Account Manager

Creative Theory Agency; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Creative Theory Agency is seeking an Account Director in the Washington, DC area. You will lead discovery, research, and strategic brand analysis, serving as the trusted advisor to senior client stakeholders and directing the strategic lead across complex accounts.

You’ll develop briefs, present POVs, and drive measurements tied to business goals, while coordinating with account, creative, and production teams.

Qualifications

• 5–8+ years of brand, communications, or campaign strategy experience in an agency context.
• Ability to translate research into actionable strategy and briefs.
• Strong storytelling and presentation skills when addressing senior client stakeholders.
• Solid foundation in brand strategy: positioning, audience, messaging, and briefs.
• Proficient in qualitative and quantitative research, competitive analysis, and synthesis.
• Fluency across brand, media, social, influencer, experiential, and digital channels.

Responsibilities

• Strategy Diagnosis and Discovery: clarify the real business problem and lead research across inputs.
• Insight and Point of View: synthesize findings into clear, compelling insights and POV.
• Strategic Brand Analysis: develop positioning and campaign strategy guiding creative work.
• Briefs: write strategic and creative briefs for inspiring starts to the creative process.
• Client Leadership: present and sell strategy to senior stakeholders and lead reviews.
• Measurement: define objectives, KPIs, and measurement approaches tied to business goals.
• Partnership: work with account, creative, and production teams to carry strategy into delivery.
• New Business: lead strategic approach in proposals and pitches from discovery to presentation.

Skills

Strategic thinking

Storytelling

Presentation skills

Research synthesis

Client relationship management

Cross-channel branding

Team collaboration

Strategic leadership

Tools

Google Workspace

Project management tools

Job description

We’re looking for an Account Director who can find the real problem behind a client’s request and turn it into thinking that creative can run with. Someone who loves the research, lives for the insight, and can stand in front of senior clients and sell a point of view. This role reports to and works directly with our VP of Accounts & Strategy. If you believe strategy and craft are the same job done well, we want to hear from you.

This is a hands‑on, client‑facing role. You’ll lead discovery and research, develop strategic brand analysis and briefs, and serve as the strategic lead and trusted advisor to senior client stakeholders. This is a full‑time role with a hybrid work schedule.

[Must be local to the Washington, DC area (DMV) and able to be in office 2-3 days/week.]

What You’ll Own

• Strategy Diagnosis and Discovery: Clarify the real business problem before work begins. Lead research across client, market, audience, cultural, and competitive inputs.
• Insight and Point of View: Synthesize research into clear, compelling insights and a strong point of view.
• Strategic Brand Analysis: Develop positioning, audience, messaging, and campaign strategy that leads directly into creative work.
• Briefs: Write strategic and creative briefs that give creative teams a sharp, inspiring starting point.
• Client Leadership: Serve as the strategic lead and trusted advisor to senior client stakeholders. Present and sell strategy and creative thinking through strong storytelling, and lead quarterly reviews and annual planning conversations.
• Measurement: Define objectives, KPIs, and measurement approaches that tie the work back to client business goals, and turn performance results into strategic recommendations.
• Partnership: Work closely with account, creative, and production teams so strong strategic groundwork shows up in every brief and carries through to delivery.
• New Business: Lead the strategic approach in new business proposals and pitches, from early discovery through final presentation.

What You Bring

• 5-8 years of brand, communications, or campaign strategy experience, including 3+ years at a creative, advertising, or marketing agency.
• A clear path from research to insight to an actionable recommendation.
• Exceptional storytelling and presentation skills, with experience presenting strategy to senior client stakeholders.
• A strong brand strategy foundation: positioning, audience, messaging, and briefs.
• Skill in qualitative and quantitative research, competitive analysis, and synthesis.
• Cross-channel fluency across brand, media, social, influencer, experiential, and digital.
• Commercial awareness of scope, effort, and how strategy fits agency economics.
• Energy for a growing, entrepreneurial agency where roles and systems are still being built.
• Proficiency in Google Workspace and project management tools.
• Ability to travel occasionally for client meetings, research, shoots, pitches, and events (up to 25%).

Why You’ll Love It Here

• Lead the strategic thinking for top-tier clients, like Nike, Google, and more.
• A real voice in shaping how strategy shows up in the work.
• Comprehensive health coverage (medical, dental, and vision) so you’re covered where it counts, plus a 401(k) match to help you invest in your future.
• An annual agency retreat — part celebration, part reset, all worth looking forward to.
• A team that values originality and gives its people real autonomy.
• Hybrid/remote flexibility built around doing your best work.