Account Director

London Area, United Kingdom

Location: London, UK

Role Type- 12 months FTC

Client- Imperial Brands

*Please note, you’ll be working primarily on tobacco brands*

Reports to: Group Account Director

Why choose Tag?

We are the long-standing, production partner of choice that has helped brands across borders and cultures for over half a century achieve their business goals. With 2,700 experts in 29 countries across the world, we are a global team of collaborators, innovators, and motivators.

We pride ourselves on creating empowering, safe, and supportive environments for all our employees, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, ability, or any other defining factor. We embrace difference through diversity of thought, experience, and expertise to maximise potential and bring the greatest benefits for our people and our clients.

We can’t bring big ideas to life without exceptional people. At Tag, we respect individuality and the power of the collective. We want people to be themselves, unafraid to voice ideas, no matter how big they are or who they come from.

In June 2023, Tag was acquired by dentsu Group, Inc, though we remain a distinct brand that is led by David Kassler, Tag Global CEO, headquartered in London. As dentsu’s acquisition of Tag significantly expands content delivery capabilities, Tag’s expertise to deliver personalized, omnichannel content in real-time and at-scale for clients remains unparalleled across the entire customer journey, unlocking marketing effectiveness and efficiency.

Tag and dentsu bring together our innovation and technology infrastructure to help solve clients’ toughest challenges. United in business acumen, we share similar core values, company culture, and embrace a vision “to be at the forefront of people-centric transformations that shape society.

dentsu was founded over 120 years ago and proudly counts nearly 72,000 employees around the world.

Job Description

This is a fantastic opportunity for an Account Director to establish themselves on a growing piece of business and be part of the future leadership of the account. Tag is the global creative production agency to a Tobacco sector Client that has grown and needs an Account Director to lead a core service line, whilst supporting the Group Account Director. Working closely with an array of senior Client, Creative Agency and Internal stakeholders, the role will provide an exceptional level of service, create the foundations for long-term relationships and be part of the future leadership planning for the account.

The Account Director’s primary role will be responsible for the growth and maintenance of our Clients Global Toolkit initiatives and associated key Global Client relationships., working closely with internal and external teams to drive a collaborative and efficient content production process. It will require a strong understanding of the shopper environment / path to purchase, the end-to-end creative and production process, Transcreation / Translation through to adaptation and fulfillment across all media.

A key requirement of this role is to ensure the delivery of premium, creatively consistent toolkit content with a focus on applying intelligent production solutions up-stream to drive down

content duplication and waste. Therefore an understanding of all-media production operations and up-stream agency partnerships is critical.

The role will also provide day-to-day support to the Group Account Director in the delivery of growth opportunities, driving regular QBRs / building its content, managing monthly reporting and identifying opportunities to build the P&L.

We need someone who can think strategically, build strong relationships with Clients, work well with colleagues across the business, establish connected, efficient ways of working, who understands how to drive a profitable business, and who has strong people management skills.

They will need to be financially numerate, project a strong presence internally and externally, ensure deliverables meet or exceed client expectations, and help develop strategic, long-term solutions for the account.

Key Skills

People Management

Work closely with the Project Director to support and help to manage individual and team performance within the UK based Project Management team

Oversee activities across all teams involved in the production of work delivered to the client whether on or offshore, engaging well and supporting these teams where necessary

Display strong leadership skills – ability to lead by example – acting as a role model to the wider teams

Step in as senior liaison to help troubleshoot internal and Client challenges providing actionable solutions

Strategy

Understanding of Client’s business and objectives, the challenges facing the Client and how to overcome them in the modern media landscape

Is able to shape strategy and understand the roles of each channel within the campaign eco-system to drive customers to take the desired action

Develop relations with media partners and third parties to identify right channels and set path for best possible creative opportunities

Creativity

Has a clear understanding of ideas. Can shape, build and interrogate them whilst ensuring they are fit for purpose

Prepares ground for positive reception to ideas and can present creative work

persuasively

Isn’t afraid to challenge but knows which battles to fight when it comes to protecting

work

Ensures continuity and consistency of comms through the shopper journey

Understands the importance of brand and design guidelines, ensuring that creative is fit for purpose, optimised for each channel and meets any necessary legal requirements

Navigates feedback from regulators and stakeholders and protects work

Agility

Creates a clear vision of how to create project success

Is the connector who brings together different disciplines and stakeholders to work effectively

Gets the best out of others by knowing when to engage the different disciplines and stakeholders

Is adept at prioritising projects; understanding what projects are business critical vs. urgent to ensure adequate resource is allowed

Ability to forward plan, anticipate problems and adapt accordingly

Production

Effectively partners with agency producers, production partners and third parties

Fluent around all digital production techniques, quick to learn and lead multi-faceted ones

Understands the time it takes for end-to-end project delivery and manages client expectations around these

Leads by example, and is able to adapt the speed of the work of the team necessary

to deliver high quality outputs even if time is tight

Shapes the craft and maintains highest possible standards for everything we make

no matter how big or small – has a good eye for detail

Takes opportunities to make the most of our creative deliverables and budgets

Leadership

Has influential partnerships with clients and senior stakeholders to take our clients on a journey to better work

Problems solves, makes good intuitive decisions and prevents or manages conflict

Strong communication skills – acute listening, persuasion, conviction and expectation management

Good judgement on when to manage upwards, downwards and across disciplines

Brings out the best in those around them and is an active citizen in the department

and wider agency

Entrepreneurship

Good commercial awareness of the industry and clients regulated operating environment

Understands scope of work, fee and contract to help deliver maximum revenue for

agency services

Tight cost control and supports the team in pro-active management of WIP/cash-flow

Good relationships with finance team and is developing analytical and negotiation

skills around project fees

Sees and seeks opportunities for growth

Works with our hub-based Regional Account Directors to share best practice, knowledge and experience

Financial Management

P&L management on a monthly basis, working with Finance to ensure all costs are allocated correctly and revenue is reported accurately

Working with the Group Account Director to grow the revenue and gross profit of the account

proactively manage and follow up with clients on aged debt

Manage the ongoing WIP position, following up with the relevant teams where jobs are past material dates

Work with clients to understand any budgets they have for certain periods or projects, providing innovative solutions where possible, to enable Tag to support them within any budget constraints

Regular performance and finance reporting to track retainer utilisation, cost savings and sustainability

Guide team to ensure end-to-end financial control of projects is in place and adhered to constantly

Personal attributes

Ability to travel across EMEA if required

Collaborative team player, open minded, transparent and non-political

Relentlessly curious about people, technology, brands, design and business

Self-starting, proactive and prepared to put in the effort to deliver excellent creative output

Able to balance a strong point of view with an ability to listen, learn and adapt

Energised by doing the right thing for our clients; solution and results focused

Positive, enthusiastic, unflappable

Strong motivation and drive to succeed

As an ethical employer, Tag will never ask job applicants to provide private, sensitive information upfront or make offers of employment contingent on financial requests or responsibilities from any candidate