Group Account Director ( Maternity cover) in London

Established in 2004, OLIVER is the world’s first and only specialist in designing, building, and running bespoke in-house agencies and marketing ecosystems for brands. We partner with over 300 clients in 40+ countries and counting. Our unique model drives creativity and efficiency, allowing us to deliver tailored solutions that resonate deeply with audiences. As a part of The Brandtech Group, we're at the forefront of leveraging cutting-edge AI technology to revolutionise how we create and deliver work. Our AI solutions enhance efficiency, spark creativity, and drive insightful decision-making, empowering our teams to produce innovative and impactful results.

About the role:

As Group Account Director, you'll lead the strategic, creative, and commercial performance of your client portfolio — owning the client relationship from senior stakeholder engagement through to studio delivery. You'll oversee two studio teams, integrate with client-side organisations while maintaining top-tier agency standards, and be accountable for growth, profitability, and the quality of everything that goes out the door. This is a role for a seasoned account leader who can think strategically, act decisively, and bring teams and clients along with them.

What you will be doing:

• Client Leadership & Strategic Partnership: Act as the senior point of contact for a portfolio of two to three clients, building trusted, high-value relationships with client partners at Head of Marketing and Marketing Director level. Collaborate closely with client stakeholders to define and execute marketing strategy and activity — translating their business objectives into effective, ambitious creative solutions. Champion brand guardianship across all client projects, ensuring the client experience is consistently exceptional and creative output meets the highest standards. Be present at client offices two to three days per week, maintaining active, face-to-face engagement and seamless communication across all workstreams. Present creative and strategic work with confidence and clarity to senior client and OLIVER stakeholders, including client SLT. Anticipate client needs, proactively identify creative and strategic opportunities, and negotiate win-win outcomes on behalf of the team.
• Studio Leadership & Delivery: Oversee two studio teams — on and offshore — ensuring seamless integration with clients' businesses and consistent delivery against briefs, timelines, and quality standards. Serve as the single escalation point for internal and client SLA breaches or process gaps — capturing issues and working with the Business Director and Managing Partner to resolve them. Own the execution of projects, run rates, and client satisfaction through regular WIP management and catch-ups with job owners. Work with the OLIVER Hub on ad-hoc project requests, ensuring smooth coordination across the wider network. Lead, manage, and develop junior team members — fostering a culture of ambition, accountability, and continuous improvement. Be willing to work at every level of the operation: one moment presenting to client SLT, the next trafficking campaigns to keep work moving.
• Commercial Accountability & Growth: Take full financial ownership of your accounts — including profitability, accuracy of forecasting, fee negotiation, and management of late payment. Provide regular, timely financial reporting to the Business Director, with clear visibility of account performance against targets. Be accountable for the delivery of growth targets across the portfolio. Identify and develop new business opportunities through client relationships, introducing Brandtech Group capabilities where relevant and appropriate.

What you need to be great in this role:

• A proven track record of leading senior client relationships in a fast-paced, multi-discipline agency or in-house environment — working independently without the support of a large account structure.
• Exceptional client engagement skills — proactive, influential, and able to build strong, trusted working relationships with senior marketing stakeholders.
• Strong commercial acumen: experience owning account P&L, managing profitability, negotiating fees, and delivering against growth targets.
• Experience leading and developing studio or agency teams, with the confidence to work across every level of the operation.
• A genuine understanding of creative excellence — you can champion the work, provide sound creative direction, and generate ideas that practically contribute to output.
• Deep knowledge of digital and performance marketing, with strong understanding of paid media channels — particularly LinkedIn and PPC.
• Experience managing TUPE-sensitive transitions and leading teams through organisational change with clarity and care.
• First-rate communication and presentation skills — clear, articulate, and naturally able to build rapport with diverse stakeholders.
• Strong understanding of OLIVER and IIG Group capabilities, and how to deploy them to clients' commercial advantage.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and related software.
• Comfortable working in a hybrid environment with regular in-office presence to support team cohesion and client engagement.
• Oversee annual studio or account-level budgets across the portfolio — tracking spend, driving cost efficiencies, and presenting financial performance to client and OLIVER stakeholders.
• Accountable for the financial health, profitability, and commercial growth of the accounts in your portfolio.
• Experience leading fee negotiations and managing commercial frameworks with senior clients.
• Strategic integration of Gen AI tools across studio projects, client workflows, and operational processes.
• Experience setting AI quality standards and governance at studio or account level, and embedding responsible AI use across teams.
• Agentic leadership for complex, multi-team business and creative challenges — you take a systematic approach to ambiguous problems and create clear paths to resolution.
• Drives AI innovation and best practice sharing across your teams and the wider OLIVER network.
• Confident guiding both clients and colleagues on the responsible, effective use of AI in marketing and creative production.
• Formal qualifications are welcome but not required. Equivalent experience — gained through work, self-directed learning, or other routes — counts equally.

OLIVER, a part of the Brandtech Group, is an equal opportunity employer committed to creating an inclusive working environment where all employees are encouraged to reach their full potential, and individual differences are valued and respected. All applicants shall be considered for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, neurodivergence, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by local laws.

OLIVER has set ambitious environmental goals around sustainability, with science-based emissions reduction targets. Collectively, we work towards our mission, embedding sustainability into every department and through every stage of the project lifecycle.