Influence Account Director in City of London

Ogilvy has been creating impact for brands through iconic, culture-changing, value-driving ideas since the company was founded by David Ogilvy 75 years ago. It builds on that rich legacy through Borderless Creativity – innovating at the intersections of its advertising, public relations, relationship design, consulting, and health capabilities with experts collaborating seamlessly across over 120 offices in nearly 90 countries. Ogilvy currently ranks as the #1 global agency network for creative excellence and effectiveness by WARC, signifying its ability to deliver creative solutions that drive unreasonable impact for clients and communities.

About Ogilvy: Ogilvy UK has been creating iconic ideas that deliver impact at scale for clients ever since David Ogilvy founded the company in 1948. Ogilvy UK specialises in bringing together brand advertising, customer experience marketing, PR, influence and consulting, all fuelled by Behavioural Science. Our world-class award‑winning creative campaigns deliver solutions for clients including Sainsbury’s, Argos, Mondelēz International, Unilever, TK Maxx and Pernod Ricard. In 2023, Ogilvy UK celebrated their 75th anniversary and was the most awarded agency in Europe. Ogilvy is home to the largest influencer marketing practice globally, and hosts the world’s biggest festival of behavioural science and creativity, Nudgestock – now in its 12th year.

The Role: As an Influence Director, you are a senior leader within our team, responsible for the overall strategic success and delivery of our most significant influencer programs. You will own key client relationships and projects end-to-end, making independent decisions and holding your team accountable to ensure senior leaders remain confident in our delivery. In this role, you will be expected to anticipate and resolve complex problems, manage up by bringing solutions, and develop systems that improve team efficiency. A critical part of your leadership will be to mentor junior colleagues, champion Ogilvy's values, and encourage a culture of continuous improvement. You will be the central point of contact for senior clients and internal stakeholders, enabling cross-functional communication and ensuring the highest quality of work.

Key Responsibilities:

• Strategic Oversight & Delivery: Provide senior oversight across all campaigns within your portfolio, ensuring delivery is on-strategy, on-time, and meets the highest standards of quality. Act as the final point of escalation for all project-related issues, making independent decisions to resolve complex challenges and protect client relationships. Develop and implement new systems and processes to improve team efficiency, quality control, and overall campaign effectiveness.
• Strategic Leadership: Lead the design and definition of industry-leading influencer strategies for our key clients, setting the vision and ensuring all activity ladders up to their core business objectives. Drive innovation within the team, identifying new opportunities, technologies, and creative approaches to keep our offering at the forefront of the industry. Lead and deliver compelling creative and strategic solutions in high-stakes client meetings and new business pitches.
• Client Partnership & Counsel: Own and cultivate senior-level client relationships, evolving from a delivery partner to a strategic advisor. Provide proactive senior counsel to clients on industry developments, competitive threats, and strategic opportunities, building their confidence in Ogilvy as a long-term partner. Ensure the commercial health of your client portfolio, taking responsibility for account profitability and client satisfaction.
• Senior Communication & Integration: Serve as the primary conduit between your team and senior agency leadership, communicating progress, challenges, and successes with clarity. Enable effective cross-functional collaboration at a senior level, ensuring influence is seamlessly integrated with other capabilities across the agency. Mediate high-level conflicts and navigate complex stakeholder environments to ensure positive outcomes.
• Commercial & Resource Management: Hold ultimate responsibility for the financial performance of your client portfolio, including forecasting, profitability, and budget management. Identify and pursue opportunities for organic growth within existing clients and play a lead role in new business acquisition. Oversee team resource allocation, ensuring workloads are balanced and the right talent is assigned to the right tasks. Lead and inspire a team of managers and executives, providing clear direction, formal mentorship, and career development plans. Foster a positive and inclusive team culture that champions Ogilvy’s values, and address behaviours that do not align. Delegate tasks thoughtfully to empower your team, while monitoring overall progress to ensure accountability and successful delivery.

Skills for Your Growth to Influence Director:

• Practice Leadership: Move from leading a client portfolio to shaping the strategic direction, operational structure, and thought leadership of the entire Influence department.
• P&L Ownership: Transition from managing account profitability to taking full ownership of a significant departmental P&L, driving major new business wins and shaping the commercial future of the practice.
• C-Suite Partnership: Evolve from a senior client advisor to a C-suite level strategic partner, building and maintaining relationships with the most senior client stakeholders.
• Talent & Culture Development: Broaden your focus from team leadership to shaping the long-term talent strategy, recruitment, and culture for the entire department or practice area.

What You Will Need:

• Proven experience as an Influence Director or similar senior role, with a strong track record of leading large-scale, multi-market campaigns.
• Demonstrated ability to lead, inspire, and formally mentor a team, delegating work effectively and fostering their professional growth.
• Excellent commercial acumen with experience managing account profitability and contributing to new business.
• Sophisticated problem-solving skills with experience in anticipating high-level challenges and creating effective solutions.
• The ability to confidently lead senior-level client conversations, mediate conflicts, and act as a trusted strategic partner.

How we help you Thrive:

• 25 days annual leave + 1 Volunteer Day
• Enhanced Maternity, Adoption and Shared Parental Leave
• Flexible Working Model with core working hours: 10am – 4pm
• Wellbeing and Health: Up to £25.00 per month towards physical or online exercise class membership, Unmind membership, LifeWorks tool and annual eye tests.
• Season Ticket Loan and Cycle to Work Scheme
• Life Assurance

At Ogilvy, our people are at the heart of what we do: a creative agency that sparks game-changing ideas across culture and business through collaboration, integrity, and a celebration of self-expression. We believe in building powerful teams with purpose - and we relentlessly curate transformative initiatives that make our commitment to fairness, and equity a reality. Our ultimate mission is to leave a positive impact on the world, creating a better future for all, while supporting and uplifting the global communities we serve. This is central to our mantra of Borderless Creativity. Ogilvy is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to particular characteristics. We are committed to fostering a culture of respect in which everyone feels they belong and has the same opportunities to progress in their careers.