Account Director - Spirits Industry (IHub Specific)

POPLIFE; New York (NY); On-site; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

POPLIFE is seeking an experienced Account Director to lead and grow key client business, including a major alcohol beverage supplier. This role oversees strategy, planning, development, and execution of national IHub BA programs, experiential marketing programs, consumer activations, and trade events.

The ideal candidate has 8+ years in experiential marketing, agency leadership, and cross-functional team management, with superb communication and relationship-building skills and a proven track

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experiential marketing and management experience across lifestyle, spirits, and F&B brands.
• Proven track record leading client relationships and driving account growth.
• Experience in an agency setting with process orientation and strong organization.
• Able to recruit, motivate and mentor multiple levels of team members.
• Excellent written and persuasive presentation skills.
• Willingness to travel and be on-site for events.

Responsibilities

• Serve as primary agency lead and senior point of contact for client partners.
• Provide proactive, insight-driven recommendations to support growth objectives.
• Lead and develop direct reports across multiple levels.
• Develop program materials and oversee budgets, revenue and profitability.
• Manage national KAM programs and trade advocacy initiatives.
• Recruit, onboard and manage external resources and vendors.
• Lead client communications through status meetings and reporting.
• Ensure on-track milestones with workback schedules and communications.
• Analyze post-program performance and provide optimization recommendations.
• Utilize data and trends to inform strategic decisions for future programs.
• Oversee end-to-end program execution from concept to delivery.

Skills

Account leadership

Client relationship management

Strategic planning

Team management

Presentation skills

Multi-tasking

Problem solving

Travel readiness

Industry passion

Job description

OVERVIEW

POPLIFE is seeking an experienced and strategic Account Director to lead and grow key client business, including a major alcohol beverage supplier. This role is responsible for developing and managing senior-level client relationships while leading the strategy, planning, development, and execution of a national IHub BA program, experiential marketing programs, consumer activations, and trade events. The Account Director serves as a trusted advisor, thought leader, and problem solver for clients, bringing a deep understanding of the experiential marketing landscape, emerging cultural trends, and the evolving spirits and cocktail industry. The ideal candidate has agency experience across lifestyle, spirits, and food & beverage brands, and a proven track record of leading teams to deliver impactful, innovative programs that drive client success. This role requires a collaborative and adaptable leader who can seamlessly navigate between account management, strategy, and production while overseeing multiple projects, clients, and direct reports. Strong communication, relationship-building, and organizational skills are essential, along with the ability to manage complex programs effectively and profitably.

GENERAL ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES

• Serve as the primary agency lead and senior point of contact for client partners, building trusted relationships
• Provide proactive, insight-driven recommendations that support client business objectives and identify opportunities for growth
• Lead, mentor, and develop direct reports across multiple levels, fostering professional growth and high performance
• Provide guidance, coaching and support to team members while promoting collaboration and accountability across agency teams
• Develop key program materials, including decks, playbooks, training manuals, presentations and operational guides
• Lead, grow and manage national KAM program and trade advocacy initiatives
• Identify, recruit, onboard and manage external resources, staffing teams and vendors to execute programs successfully
• Develop, manage, and maintain oversight of program budgets, revenue, profitability, and overall account financial performance
• Lead client communications through regular status meetings, IAT, presentations, and reporting, ensuring alignment, transparency and overall client satisfaction
• Develop and manage workback schedules and communication plans to ensure program milestones and deliverables remain on track
• Lead post-program analysis and performance reporting, evaluating KPIs, budgets, consumer engagement and ROI
• Deliver actionable insights, key learnings and optimization recommendations to improve future program performance
• Utilize data and market trends to inform strategic decision-making and continuously enhance client programs and agency offerings
• Lead strategy, development, planning and execution of experiential marketing programs, including large-scale events, mobile tours, cocktail development programs and on-and off-premise sampling activations
• Oversee aspects of program execution from concept through completion, ensuring operational excellence and high-quality delivery

QUALIFICATIONS

• 8+ years of experience in experiential marketing and management, understanding how to bring creative vision to life working with production teams
• Experience developing Brand experience platforms, writing, presenting and selling in concepts
• Proven track record of client leadership and account growth
• Experience in an agency environment; must be process-oriented and highly organized
• Excellent people manager, motivator and mentor with ability to recruit and retain high functioning employees
• Experience managing, tracking and reconciling large-scale, complex program budgets
• Must have Bev/Alch experience
• Must have experience managing cross functional teams
• Excellent written and persuasive presentation skills
• Ability to mulit-task with attention to detail, follow through and consistently meet deadlines
• Demonstrate Problem solving skills
• Willingness to travel and be on-site for events
• Passion for culture - music, fashion, art, lifestyle