Client Director (Associate Director) in London

The opportunity: Our Client Directors play an integral role in Octopus Group. You will be responsible for strategic and operational management of your clients. The two primary responsibilities of the role are ensuring excellence in service delivery and driving organic growth across your client portfolio. You will be an expert in managing stakeholders, understanding client needs and providing solutions. You will work with the Group Director to lead, develop and enhance your division to inspire prospects and existing clients. You will work closely from a commercial perspective with Account Directors to maximise account upsell through strong strategic consultancy. In addition, you will lead, grow and develop a team of experienced account/project managers and delivery teams to provide consistent service quality.

The ideal candidate will be in a similar role in PR or marketing agency or looking to progress in an agency that is shaking up the B2B comms world. You will have good working knowledge of the full marketing mix and an astute eye for a commercial opportunity.

The role:

• With a holistic view of clients’ businesses, be ultimately responsible for leading, retaining and growing client accounts.
• Oversee the integrated marketing plans for clients from initial brief through to final delivery and evaluation, working with Account Directors.
• Provide senior counsel to clients in stabilising any issues or concerns as required.
• Be responsible for managing client relationships and their strategic account development.
• Deliver services with high levels of client satisfaction to ensure client references and testimonials.
• Provide timely updates to client management, stakeholders and/or Account Directors.
• Manage and set strategic direction with clients through quarterly and annual reviews.
• Oversee the strategy and delivery on all client accounts and projects working with the Account Directors to ensure the most effective teams are in place to deliver the plan to the agreed scope, timings and budget.
• Negotiate and review client contracts with input from the Account Directors.
• Ensure integration and innovation is a common thread in the planning and delivery of all client projects.
• Work with Engagement and Content teams to continually learn from clients’ experiences to enhance our services and develop our proposition.
• Drive client satisfaction across all touch points to ensure a consistent and positive experience with Octopus Group.
• Support the financial targets and KPI’s of the Division for the accounts you oversee, including accountability of budgeting, forecasting and planning, ensuring all accounts and projects remain profitable to Group standards.
• Be commercially aware and seek out ways to make the team more cost effective.

Sales and Marketing:

• Proactively develop client accounts by influencing Octopus Group’s proposition to secure up-sell opportunities.
• Develop ideas, concepts and strategies to sell the Group’s integrated marketing services offering to existing clients and prospects.
• Represent the business at industry and public events to generate new business opportunities.
• Put together and lead pitch teams encompassing all areas of the business as appropriate.

People Management:

• Take on line management responsibility for Account Directors.
• Responsible for identifying training needs and conducting performance reviews for assigned staff.
• Provide leadership, guidance, mentoring and direction to junior staff members across the business.
• Plan resourcing needs in conjunction with the Divisional Director in order to assemble account teams for clients based on client requirements and the workloads.

Behaviours:

• Assist in developing the internal and external positive reputation of Octopus Group to all stakeholders – colleagues, clients, suppliers, partners and the wider industry.
• Help to make Octopus Group a great place to work. Do your bit to build morale and to make work fun by demonstrating best practice in the Group values, mission and vision.
• Be positive and a force for good in the team encouraging the sharing of advice, knowledge and best practice - all working towards one goal.
• Contribute to an innovative, collaborative, and cooperative work environment.

Desired Skills and Experience:

• At least 5 years B2B tech PR and/or marketing experience gained in an agency environment.
• Significant leadership level experience in an agency environment.
• Able to demonstrate evidence of developing and maintaining relationships with a view to generating revenue.
• Results focused with a track record of KPI achievement and upselling to client stakeholders.
• Strong business acumen with a proven track record when it comes to managing operational and client budgets.
• Top notch media skills and contacts – with specific experience of pro-active media work.
• Proven experience in leading new business pitches and proposals.
• Strong stakeholder management, influencing and negotiation skills.
• Strong people management experience – able to support and manage a matrix team structure.

Reporting: You will report to the Group Director (Board Director).

Location: Package designed to attract the right candidate, including our competitive benefits package of 27 days holiday, matched contributory pension, private medical care, flexible working, long-service sabbaticals, health cash plan, life assurance, childcare vouchers, free eye tests, new business and employee finder’s fees and lots more.