Group Account Director

Remuneration:	market-related
Location:	Johannesburg, Sandton
Job level:	Mid
Type:	Contract
Reference:	#GADGRID
Company:	TBWA South Africa

We’re looking for a Group Account Director at Grid Worldwide

Are you ready to dive into the heart of creativity and make waves in the world of branding and advertising? At Grid Worldwide, we're not just another agency—we're a powerhouse of bold ideas, fearless creativity, and the relentless pursuit of excellence.

Who We Are: At Grid Worldwide, we’re not just ‘account management’. We believe in unconventionality - we are a tribe of planners, storytellers, organisers, creative and strategic partners who live and breathe creativity. From our dynamic offices in Illovo, we build brands that defy expectations, challenge the norm, and leave a meaningful impact on the world.

We are The Make it Mean Something Company.

What we need: We’re on the hunt for a GAD to join our Account Management team. You’ll be the maestro of client relationships, the navigator of projects, administrative excellence, and a champion of the creative product. If you thrive in a fast-paced, ever-evolving environment and have a passion for turning client dreams into reality, you might just be the one we’re looking for.

What you’ll do:

• Client whispering: Build and nurture strong relationships with our clients, understanding their needs, goals, and aspirations.
• Project juggling: Supporting your Business Lead and the AM team in managing multiple projects, ensuring timelines are met, processes adhered to, budgets are respected, and creativity flows smoothly.
• Creative conductor: Collaborate with our brilliant creative minds to deliver groundbreaking work that make waves in the industry.

Why grid worldwide?

• Culture: We’re not just coworkers; we’re a family of fearless thinkers and doers who celebrate creativity in everything we do.
• Opportunity: Grow professionally and personally in an environment that encourages autonomy, collaboration and ambition.
• Impact: Your work won’t just make ripples; you will be a vital cog in a broader account management team working to build meaningful relationships and inspiring work.

Ready to Make Your Mark? If you’re ready to unleash your creativity, challenge the status quo, and join a team that dares to dream big, we want to hear from you.

Group Account Director:

Typically oversees multiple clients within a specific account group. The GAD is deeply involved in managing the client relationship, setting the strategic direction for each account, and ensuring the creative and financial success of those accounts.

Some key qualities Grid is looking for in a GAD:

Strategic understanding:

• Understanding of the client-specific strategy, working closely with strategy and creative teams in aligning the creative work with each client’s unique objectives, and ensuring consistent delivery and quality.
• Leading client presentations, campaign approvals, as the main point of contact for key clients, as well as creative direction in internal creative reviews.

Client relationship builder:

• One of your main roles is to be the bridge between our clients and our creative teams. You're the point person for clients, understanding their goals, challenges, and dreams, and then translating that into actionable plans for our team to execute. You're basically the translator, making sure everyone speaks the same language and stays on track.

Team leader:

• When it comes to our internal team, you're a cheerleader and a coach. You're there to support the AM’s underneath you, motivating them, and helping them grow. Whether it's providing resources, removing roadblocks, or just being a sounding board, you're a go-to person for guidance and encouragement.

Problem solver:

• And of course, you're a problem solver extraordinaire. When things hit the fan – and let's face it, they sometimes do – you're the one who swoops in, assesses the situation, and leads the charge to find a solution. It's all about staying cool under pressure and keeping everyone focused on the end goal.

• It's about juggling multiple hats, balancing competing priorities, and always keeping your eye on the prize.

3 key pillars at Grid:

• Creative excellence
• Culture and relationships
• Client value and profitability

Creative excellence

• Strategic and Creative Leadership
• Deep understanding of the client business, brand and brief to guide strategic and creative outputs
• Manage, actively input into and guide strategic and creative development workstreams
• Deliver strategic client engagements, presentations and providing recommendations (both to client and internally) that are concise, insightful and on point
• Proactive management of all project timelines, always ensuring on time and accountable for delivery of projects
• Overseeing deliverables of extended internal team to ensure client needs are met (suppliers, strategic partners, production partners etc.)
• Building relationships and partners with senior creative leads to drive collaboration against Grid creative outputs for client
• Consideration of Grid’s internal creative excellence goals such as awards and reputational impact and growth
• Intentional problem solving and a commitment to great thinking that you bringing to the table with every brief – how can your work contribute to the creative process and creative excellence?

Culture and relationships

• Client Relationship Management: serve as the primary point of contact for key clients, building strong and lasting relationships based on trust, transparency, and exceptional creative delivery
• Ownership of full client scope of work, the processes to achieve scope, and delivery of scope
• Strive to learn and grow, pro-actively seek opportunities and become involved in projects outside of allocated day to day tasks
• Our business is your business/ your clients business is your busines
• Drive the integration of the various departments and skillsets within Grid
• Be a Champion of Grids shared values, live our culture and behave as an ambassador for Grid in all interactions
• Build and enable excellent communication, collaboration and partnership across departments within Grid and across client stakeholders
• Team Building and Talent Growth - support knowledge transfer, knowledge sharing and upskilling of the team around you through mentorship and relationship building
• Building relationships and effective communications with key senior Grid leads in ensuring alignment, optimisation and best practice outcomes

Client value and profitability

• Value as Clients Strategic Partner:
  
  
  • Understand clients' business objectives, challenges, and industry landscape to anticipate their needs and proactively offer strategic solutions.
  
  
  • Play a key role in client budget and financial negotiations

• Value as Creative delivery:

• Responsible for delivering client value -primarily in the form of meaningful solutions and outcomes that drive business impact through creative excellence, as well as through financial objectives

• Owning the financials for clients, including forecasts, budgets, proposals and scoping, tracking and reporting monthly – ensuring that key financial responsibilities are mutually understood and agreed upon.

• Financial value:

• Client Organic Growth and New business development

• Taking on a role in driving organic growth on client portfolio, supporting new business initiatives and leveraging client relationships in the development of overarching business growth

• Financial Health and Process Diligence

• Oversight, management and ensuring Grid financial practices – finance statuses, supplier payments, reconciliations across fees and production, tracking, reporting and forecasting

• Monthly management of client retainer recons to ensure accurate time tracking against budgets.

• Weekly management, updating and tracking of finances (CE's, PO's, Billings) and reporting to ensure cashflow management

• Play a key role in achieving financial targets allocated to client portfolio

• The ability to scope projects from a resourcing and timing point of view.

• Operational excellence as a key driver in delivering financial success, creative success and relationships success - identification and implementation of resource & optimisation opportunities, effective operations management and driving outputs with planning teams

What you bring:

• Passion: A fiery passion for solving business problems through creativity and a love for all things branding, advertising and everything in between
• Experience: Minumum 5 years experience in account management within the creative industry and agency environment, with a clear understanding of client service processes, as well as experience in managing large client portfolios with many moving parts creating a whole.
• Adaptability: A chameleon-like ability to thrive in a dynamic, agile environment where no two days are the same.
• Communication: Stellar communication skills, both verbal and written, because clear communication is the heartbeat of our success.
• Team Spirit: A team player mentality, ready to lead, collaborate, ideate, and celebrate victories together.

 


 


 


 


 


 

Posted on 20 Nov 13:13, Closing date 19 Dec