New Jobs at 99C

Responsibilities

Leadership

• Oversee and mentor a team of art directors, providing guidance, support, and inspiration to foster their creative growth
• Drive the development of innovative and compelling creative concepts that align with client objectives and brand identity
• Ensure the highest standards of quality and execution in all creative deliverables
• Lead and inspire Art Direction best practice
• Ensure consistency and integration of art direction across all communication channels
• Responsible for seeing the idea through the creative process to final sign off
• Mentor junior and mid art directors
• Participate in new business initiatives, from identifying opportunities to pitch development
• Hands-on creative development from concept to implementation
• Provide quality assurance of all creative deliverables

Thinking

• Collaborate with copywriters and other team members to develop the overarching creative strategy and big ideas for campaigns
• Demonstrate a strong understanding of consumer insights and market trends to create relevant and engaging content
• Think critically and creatively to solve complex challenges and generate unique solutions
• Interact with other agency teams/divisions to develop creative concepts
• Work to brief and show understanding and relevance to the target market

Integration

• Research and implement AI-powered design tools and techniques to streamline workflows and enhance creative output
• Utilize AI algorithms for tasks such as generating design ideas, creating custom illustrations, and optimizing visual assets

Proficiency

• Stay up to date on the latest design software, hardware, and industry trends
• Leverage technical skills to create visually impactful and technically sound designs
• Create social, digital, print, TV, OOH and editorial layouts and oversee shoots

Excellence

• Manage the day-to-day operations of the art direction team, including workflow, deadlines, and – along with Traffic – optimal resource allocation to enable quality delivery
• Ensure efficient and effective execution of creative projects, from concept to completion
• Collaborate with production teams to ensure seamless transition of creative concepts into production
• Oversee creative consultations with strategy and account teams to assure appropriate creative strategies, adequacy/accuracy of input, production support, necessary reviews, and client presentations

Client Management

• Present creative concepts to clients and effectively communicate the creative rationale and solution, ensuring all concepts are well thought-out, strategic, highly creative, and effectively answer the brief requirements
• Build strong relationships with clients and foster trust and collaboration
• Address client feedback objectively and openly, and make necessary adjustments to creative deliverables

Retail Focus

• Demonstrate a deep understanding of retail marketing and consumer behaviour
• Develop creative concepts that are tailored to the unique challenges and opportunities of the retail environment

Qualifications and Experience

• Tertiary degree or diploma in art direction and marketing and/or communications
• 8+ years of experience (preference will be given to candidates from agency environments)
• Strong conceptual ability demonstrated by an impressive portfolio of work
• Experience in omni-channel advertising is crucial
• Proven experience as a Creative Group Head or a similar leadership role in advertising or a related field
• Strong portfolio showcasing exceptional creative concepts and execution across various channels
• Ability to lead and inspire a team of creative professionals
• Deep understanding of design principles, typography, and color theory
• Excellent communication and presentation skills
• Strong attention to detail and organizational ability
• Ability to work under pressure and meet tight deadlines
• Passion for creativity and a commitment to delivering exceptional results
• Ability to balance working personally on projects, as well as overseeing campaign development within your teams
• Need to be able to work with Adobe Creative Suite software (Acrobat, InDesign, Photoshop, After Effects, etc.)
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office 365 Suite (MS Word, MS PowerPoint, etc.)
• Team player with the ability to work independently, as well as collaborate with broader teams
• Resilient, with ability to remain calm in a highly pressurized, fast-paced environment
• Creative, out-of-the-box thinker with both a strategic and creative mind-set
• People-focused, approachable, dependable, emotionally intelligent, empathetic and compassionate
• Proactive and resilient, assertive, accountable and proactive
• Problem-solver, deadline and solution driven
• Meticulous with excellent attention to detail
• May be required to work on alcohol brands and/or alcohol-related material

