Account Director/Senior Account Director - Experiential

CIVIC; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Full benefits package

Parental leave

Job summary

CIVIC, NYC (3X in office, 2X remote), seeks an experiential Account Director/Senior Account Director to lead a large-scale conference program, overseeing Trade Show and Sponsorships and ensuring alignment across strategy, creative, production and client priorities.

The role requires 8–12+ years of client-facing experience in experiential marketing, a proven ability to manage multiple stakeholders, and a track record of delivering exceptional guest experiences.

Qualifications

• 8–12+ years of client-facing account experience in experiential marketing, live events, sponsorship and/or integrated production.
• Proven ability to lead complex programs involving multiple stakeholders, agencies, vendors and production partners.
• Strong experiential production fluency with credibility with senior creative and production teams.
• Ability to anticipate risks, connect information across workstreams and translate ambiguity into clear recommendations.

Responsibilities

• Own the Trade Show and Sponsorship workstreams across strategy, creative, production, client priorities and budgets.
• Serve as a senior day-to-day client partner, translating direction into actionable plans across teams.
• Lead coordination across internal teams, external agencies, and vendors with clear roles and timelines.
• Anticipate downstream implications of decisions and proactively develop solutions to protect schedule and guest experience.

Skills

Trade Show Leadership

Sponsorship Management

Client Management

Project Management

Executive Presence

Job description

Account Director/Senior Account Director, Experiential

CIVIC

NYC (3X a week in office, 2X remote)

OUR COMMUNITY

We’re CIVIC. Since 1999, we’ve led the way in cultural marketing, providing integrated solutions to top-tier brands including Ford, Audible, HBO Max, Verizon, Amazon Studios, The Stonewall Inn, NBCUniversal, Peacock, Wyndham, among many others. We are an Ad Age Small Agency Award winner (Gold) for 2024 & 2025. We are known for big ideas -- creating long-term brand platforms designed to impact culture, address the biggest societal issues, build loyalty, stimulate word of mouth and generate client revenue.

Our broad suite of integrated marketing services includes:

• Brand Strategy, Concept and Creative Development
• Live Event, Proprietary Brand Activations and Pro-Social Campaigns
• Content Development and Execution via Civic Studios
• PR/Media Relations and Social Media Marketing
• Executive and Internal Communications
• Growth Marketing and Partnership Development

At Civic, we believe business is the world’s most powerful platform for positive change. We believe our community can build bridges between companies and communities and we empower our employees to help amplify underrepresented voices. Our goal is to build a more inclusive and equitable future in tandem with our clients and partners.

THE ROLE

Civic is seeking an experiential account lead to join the team supporting one of our largest and most dynamic client programs. This role will lead two interconnected workstreams- Trade Show and Sponsorships- helping bring our client’s brand, business priorities and partner ecosystem to life through a large-scale conference experience.

In addition to managing day-to-day deliverables, this person will be expected to understand how decisions across creative, production, sponsorship, operations and client teams affect one another; anticipate needs and risks before they become issues; and keep multiple internal and external partners aligned around a shared plan.

Success requires more than strong project management. The right candidate will bring sound judgment, confidence, diplomacy and strong experiential instincts. They should know how to create clarity out of complexity, stay ahead of fast-moving work, recognize downstream implications and bring forward solutions - not simply identify problems.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

PROGRAM LEADERSHIP & PARTNER MANAGEMENT

• Own the Trade Show and Sponsorship workstreams, maintaining a holistic view across strategy, creative, production, client priorities, dependencies and decision-making.
• Serve as a senior day-to-day client partner, bringing clear recommendations and helping translate client direction into actionable plans across teams.
• Anticipate downstream implications of decisions, identify gaps and pressure points early, and proactively develop solutions before they affect schedule, budget, production or guest experience.
• Lead coordination across internal teams, external agencies, production partners and vendors, establishing clear roles, responsibilities, timelines and next steps.
• Keep ahead of the work by actively managing information flow, dependencies and decisions rather than reacting to emerging needs.
• Evaluate recommendations through the lens of overall Conference strategy, client objectives, feasibility, budget and attendee experience.
• Navigate differing stakeholder perspectives with confidence and diplomacy, knowing when to solve directly and when senior escalation is required.
• Escalate thoughtfully, providing context, implications and a recommended path forward.

TRADE SHOW LEADERSHIP

• Lead client communications, recommendations and approvals related to the Trade Show experience, including floor plans, booth inventory, exhibitor experience, client booths and shared environments.
• Partner with strategy, creative and production teams to translate the Conference strategy and creative platform into an intentional Trade Show experience across multiple spaces.
• Guide floor plan development with consideration for attendee behavior, traffic flow, adjacencies, sponsor commitments, operational requirements and overall guest experience.
• Oversee exhibitor booth inventory, placement, kits of parts, specialty procurement, timelines and approvals.
• Lead coordination around client department and brand booths, including opportunities for engagement, demonstrations and 1:1 meetings.
• Partner with Civic creative on Trade Show graphics, signage, environmental assets and other branded touchpoints.
• Continuously assess plans for potential production, operational or guest-experience challenges and work across teams to address them proactively.

SPONSORSHIP LEADERSHIP

• Lead the Sponsorship workstream, managing sponsor opportunities and confirmed activations from development through onsite execution and post-Conference recap.
• Maintain a comprehensive view of sponsorship opportunities, commitments, inventory, category conflicts, deliverables, creative requirements and production dependencies.
• Advise on sponsorship packages before commitments are made, considering creative ambition, production feasibility, cost, timing and overall Conference impact.
• Partner with account, strategy, creative and production teams to develop compelling sponsorship opportunities across the Conference.
• Manage sponsor and stakeholder meetings, deliverables, approvals, status reporting and ongoing communications.
• Ensure sponsor commitments are fully integrated into creative, production, programming, hospitality and operational plans.
• Oversee sponsorship creative and fulfillment across branded environments, signage, digital/content integrations and experiential elements.
• Lead onsite sponsor readiness, including installation, activation servicing and on site management
• Develop post-Conference sponsor recap materials documenting activation and fulfillment.

EXPERIENCE / REQUIREMENTS

• 8–12+ years of client-facing account experience in experiential marketing, live events, sponsorship and/or integrated production.
• Demonstrated experience leading complex, large-scale programs involving multiple stakeholders, agencies, vendors and production partners.
• Strong experiential production fluency and the ability to engage credibly with senior creative and production teams.
• Proven ability to anticipate risks and dependencies, connect information across workstreams and translate ambiguity into clear recommendations and action.
• Excellent client judgment and executive presence, with the ability to navigate competing priorities and complex partner dynamics with confidence and diplomacy.
• Highly proactive working style with a demonstrated instinct for staying ahead of the work.
• Strong strategic, creative, communication and organizational skills.
• Experience developing and presenting clear, persuasive client recommendations and presentations.
• Experience managing and mentoring junior team members.
• Knowledge of hospitality, travel, franchise systems and/or B2B engagement is a plus.

CIVIC COMMUNITY AND CULTURE BENEFITS

• A positive, fun, supportive and diverse team environment, with opportunities for advancement and a commitment to staff development and growth
• Competitive salary and incentives
• Full benefits package including dental and vision, and retirement plan with employer match
• Best in class parental leave benefits
• Paid time off and encouragement to take time off for self-care

Salary commensurate with experience.

Civic is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age or veteran status.