Account Manager

Ogilvy South Africa; Cape Town; On-site; ZAR 480,000 - 720,000; Full time

Job summary

Ogilvy South Africa is seeking an Account Manager to oversee client relationships, financials, and reputation across assigned accounts. You will report to the Group Account Director and Account Director, guiding timelines, budgets, and cross-functional teams to deliver impactful work.

The role requires strong communication, presentation, and strategic thinking to grow the client portfolio while maintaining agency profitability and client satisfaction.

Responsibilities

• Manage client relationships and expectations across projects.
• Coordinate with GAD/AD and project management for timing, budgets, and scope.
• Draft briefs, debriefs, and ensure accurate WIP, invoices and procurement.

Job description

As the Account Manager, you will be the secondary account relationship owner responsible for this client account, which includes relationship, financial and reputational management on the account. You will report directly into the Group Account Director and Account Director on the account.

Key responsibilities & accountabilities:

Relationship Management

• Owner of the client relationship at a client account and project level Marketing Manager, Brand Manager and Marketing Assistants
• Grow and nurture the relationship between client and agency, becoming a partner who makes a positive impact on our business and theirs
• Responsible for maintaining, building and improving good relationship with client and driving efficient ways of working
• Effectively handle all required aspects of client communications at the project level identified
• Manage client queries, expectations and requirements
• Have a good understanding the client team and clients business, products, services
• Understanding the key stakeholders, customer and new audiences client wants to engage
• Understanding key changes, challenges and opportunities within your clients business
• Driving culture of creativity and making impact within the agency and within the client teams

Project and Account Management

• Actively manage project timelines and tend to resource planning in collaboration with your direct reports
• Organise, manage and motivate the internal agency teams, keeping them updated with latest developments and opportunities within the account
• Driving inter-departmental workings, alignment and good governance
• Scoping out small out of scope projects, deliverables and activities in collaboration with your GAD, AD and Project Management lead
• Monitoring project progress, updating project timelines and scheduling of reviews and presentations
• Implement approaches and process (support overall company process, led by Operations Director)
• Write creative briefs and debriefs with confidence and clarity around activities, deliverables and output to client
• Meeting overall profit margins, targets and growth targets assigned to the client account
• Growing projects and managing scope creep on projects
• Do WIP adjustments, invoice, create purchase orders, develop credit notes and close jobs on client account on a monthly bases
• Monthly forecasts to be tracked weekly and reported on once a month
• Support the GAD and AD in the development of Quarterly forecasting, budgeting and prelims
• Price quote scope and hours management, tracking progress on jobs
• Driving profitability on accounts, ensuring all out of scope work and scope creep is quoted for separately
• Where applicable, supply client with project or retainer (FEE) recons on monthly bases to manage costs oversee your account management team
• Personal and team timesheet management, ensuring accuracy and completion on daily basis
• Attend weekly WIP adjustment meetings with Production accounts
• Brief in the development of case studies and PR material for each big project, driving agency equity and credentials for the agency within each project
• Drive award winning opportunities within client portfolio and specific projects, deliver awards status to your GAD and AD
• Drive diversity and inclusion around talent, within the agency and in the client accounts
• Learning and applying theories/ methodology within your day to day activities
• Reading, following and research of relevant content to grow your own knowledge
• Attending formal agency provided skills training sessions, the opportunities given to you
• Driving own success and growth by completing training sessions from library of free sources
• Support the GAD in development of team objectives, career conversations
• Take part in the weekly and monthly Impact Awards nominations to drive a reward and recognition culture across departments

Role specific professional and technical skills

• Good writing and delivery skills relating to internal and external communication
• Solid presentation skills at a Marketing Manager and Brand Manager level
• Ability to manage multiple projects
• Solid time management and organizational skills
• Good interpersonal skills to drive client, agency and wider Ogilvy network relationships
• Good negotiation skills and understanding when to charge client for additional work
• Ability to interpret client feedback and debriefs
• Good understanding of local business operations and reporting pertaining to the agency
• Good understanding and experience in advertising, strategy and production process
• Fully conversant with Microsoft (PowerPoint, Word, Excel)

Level of experience

• Relevant degree in communications/ business management
• More than 3 years agency experience, 1 year in AM role
• Advertising and digital experience essential
• ATL and BTL experience beneficial, but not essential

Job behaviours

• Pervasively creative have a passion for impactful creative work and shape the industry you want to grow in
• Adaptively connected integration with the larger Ogilvy group, with teams and within departments
• Relentlessly curious have a passion for learning, growing and thinking in ways that challenge others
• Divinely discontent think in ways that challenge others
• Eternal craftspeople make the ads you want to watch, design journeys you want to take and champion work you want your friends to see