Senior Account Director

At AKQA, we believe in the imaginative application of art and science to create a better future. With an entrepreneurial and collaborative approach, we design adaptive ideas, services and experiences that capture the imagination, delivering impressive returns for our clients.

The Senior Account Director holds a senior client leadership role within AKQA. You will be responsible and accountable to the Client Partner and indirectly the AKQA MENA management team for the health of client relationships. You will work closely with a growing, meritocratic team of talented individuals based both locally in Riyadh and across the MENA region. There will be the opportunity to learn and grow within a creative and technically advanced environment, with access to ongoing personal and professional development.

As a Senior Account Director in Riyadh, you will be responsible for building valuable long term client relationships by working with senior clients who understand the broader strategic opportunities of AKQA’s offering to their business. Your role focuses on providing strategic direction for each of your partnerships and delivering imagination and innovation for the client’s business in partnership with the wider team. Your role will be particularly essential in navigating and building strong client relations with clients in the Kingdom, through work that resonates both locally as well as for audiences globally. In coordination with the MENA management team, you will be part of the team that helps establish AKQA in Riyadh and the Kingdom more broadly.

ROLE REQUIREMENTS

• Builds and maintains a deep and mutually beneficial client relationship; challenges clients; identifies opportunities, educates them, learns from them, understands key business issues and regularly plans and facilitates quarterly review sessions.
• Manager escalated client / project issues - acts as an escalation point for client and project related issues.
• Builds good relationships with team members, ensuring the team has a high level of morale.
• Identifies key business opportunities and ensures the full breadth and depth of AKQA resources are presented.
• Leadership and management of multi-disciplinary resources as and when they are engaged in client activity (project management, strategy, technology and creative).
• Conducts company performance reviews, sets SMART objectives and reviews regularly.
• Leadership, management, mentoring and development of account team members; Senior Account Managers, Account Managers and Account Executives.
• Keeps the team informed of company news and decisions.
• Monthly financial tasks - complete monthly financial tasks such as revenue recognition and forecasting in a timely and accurate fashion.
• Ensures compliance with all internal account and project tracking procedures (MAS500).
• Ensures client projects/activity is processed/billed in a timely and accurate manner.
• Regularly and consistently maintains reporting documents to manage clients and projects efficiently and professionally; forecasting, resourcing, status reporting and invoicing.
• Meets and exceeds revenue targets.
• High quality of project deliverables meets deadlines and works within estimations.
• Ensures projects are delivered in a timely and professional manner taking responsibility and accountability for all internal resources and costs used on client work.
• Ensures direct reports are meeting utilisation and billability targets, completing timesheets accurately.
• Fluent in English, both spoken and written.
• Fluency in spoken Arabic.
• Previous experience in the MENA region.

QUALITIES AND CHARACTERISTICS

• Extensive account management experience at a leading digital or creative agency, professional services firm or similar organisation.
• Successful track record of building exceptional client relationships; necessary capability, presence and professionalism to inspire confidence and credibility with clients and colleagues.
• Understanding and experience of web/internet and marketing; experience in business strategy, information design, creative design and web technology (what we sell), as well as broad understanding of marketing/advertising elements of campaigns, annual plans, strategic goals and brand awareness.
• Proven background in brand positioning and strategy, channel planning, campaign strategy and social.
• A passion for innovation and business strategy.
• Ability to build successful ‘trusted advisor’ relationships with key senior client contacts.

AKQA is an Equal Opportunities Employer, we believe that diversity is vital to AKQA’s ability to provide our clients with the best recommendations and are committed to fostering a varied and inclusive work environment. Your race, colour, ancestry, religion, gender, gender identity, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability or veteran status have no bearing on our hiring decisions. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.