the specific considerations of social media in pharma and healthcare, including regulated environments and approval processes
• Has strong commercial awareness, with experience managing budgets, scopes and resourcing
• Has a deep understanding of social platforms, their creative formats, and emerging innovations and opportunities across LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, Reddit and X
• Has strong commercial awareness, with experience managing budgets, scopes and resourcing
• Has a strong interest in digital technologies and AI, and how they apply to healthcare communications
• Brings new ideas and thinking to the work and the wider team

Responsibilities

• Own the day-to-day senior relationship across allocated accounts, acting as a trusted partner to brand teams
• Deliver all work to a high standard, aligned with brand strategies, objectives and agreed scope
• Lead meetings, strategic discussions, presentations and key project communications
• Identify stakeholder needs early and strengthen long-term relationships
• Own the health and commercial performance of allocated accounts, including budgets, scopes, resourcing and profitability
• Identify opportunities for organic account growth and additional services, working with senior leadership to develop them
• Set priorities across accounts, lead workflows and delegate effectively
• Provide clear direction to Account Managers, with regular feedback and support for their progression
• Partner with the Group Account Director and senior leadership on account strategy, forecasting and growth
• Work closely with Strategy, Creative, Social, Insights and Paid teams to ensure integrated thinking and consistently strong output
• Challenge briefs constructively so the team solves the right problem
• Oversee the status and quality of insights deliverables, paid campaigns and wider social activity
• Act as an escalation point for stakeholders and internal teams, resolving issues quickly and maintaining confidence in the team
• Stay current on developments, policies, trends and competitor activity across healthcare, pharma, health tech and social
• Lead and contribute to new-business opportunities, including ideas generation, proposals, scoping, costing and pitches
• Help raise the profile of Substance within pharma and healthcare through ideas, thought leadership, networking and industry opportunities