Senior Account Manager

Publicis Groupe Africa; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 300 000 - 400 000; Full time

Job summary

A leading marketing agency in Johannesburg is seeking a Senior Account Manager responsible for managing client portfolios and driving project initiatives. The ideal candidate will demonstrate excellent client relationship skills, manage multiple accounts effectively, and have a solid understanding of the South African media landscape. The role requires a proactive individual with strong problem-solving abilities and attention to detail, capable of ensuring quality output while leading a team.

Qualifications

• Proven ability to manage multiple client accounts effectively.
• Strong problem-solving skills and ability to rectify issues proactively.
• Excellent attention to detail in documents and presentations.

Responsibilities

• Manage client portfolios and account activities.
• Delegate tasks effectively to ensure timely delivery.
• Develop strategic client proposals in collaboration with AD/SAD.
• Build and maintain strong media relationships.

Skills

Account management

Project management

Presentation skills

Research skills

Client relations

Job description

Overview

As a Senior Account Manager at MSL, you are on top of everything happening in your portfolio of clients - you know what needs to happen when and ensure it gets done. You identify any potential issues early on and display problem‑solving skills to rectify any issues alongside your AD. You are the primary point of contact for clients and they trust you. With the help of your team (Intern/AA/AE/AM), you ensure reporting is slick and accurate. You own the editorial plans for clients and are involved in strategy development with your AD/SAD. You ensure monthly billing is done effectively and work with your AD/SAD to ensure profitability for your stream.

Responsibilities

• Account management: Demonstrate real‑time knowledge of all client activities, ensure status documents are updated, run client status meetings, and take ownership for initiatives.
• Delegation: Demonstrate ability to effectively delegate tasks, ensuring timely completion and quality.
• Project management skills: Take responsibility for specific projects from start‑to‑finish.
• Selling ideas: Demonstrate advanced presentation and influencing skills.
• Strategy: Develop, alongside your AD/SAD, strategic and tactical client proposals, plans and calendars.
• Writing: Demonstrate an ability to write effective content for your full client portfolio and display proficient editing skills; effectively brief the content team when specialist help is needed.
• Media relations: Drive journalist relationship‑building initiatives within the team, across your full client portfolio, display an excellent knowledge of the South African media landscape (and an interest in the broader African media landscape), develop solid media relationships, and oversee the effective running of your team’s entire media relations process.
• Pitching skills: Write and pitch excellent quality, relevant story angles to targeted media, displaying creativity and an understanding of newsworthiness.
• Research: Demonstrate strong research skills, and assimilation and presentation of information.
• MSL Newsdesk: Participate in daily newsdesk/media meetings and ensure relevant news and angles are marked and shared with clients.
• Media lists: Ensure your team regularly updates media lists, informs the broader agency of media changes, compiles tailored media lists per client content piece, and ensures that master client media lists are kept updated.

Qualifications

Personal attributes

• Quality: Consistently deliver quality work to professional, MSL standards, and ensure quality output from team prior to submitting to AD/SAD for final approval.
• Detail‑orientated: Execute unwavering attention to detail in all aspects, including documents, presentations, emails and all other communiques.
• Proactive upskilling: Constantly work to ensure an excellent understanding of content for all clients (even beyond your portfolio), your client’s industry, staying abreast of the broader news environment and spotting opportunities for media conversation building.
• Proactive learning: Demonstrate use of the Marcel Classes portal and other internal training sessions to upskill yourself, taking initiative and responsibility for your learning journey.
• Taking initiative: Demonstrate consistent self‑starter approach as well as ability to solve problems effectively.
• Time management: Display impeccable time management skills, while ensuring team is managing time effectively.
• Media lists: Ensure your team regularly updates media lists, informs the broader agency of media changes, compiles tailored media lists per client content piece, and ensures that master client media lists are kept updated.
• Profile: Manage and build your own profile within your team and the broader agency.
• Respect: Acknowledge and respond to instructions from senior staff as soon as possible (email, instant message or spoken).

Client services

• Client relations: Demonstrate excellent client relationships and ability to manage their expectations.
• Client meetings: Drive participation in client meetings, managing meeting protocols, agendas, etc.
• Understanding: Perfect a detailed, thorough and informed understanding of your clients’ businesses and knowledge of their competitors, for effective idea generation. Demonstrate value to your clients by keeping them abreast of competitor news.
• Reviews: Overall responsibility for planning, compiling and editing of client review documents/ presentations/ reports, and participate in client review meetings with your team.

Agency operations

• Billing: Accurately review billing arrangements for clients and ensure monthly billing is done timeously.
• Budgeting: Work with your AD/SAD to ensure your stream is profitable.
• Timesheets: Demonstrate effective time recording and reporting (daily, accurate data logged on Chase, as per Groupe deadlines).
• Coverage: Ensure daily coverage tracking, regular reports and timeous client coverage updates are executed.
• Reporting: Ensure quality, timeous monthly reports are delivered, and drive new reporting ideas and processes wherever improvements can be made.
• Know the agency and the Publicis Groupe Africa (PGA): Demonstrate familiarity with both MSL and PGA's organisational structures and offerings.
• Profile: Actively look to maintain and build positive working relationships with colleagues.

Business development

• Demonstrate an ability to identify opportunities for new business and organic growth of existing business and business retention.
• Display an ability to draft excellent proposals and pitch presentation skills, in conjunction with your AD/SAD.

People development

• Assist your AD/SAD with key staffing decisions.
• Demonstrate an ability to act as a role model and mentor for junior staff, and be seen as an ambassador for the company.
• Conduct appraisals for junior staff.
• Contribute to, and participate in, personal development activities for junior staff (i.e. coaching, workshop development, etc.).