Associate Account Director

Dotted Line Agency; Richmond (VA); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, Dental & Vision benefits

Simple IRA Retirement Plan

Unlimited PTO and 14 company holidays

Job summary

Dotted Line Agency, a creative agency specializing in brand, creative, and content, is seeking an Associate Account Director to lead several大型 and rapidly growing accounts across tech, healthcare, and automotive verticals. You will own senior-level client relationships, drive strategic direction, protect margins, and supervise our hybrid Richmond, VA team.

Automotive experience and familiarity with multi-rooftop dealer groups, tier structures, co-op economics, and OEM compliance are highly

Qualifications

• Automotive/ dealer group experience preferred.
• 5+ years of account leadership experience in an agency environment.
• Track record of growing accounts through relationships and delivery excellence.
• Experience leading integrated campaigns across channels.
• Ability to manage scope, budget, and resources while protecting margins.
• Excellent presentation, verbal, and written communication skills.
• Comfort interfacing with all client levels, from coordinators to C-suite.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day for growing accounts, deepening senior-level client relationships.
• Build trusted relationships across client organizations.
• Initiate proactive strategic dialogue with clients.
• Provide recommendations and industry insights on a regular cadence.
• Develop and lead client presentations with strategy, creative, and media teams.
• Manage escalations with transparency and professionalism.
• Develop marketing strategies and lead annual/campaign planning for clients.
• Identify growth opportunities and build the business case to pursue them.
• Partner with leadership on scoping, proposals, and renewals.
• Nurture and expand account relationships to drive organic growth.
• Lead delivery strategy to ensure on-scope, on-time, on-budget work.
• Manage budgets and flag risks early.
• Coordinate cross-functional teams across account, PM, strategy, creative, and media.
• Oversee day-to-day execution of campaigns, budgets, and timelines.
• Ensure timely follow-up, reporting, and communication on every account.
• Build strong partner/vendor relationships to deliver commitments.
• Model company values and leadership behaviors.

Skills

Automotive experience

Account leadership

Client relationships

Strategy & leadership

Budget management

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience

Tools

Google Workspace

Asana

Constant Contact

Job description

Job Description

About Us

Dotted Line is an award‑winning, strategically inspired creative agency focused on brand, creative, and content. Our clients are ambitious, and they trust us to help drive growth through clarity, craft, and execution. We are a team that values collaboration, continuous improvement, and pride in the work. From national brands to regional leaders, we build ideas that connect, perform, and endure. Learn more at www.dottedline.agency.

Role Overview

As Associate Account Director, you will lead several of our largest and fastest-growing accounts across industries like tech and healthcare, with a significant focus on our automotive portfolio. You will own senior-level client relationships, lead strategy, protect margins, and oversee the hybrid team in Richmond, VA.

Automotive experience is strongly preferred. Candidates with experience in multi‑rooftop dealer groups with the tier structure, co‑op economics, OEM compliance requirements, and monthly offer cadence are preferred.

About You

• You know automotive. You have experience leading dealer group or OEM relationships, including a deep understanding of tier structures, co‑op economics, and the monthly offer cadence of multi‑rooftop groups.
• You are a seasoned agency leader with 5+ years of account leadership experience. You earn trust through consistency and have a track record of organically growing accounts through delivery excellence.
• You think like an owner. You see the opportunity inside an existing relationship before the client does, and you know how to build the case for it.
• You are equally comfortable leading a strategy conversation with a CMO or dealer principal and rolling up your sleeves to make sure a timeline holds. You know when each is required.
• You bring calm to complexity. When priorities shift, budgets tighten, inventory moves, or an escalation lands, you are the steady one in the room.

You Likely Have

• Automotive agency or dealer group experience (strongly preferred)
• 5+ years of account leadership experience in an agency environment
• A track record of organically growing accounts through relationship building and delivery excellence
• Experience leading integrated campaigns across multiple channels and touchpoints
• Command of scope, budget, and resourcing - you can protect margin without sacrificing the work
• Exceptional presentation, verbal, and written communication skills
• Comfort working across all levels of a client organization, from coordinator to C‑suite
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience

Role Description & Responsibilities

Client Leadership

• Serve as the day‑to‑day leader on several growing accounts, establishing and deepening senior‑level client relationships
• Build trusted relationships across client organizations
• Initiate timely, strategic, proactive dialogue with clients
• Bring recommendations, industry insight, and points of view to your clients on a consistent cadence
• Develop and lead client presentations in partnership with our strategy, creative, and media teams
• Manage escalations and difficult conversations with transparency and professionalism

Strategy & Account Growth

• Develop marketing strategies and lead annual and campaign‑level planning on behalf of your clients
• Identify new opportunities that align to client goals and build the business case to pursue them
• Partner with agency leadership on scoping, proposals, and contract renewals
• Nurture and expand account relationships to drive sustainable, organic growth

Delivery & Execution

• Lead delivery strategy to ensure work ships on scope, on time, and on budget while meeting our quality standards
• Own budget management across your engagements, flagging risk early and course‑correcting before it becomes a client conversation
• Lead internal teams and facilitate cross‑functional collaboration between account, project management, strategy, creative, and media
• Oversee the day‑to‑day execution of campaigns, tactics, budgets, and schedules
• Ensure timely follow‑up, reporting, and communication on every account

Partner & Team Collaboration

• Create and maintain strong relationships with partners and vendors to ensure we deliver what we promise
• Model Dotted Line's values and leadership behaviors across every team you touch

Tools

• Google Workspace
• Productive, Asana, or similar project management and resourcing platforms
• Constant Contact or similar email platforms
• Familiarity with dealer‑side platforms, OEM co‑op portals, and digital reporting tools is a plus

What Success Looks Like

In This Role, Success Means

• Clients consistently rate their satisfaction at 85% or better, and they call you first when something important is happening in their business
• Your accounts grow organically year over year through relationship strength and delivery excellence
• Work is delivered on time, on scope, and within budget variance targets
• Zero compliance strikes, and co‑op dollars are captured in full across automotive accounts
• Cross‑functional teams across the agency point to your accounts as well‑run and well‑communicated
• Risk surfaces early and gets solved internally before it reaches the client

Competencies for Success

• Strategic and creative thinking
• Proactiveness and strong initiative
• Calm under pressure
• Flexibility and adaptability
• Detail orientation and high standards
• Listening and communication skills
• Personal presence
• Work ethic
• Enthusiasm

Dotted Line Benefits

• Hybrid work environment
• Monthly culture‑building activities
• Performance‑based, profit‑sharing opportunities
• Health, Dental, and Vision benefits
• Simple IRA Retirement Plan
• Unlimited paid time off with 4 weeks minimum
• 14 paid company holidays including the week between Christmas and New Year’s
• 2 company‑organized paid volunteer days

Company Values We Live Every Day

• Treat team members, clients, and partners like you want to be treated
• Always be improving, learning, and growing
• Collaborate and be a team player
• Go the extra mile
• Do work we are proud of
• Focus on client results