Account Director (Pipeline) at Ogilvy South Africa

Role

An account director that should be an experienced, broadly capable manager who handles a wide range of assignments, projects and/or clients with a high degree of success and independence. She/he has strong client relationships and is considered a potential company leader.
The account director needs to demonstrate high-level professional knowledge and skills. She/he is able to manage a large account or a few smaller ones, with little top cover from her/his business director, as well as the staff assigned to the business. She/he should have strong project management, budgeting, counselling, programme, people management and business development skills with increased emphasis and demonstrated success in building business and people. She/he has the confidence and support of client contacts and strong relationships with the client organisation.
An account director demonstrates the ability and wherewithal to deliver on our vision, performance requirements and growth projections. An account director has strong relationships with and the confidence of the client.

Duties include:
Account management

• Monitoring account teams standards and deadlines
• Proposals and strategies to be developed and e-mailed to business director 24 hours prior presentation to client
• Makes contact with each client at least once a day
• Billings and all required documentation such as PO numbers and supplier invoices are completed by 23rd of every month
• Completes billings by 25th of every month
• Assists finance department with collections by 20th of every month
• Updating the billing sheet by 25th of every month
• Ensures OPR recognises client birthdays
• Client coffee session to be arranged every second month with client and business director
• Meeting budget targets and tracking financial progress against each client monthly
• Cost estimates to be managed through the right processes and implementation only to commence once approved and PO received
• Tracking billed hours vs retainer /project income weekly
• One on one team sessions to be held monthly
• Monthly session to be held with business director to discuss clients
• Completing your own timesheets and approving completed timesheets from your team daily

New business

• Research
• Attendance at brainstorm sessions
• Assistance with preparation and development
• Attendance at the presentation
• Monitoring the news daily

Media

• Monthly one on one media meetings
• Demonstrates a high level of written capabilities for press materials
• For when briefing a writer is necessary, to brief with a comprehensive written brief with adequate turnaround timeframe
• Demonstrates an ability to achieve traditional public relations results with a track record of consumer clients.
• Media lobbying and securing additional coverage
• Attendance at all client / media interactions and a media profile to be developed and sent to client 24 hours prior to the meeting
• Assist and alert client to any potential crisis or negative publicity

Role requirements

• Consumer PR experience is essential
• Experience in social, digital and influencer marketing
• Punctuality for meetings both internally and externally
• Understands business trends in the industries to which he/she consults.
• Responsible for the overall development of strategies and programmes based on team input.
• Directs but is also capable of developing a range of materials including client memos, press releases, speeches, articles, brochures, presentations and collateral materials.
• Efficiently and effectively plans and manages large-scale events.
• Develops and guides media relations strategy.
• Applies specialised industry expertise to client work.
• Has established a circle of industry editorial, professional and/or third-party group contacts.
• Has strong presentation skills and demonstrated ability to play a leadership role in a wide range of presentation settings.
• Anticipates and develops solutions to client needs and problems.
• Provides strong leadership in building effective, productive account teams.
• Has intimate knowledge of an integration process and has worked on fully integrated campaigns in the past. 
• Ability to compile and create a comprehensive PR plan which links into a 360 campaign.