Account Executive - McDonalds UK Happy Meal

Reporting Location: London - 16 Hatfields

Workplace Type: Hybrid

About Us

tms unites technology, marketing, and sourcing to drive transformational change for the world’s leading brands. With 1,200+ employees across 26 countries, we offer an impressive range of solutions – from inspiration and innovation to category management and delivery. Operating as a creative agency, a strategic consultancy, a sourcing business, and a technology provider, we engage with over 110 million customers every single day for our clients, including McDonald’s, T‑Mobile, O2, Starbucks, and adidas. Most importantly, we’re a place where you can achieve great things, and be recognized as the best.

What Matters the Most

Breakthrough, business‑driving ideas come from extraordinary people with the freedom to be their most authentic selves at work. Authenticity and diversity are critical elements of our business. They can only be realized when we create access and equity for all. We foster a culture of inclusion and belonging and aspire to be ever‑evolving. tms is a place where brilliant people are better together. If you want your ideas to be heard and to contribute to a culture of inclusion and authenticity, bring us your voice!

At tms we believe that from day one our job is to prepare you, develop you, train you and invest in you so that while with us you will become ready to take on the next challenge better prepared than you thought possible. So whether you’re here for a meeting, a project, or a career – be prepared to Leave Changed.

Why We Think You Will Love This Role

This Account Executive role will sit within our McDonald’s UK Family client services team. This team do some incredible work with McDonald’s supporting the development, production and launch of Happy Meal kits for the UK. Of course we know that McDonald’s is a global icon. A truly amazing brand recognised the world over. However, with increased competition, tough economic times and competitors copying the winning Happy Meal formula, McDonald’s now has to deliver beyond the traditional toy in a box with more exciting, innovative and inspiring activation. We are constantly looking for new ways to make the Happy Meal fun and engaging experience for kids and their families. We challenge ourselves to think about which licensors we can partner with such as Warner Bros, Squishmallows, Pokemon etc. to ensure that the promotions we offer can achieve this. Finally, we guarantee that you will leave changed. Because we help our people achieve their goals. So come here to experience. To experiment. To make mistakes. To challenge your own limits.

What You Will Bring to the Agency

A dedicated and ambitious person you will be looking to develop your knowledge and experience within a buzzing and forward thinking marketing agency. We want you to bring a positive and enthusiastic approach to the role, be prepared to challenge and ask questions, stretch the strengths you already have (we call these superpowers), learn new skills and above all be ready to have fun! You will be a great people person keen to make an impression on colleagues and clients, with a very high level of attention to detail in order to deliver work accurately and within timelines.

As an Account Executive you will be supporting the delivery of exemplary integrated marketing campaigns.

Key Responsibilities

• You will support the team in delivering Happy Meals for the UK.
• You will work into a Senior Account Manager to deliver Happy Meal campaigns which include toy, packaging and merchandising materials.
• Deliver market leading integrated promotions from strategic positioning to concept to design to implementation to evaluation.
• Work with some of the biggest names in the Kid’s industry including; Universal, Warner Bros, Dreamworks, Squishmallows & Pokemon.
• Work on the retail experience for each campaign and the general family experience in McDonald’s restaurants.
• Oversee all aspects of these projects including development of new creative.
• Manage workflow through each agency department to ensure campaigns are delivered effectively.
• Provide support to the inter‑agency team across all projects.
• Understand and advocate for our internal approvals process at all stages, ensuring a high level of accuracy and attention to detail.
• Build strong relationships with all internal stakeholders, in particular regular liaison with resource management team.
• Support the implementation of creative ideas.
• Hunger to learn and develop across all areas.
• Proactive client relationship management; building strong relationships with client contacts.
• Manage client’s expectations around all areas of projects: timings, budgets, resources, change requests.
• Build relationships with associated suppliers and departments outside of marketing (e.g. printers, legal, new product development, ATL agencies).
• Take clear ownership of allocated project tasks – e.g. attending all pre‑production meetings, organising/attending team stand‑ups, managing schedules and meetings.
• Provide weekly project status information to AM, SAM, Programme Manager and wider team (including Resource Management).
• Support project team in management of budgets: tracking hours spent vs estimated hours and understanding rationale for over‑spend.
• Ensure consistent recording of project documentation for all work as directed by team lead (project plans, timelines, meeting minutes and status reports).
• Support profitability of projects through effective budget management.
• Contribute to internal, client and third‑party supplier wash‑ups and adopt any updates to process or working practices for future projects.

Skills and Experience

• Agency experience at Account Executive level would be advantageous, but most important is your enthusiasm for marketing and willingness to get involved with all project areas.
• Experience of working with a creative department and knowledge of the production process.
• Excellent organisational skills and attention to detail.
• Excellent writing skills.
• Strong presentation skills (writing and delivering).
• Ability to express ideas with clarity, confidence and logical reasoning.
• Strong financial acumen.
• Fantastic at project and resource management.
• Appreciates great creative work.
• Works well under pressure.
• Understanding of the Informal Eating Out sector, FMCG and retail sectors.

If you have any questions about the job, we are open to discussing this role further, so please feel free to get in touch.