Account Director

AKQA Media; Johannesburg; Hybrid; ZAR 900,000 - 1,200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working model

Comprehensive benefits

Opportunities for professional growth

Job summary

A leading digital agency in Johannesburg is seeking an experienced Account Director to foster senior client relationships and drive business success through innovative strategies. As an Account Director, you will lead project teams, ensure high-quality client deliverables, and manage client campaigns effectively. The ideal candidate will possess strong leadership skills, a strategic mindset in marketing disciplines, and a proven track record in digital environments. This role offers a hybrid working model and a supportive culture fostering creativity and collaboration.

Qualifications

• Proven ability to grow long-term, trusted client relationships.
• Experience in digital communications and marketing.
• Excellent presentation skills to large audiences.

Responsibilities

• Develop strong senior client relationships to drive business.
• Lead internal teams to deliver projects and achieve results.
• Create and present client business plans aligning with agency goals.

Skills

Leadership and mentoring

Strategic marketing understanding

Interactive/digital experience

Client relationship management

Job description

At AKQA (part of WPP) we believe in the imaginative application of art and science to create beautiful ideas, products and services. With an entrepreneurial and collaborative approach, we design adaptive digital services and applications that capture the imagination, delivering impressive returns for our clients.

As a member of the AKQA client services department, you will influence changes in consumer behaviour through ideas, creativity and the use of interactive media. You will make a difference in digital communications, marketing, and advertising, and inspire the best global brands.

As an Account Director, you will develop strong senior client relationships and be committed to driving their business forward through innovative work that inspires and motivates consumers. You will also be vital in generating profit for AKQA and lead internal teams to deliver projects that achieve excellent results for the client and the agency. Account Directors must also develop a unique understanding of the digital arena and how new and emerging developments can be exploited to add value to a client's business.

Contributing to AKQA’s founding values: innovation, service, quality and thought; you will be excited about being part of our success. You will thrive when faced with new challenges and will continuously strive to improve the way things are done for our clients.

ROLE REQUIREMENTS

• Operate as the go-to resource for the team’s concerns, point of view and recommendations, checks in regularly with all team members on a 1:1 basis for ad hoc feedback, and schedules regular program leadership meetings to ensure constant alignment.
• Partner with the Program, Creative, UX, Strategy and Analytic leads on the account to have a cohesive and strong leadership team.
• Establishes and executes client business plans that align with the goals of AKQA, the goals of the overall account and communicates plan with the working team to give context on key decisions.
• Create high-impact client presentations and is comfortable presenting to large cross functional groups.
• Successfully grows long-term, trusted relationships with senior level clients (Directors and below) and plays a lead role in securing incremental revenue.
• Proven ability to present persuasive new business opportunities in organic and/or pitch capacity.
• Responsible for driving the quality of the agency’s work, on-going client and internal communication, organic business growth, program P+L, and financial management and reporting.
• Demonstrate strong fiscal management skills, understanding/respecting the economics of our business and contributing in a way that supports the financial model.
• Proactively searches out best practices to strengthen team delivery.
• Identify resource gaps and works with Resourcing and Leadership to fill them.
• Responsible for briefing internal teams and managing the end‑to‑end delivery of client campaigns.
• Accountable for the project management of campaigns, working with the delivery team for support, and ensuring all campaigns are delivered on time, within scope, and to the required standards.

QUALITIES AND CHARACTERISTICS

• Demonstrated interactive/digital experience required.
• Excellent leadership and mentoring skills managing other account staff.
• Strategic understanding of all disciplines of marketing.
• Experience working with service design or start-up clients a plus.

Explore our extensive range of benefits here.

We believe great work happens when we're together, fostering creativity, collaboration, and connection. That's why we’ve adopted a hybrid approach including required in-office days. If you require accommodations or flexibility, please discuss this with the hiring team during the interview process.

AKQA is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to particular characteristics. We are committed to fostering a culture of respect in which everyone feels they belong and has the same opportunities to progress in their careers.

About WPP

WPP is the trusted growth partner for the world’s leading brands. We unite cutting-edge media intelligence and data solutions, world-class creativity, next-generation production, transformative enterprise solutions and expert strategic counsel in a single company –powered by exceptional talent and our agentic marketing platform, WPP Open,to help our clients navigate change, capture opportunity and deliver transformational growth. For more information, visit WPP.com.