SENIOR ACCOUNT DIRECTOR (FREELANCE ONSITE)

About the position

As we shape our agency for the future, we are looking for a Freelance Senior Account Director to oversee client accounts and leading strategic initiatives. The responsibilities include cultivating client relationships, understanding their objectives, and guiding campaign execution.

About the Role

Leadership and Influence:

• Lives by, encourages and celebrates team behaviours in line with our agency vision and values

• Day-to-day quality control on all projects; strategy, creative, client interaction & delivery

• Works collaboratively across the agency in order to get the most out of all teams for the benefit of the client and work

People and Team:

• Coaches junior team members and sets expectations for Account Executives to Account Managers

• Uncovers what happy and successful means for all direct reports

• Identifies future team capacity or where additional support required

Strategy

• A confident multichannel thinker

• Connects client and category knowledge to ideas and executions

• Confident in discussing the role and value of participation with clients

• Challenges teams and planners to ensure we have a clear cultural insight on all briefs

• Defines the overall strategic task in conjunction with planning and builds the story for the client

Clients

• Develops client relationships at all levels and converts brand, client and category knowledge into influence

• A sounding board for clients on their brand, business issues and opportunities

• Actively manages client relationships and identifies operational issues before they become significant

• Has a personal client development plan for all key contacts

• Ensures client is aligned on all briefs and work streams – no surprises

Commercial/ Growth

• Manages longer term financial forecasting across clients and projects

• Responsible for delivering forecasted income

• Drives the team to manage chargeability, ensuring time is appropriately estimated (specifically amends and changes to SOW)

• Manages and communicates aged debtors/accruals

• Converts new income opportunities

Creativity

• A confident evaluator of creative ideas in the context of the brief and client knowledge

• Builds clear, constructive arguments (internally) to make better work

• Maintains focus on the brief and brings energy to the creative process

About You:

A trusted and autonomous owner of client relationships, projects and consistently exceeds expectations internally and externally

You bring (required):

• Experience of working in a established and respected network advertising agency
• Strong communication, organization and strategic thinking skills

As a bonus, you bring:

• Fun, energy and passion for creative solutions.

You are:

• A sharp thinker with an ability to spot a killer insight, know what it takes to deliver created connectivity, and meaningful change.
• An inspiring team, client and project leader.

About Us

We were born out of the need for strategic and brutally effective creativity in the region. With every successful campaign, we have grown, and cherry-picked the best professionals to work with us from all over the region and the world. In 2012, we opened our Abu Dhabi office and expanded our team with our Dubai office in 2016 and then our Riyadh office in 2023. From these offices we manage a number of local and global brands across the Middle East and Europe. Brutal Simplicity of Thought is the creative philosophy of M&C Saatchi. It defines the way we work and the work we produce. We believe: "It’s easier to complicate than simplify. Simple ideas enter the brain quicker and stay there longer. Brutal Simplicity of Thought is therefore a painful necessity."

About M&C Saatchi Group

M&C Saatchi Group is a creative federation of companies who navigate, create, and lead meaningful change for clients across five specialist divisions connected through people, culture, data, technology and creativity, M&C Saatchi Group aims to unlock new value for clients and leave a positive impact on the world.

M&C Saatchi Group’s work is informed by two core principles - Brutal Simplicity of Thought and Diversity of Thought. Together they guide how problems are solved and integrated specialist teams are built. Headquartered in London, M&C Saatchi Group have circa 2,500 employees globally. Our global operations span 23 countries with major hubs in the UK, Europe, Middle East & Africa, Asia and Australia.