Business Director - Manchester

Who are we? A world where complexity is the only constant demands a new breed of company. Brave Bison is a different beast: a media, marketing and technology company purpose built for the digital era. Our universe is made up of award-winning business arms Brave Bison, Engage, SocialChain and MTM. And we’re underpinned by leading marketing training practice, MiniMBA, as well as our very own social-first media network who deliver monthly views in the billions for some of the biggest channels in sport and entertainment across YouTube, Snap, Meta and TikTok. We’re a global collective who live and breathe digital, working with some of the boldest brands in the world to capitalise on the complexity that defines the modern marketing landscape.

Our mission: New platforms, new behaviours, new audiences, new trends, new technologies, new regulations—our clients’ worlds get more complex daily. Their agency partnerships shouldn’t. It’s our job to cut through the chaos, make the complex simple and navigate a clear path to growth for them. That’s why we make it our mission to capitalise on complexity for our clients—across consultancy, capability and execution—by crafting dynamic digital solutions that outpace tomorrow’s challenges.

Our values: We’re a proudly diverse business comprised of deep specialists across media, marketing, training and technology. Although our skills, backgrounds and beliefs may differ, we are united by four core shared values:

• Bold Curiosity: We run at change and challenge convention because we love to push the boundaries of what the world thinks is possible. We champion discovery, go deep into our clients’ worlds and are always hungry to learn more about them, our specialisms and each other.
• Connected Clarity: We are focused in our collaboration — joining the right dots between our clients, our partners and our herd of experts to deliver agile solutions at speed and scale. We set a shared ambition from the outset, are transparent at every stage and always strive to make the complex simple.
• Positive Encouragement: We want to make working with us the best part of someone’s day. We lift one other up, find the fun in the day to day and are committed to ensuring everyone belongs.
• Constant Impact: We believe in outcomes over outputs. We’re goal orientated, results driven and data-led. We show up with passion every day. And we’re always honing our craft.

SocialChain: We are a creator collective designed for a modern world. A team of content creators, community builders, platform natives, tech innovators, and trend starters – perfectly balanced with talented and experienced marketing strategists, comms planners, client leaders and data specialists. Together, we strengthen our clients’ SocialChain’s by building a stronger connection between people and their brand.

Role Overview: We are seeking a visionary, commercially driven, and strategically minded Business Director. Reporting to the CEO, you will be the senior strategic lead across multiple high-value accounts, responsible for driving client growth, shaping long-term strategy, and unlocking new opportunities. This role is ideal for a dynamic leader who thrives on building deep client partnerships, guiding strategic direction, and influencing agency-wide thinking. You will oversee a team of Account Directors, Managers, and Executives, ensuring they are empowered to deliver best-in-class work while you focus on high-level client development, innovation, and business performance.

Key Responsibilities:

• Strategic Client Leadership: Act as the senior strategic partner for key clients, building trusted relationships with senior stakeholders. Lead the development of long-term client strategies that align with business goals and market trends. Drive client growth through proactive identification of new opportunities, upselling, and cross-selling. Lead quarterly and annual strategic planning sessions with clients, delivering insight-led recommendations. Champion the agency’s full creative, social, and influencer offering in a compelling and future-facing way.
• Business Growth & Commercial Oversight: Own revenue forecasting, growth planning, and commercial performance of the client hub. Lead high-value new business pitches and strategic responses to briefs. Collaborate with the leadership team on agency-wide growth initiatives and innovation. Ensure profitability and commercial efficiency across all client engagements.
• Strategic Oversight of Campaigns: Guide the strategic direction of campaigns, ensuring alignment with client objectives and market dynamics. Partner with Strategy, Creative, and Paid Media teams to shape integrated, insight-driven campaigns. Oversee campaign performance at a macro level, ensuring consistent delivery of business results.
• Leadership & Culture: Lead, mentor, and inspire a team of Account Directors and Managers, fostering a high-performance culture. Ensure the team is aligned with agency values and equipped to deliver strategic excellence. Support talent development, succession planning, and team structure optimization.
• Industry Influence: Represent the agency at industry events, panels, and thought leadership forums. Stay ahead of trends in social, digital, and the creator economy to inform client strategies.

What We’re Looking For: 6-8+ years of experience in client leadership roles within a creative, digital, or social agency. Proven track record of growing client accounts and leading strategic transformation. Deep understanding of social media, influencer marketing, and digital innovation. Strong commercial acumen with experience in forecasting, budgeting, and business planning. Exceptional communication, negotiation, and leadership skills. A strategic thinker with a passion for innovation and client success. Proficient in business tools including Keynote, Excel, and Google Workspace.

What you’ll get: Our people make us who we are, so to make sure we attract and retain the best and brightest in the industry, we offer an attractive benefits package. But not only that, we are the UK’s first carbon neutral agency (a status we have held since 2018), with a serious commitment to monitoring and reducing the impact our work has on the planet across three core sustainability pillars of Greenhouse Gases, Waste & Recycling and Sustainable Consumption. Then there’s a whole host of benefits – from discounted gym memberships and free eye tests to an employee pension scheme and enhanced maternity, paternity, and adoption package. Here’s a snapshot of just some of the benefits we think you might also like:

• Dynamic working: To keep that work-life harmony in check, we're flexible on where and when you work.
• Private medical insurance: To keep you fighting fit and give you and your family peace of mind.
• Income protection: We know it feels good to be covered, just in case.
• Calm Subscription: Now more than ever, it’s important to mind your mind!
• 25 days annual leave: This increases to 27 days after three years with us, and then increases every subsequent year up to a max. of 30 days.
• Christmas closure: No need to save holiday days for the Christmas closure period. It's on us!
• Birthdays off: One extra day to celebrate your big day.
• Summer hours: Between June and Aug we finish at 15.00 every Friday.
• Online coaching and mental health support: Unlimited via OpenUp.
• Remote Working: Work abroad for up to one month a year.
• Performance & Salary: Reviewed twice a year for everyone.

Finally, we’re proud and committed to being an equal opportunity workplace, providing equal opportunities for all and treating all existing employees and all job applicants in the same way, regardless of their age, disability, gender, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity status and marital & civil partnership status.