Group Account Director

Next Step Recruitment; United States; On-site; USD 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

An innovative agency is seeking a Group Account Director to lead client relationships and manage complex projects. This role offers the chance to work with a diverse team in a fully remote environment, focusing on strategic change through creative execution. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in account management, a proactive mindset, and the ability to navigate both philanthropic and corporate sectors. Join a mission-driven firm that values collaboration and authenticity, and help shape its next chapter while making a real impact in the community.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Comprehensive health and dental benefits

Paid time off

Family leave

Access to wellness platforms

Qualifications

• 7+ years in client-facing roles within creative or consulting agencies.
• Proven track record in managing complex accounts and projects.

Responsibilities

• Lead strategic partnerships and manage day-to-day client communications.
• Oversee complex project delivery, including budgeting and timelines.
• Drive business development and expand existing client scopes.

Skills

Client Management

Strategic Planning

Communication Skills

Project Management

Business Development

Cultural Insight

Entrepreneurial Mindset

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Communications or Related Field

Job description

Next Step Recruitment is managing a confidential search for a Group Account Director on behalf of a highly creative and mission-driven agency operating at the intersection of culture, community, and strategic communications. This agency has a strong footprint in both the philanthropic and corporate sectors and is seeking a senior leader to help shape its next phase of growth.

This is a unique opportunity for a strategic, client-savvy leader who is equally skilled in managing high-level relationships and executing complex, multi-stakeholder projects. The ideal candidate will bring operational discipline, entrepreneurial energy, and a deep appreciation for how communications, community engagement, and cultural insight can drive real-world results.

About the Agency

The agency positions itself as a community-convening creative firm, blending the best of strategy, storytelling, and network-driven programming. While its work may look similar to that of a marketing, advertising, or PR agency, it stands apart through its theory of change: the network effect—leveraging relationships, trust, and cultural fluency to accelerate outcomes across a wide spectrum of clients and causes.

Rather than narrowly branding itself as a "social impact" agency—which can present challenges for some corporate partners—the agency focuses on driving strategic change through creative execution. Its work spans both philanthropic and corporate spaces, united by a process-oriented approach that prioritizes trust, authenticity, and measurable outcomes.

The team is small but mighty, with a core group of full-time employees and a wide bench of long-standing freelance collaborators. The agency has been fully remote since its inception and values diverse lived experiences, backgrounds, and points of view.

Key Responsibilities

• Client & Account Leadership: Serve as the primary strategic partner to clients, guiding day-to-day communication, aligning goals, and maintaining strong, trusted relationships.
• Project Oversight: Lead the planning and delivery of complex, often multi-partner projects—managing budgets, staffing, timelines, and deliverables using both internal and external resources.
• Strategic Visioning: Proactively scope new work, identify potential roadblocks, and bring forward creative, actionable solutions without waiting for direction.
• Growth & Business Development: Expand existing scopes, deepen account value, and help productize the agency’s offerings for broader application—particularly with corporate clients.
• Cultural & Operational Leadership: Set the bar for excellence, provide mentorship to team members, and help shape an internal culture rooted in curiosity, collaboration, and accountability.

Projects You Might Lead Early On

• Strategic Narrative and Movement Building: Guide the repositioning of a national issue as a brand through a convening-based engagement strategy. Manage high-level partners and creative collaborators to produce a cross-functional campaign designed to engage stakeholders and shape public conversation.
• Foundation Relaunch Strategy: Collaborate with a legacy philanthropic institution as it re-engages its founding mission through a contemporary lens. Lead the integration of multiple workstreams into a unified strategic roadmap for a high-visibility launch.
• High-Impact Cultural Event Execution: Support a flagship convening that engages leading voices in media and entertainment to explore how storytelling can more authentically reflect today’s most urgent challenges. Oversee stakeholder and funder relationships while collaborating with a specialized production team.

What You Bring

• 7+ years in client-facing account management or strategy roles within a creative, communications, or consulting agency.
• A track record of growing and managing complex accounts, ideally in fast-moving or resource-constrained environments.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills—including a knack for building beautiful, strategic decks and presenting with clarity and impact.
• A demonstrated ability to balance vision and execution—from scoping timelines and building budgets to crafting strategy and managing deliverables.
• Experience working across both philanthropic and commercial sectors—or a clear aptitude to move between the two with ease.
• An entrepreneurial, proactive mindset. You take initiative, solve problems, and lead with accountability—even in unfamiliar territory.
• Comfort working with freelancers and assembling agile project teams.

Why This Role Stands Out

• Full ownership of accounts without layers of bureaucracy.
• A remote-first, flexible culture with a distributed team across the U.S. and globally.
• An uncommonly diverse team in terms of background, discipline, and lived experience.
• A chance to be part of an agency that’s actively shaping its next chapter—and invites your voice in that process.

Compensation & Benefits

• Competitive salary - commensurate with experience
• Comprehensive health and dental benefits, paid time off, and family leave.
• Ancillary perks through the payroll provider, including access to wellness and mental health platforms.
• Discretionary bonuses may be awarded, but there is no formal bonus structure in place at this time.