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Responsibilities

Client Relationship Management

• Build lasting, trusting relationships with both junior and senior clients alike
• Demonstrate clear understanding of client’s strategic business requirements
• Drive internal planning and external client / stakeholder strategic brand direction
• Strong problem-solving ability along with experience of knowing when to escalate potential risks and/or solutions to senior clients and agency colleagues when needed
• Maintain strong control of the rollout of client projects
• Build credibility with client, embodying the agency’s profile and commitment to excellence
• Proactively escalate issues to the Client when needed, thereby preventing project milestones being missed, or budgets being negatively impacted
• Actively seek new opportunities for client business growth and delivering business solutions to client
• Ownership of client work scopes

Project Management

• Provide strategic input and frameworks for all campaigns and day-to-day work to Ensure timeous and accurate execution of briefs and projects against agreed timelines, milestones of development and execution plan
• Execute integrated campaigns in partnership with multiple agency stakeholders, ensuring campaigns work across all touchpoints
• Lead agency collaboration with Production and Traffic Departments to ensure expediency and efficiencies with regards to timing, quality of output, and minimization of pressure and wastage
• Implement, monitor and manage the workflow process as tasked, escalating to the Client where necessary
• Proactive management of all project timelines
• Hands-on project management and leadership of key strategic campaign development, or whenever needed
• Above average attention to detail and strong risk mitigation skills are critical success factors and requirements for this role
• Ensure complete delivery, on time, for all projects
• Always monitor the required output standards by personally ensuring all work is on brief and to the desired quality of level prior to client submission
• Assist with optimisation of internal resource allocation and utilisation
• Solid writing, communication and presentation skills
• Understand the agency’s structure, processes and procedures and actively contribute towards the improvement thereof to ensure output excellence

Financial Management

• Strong financial tracking and fiscal management skills
• Oversee project profitability, ensuring client service team identify, escalate and manage opportunities for cost optimization
• Maintain efficiencies, economies of scale & resource optimisation, ensuring jobs are delivered according to the allocated budget
• Management of client retainer recons to ensure accurate time tracking against budgets
• Weekly management, updating and tracking of finances (CE's, PO's, Billings) and reporting to ensure optimal financial control
• Coordinating retainer data with input from 99c Operations for approval by Exco and presentation and negotiation with client
• Handle all periodic recons of hours and presentations of the recons to Client
• Oversee and efficiently manage account resource allocations versus agreed retainers, Negotiate freelancer fees with Client should additional resource capacity be required
• Move, reallocate or rescheduling of projects to ensure smooth and efficient delivery of high-quality work to client when required, to reduce pressure on agency resources

Team Leadership

• Mentor and lead team while driving their successful output of project execution
• Maintain excellent intercompany and interdepartmental communication and knowledge transfer
• Assist the client service team, and the agency in general, in identifying and utilizing opportunities for optimization and harmonisation / integration of the various agency departments, partner agencies, and partners
• Ensure provision and oversight of Reports from Client Service Director and other team members. 

Strategic Ability

• Analysis and input into media plans and schedules, evaluating and assisting with strategic media decisions whenever necessary
• Actively seek relevant research and insights to contribute to creative and strategic development

Individual and Team Development

• Actively pursue opportunities to learn and grow within the portfolio
• Live shared values and core behaviours of the agency
• Act as a role model for both the account management team, as well as the broader agency, always embodying the agency’s values
• Motivate, inspire, mentor and lead the client service team by active engagement and support
• Support knowledge transfer, knowledge sharing, and upskilling through relevant & appropriate learning / teaching channels
• Strive to learn and grow, pro-actively seek opportunities and become involved in projects outside of allocated tasks

Qualifications and Skills:

• Relevant industry qualification (i.e. Advertising / Marketing / Business Management)
• Minimum 10 years' advertising agency experience
• Minimum 5 years' experience in Group Account Director role with a blue-chip brand
• Experience in Retail is preferable.
• Extensive experience of managing CE’s; PO’s; billings; and retainers
• Prior experience of working with traditional and digital media plans and strategies
• Excellent command of the English language (both written and verbal)
• Excellent command of Microsoft O365 suite, including MS Word; MS PowerPoint; and MS Excel
• Passionate about the advertising and communications industry
• Have the ability to work on integrated omni-channel platforms.
• Proven ability to multi-task while staying cool and calm
• Diligent, accurate and strong communication skills
• A team player who loves a challenge, leads by example and takes initiative, never relinquishing ownership of the outcome
• Reliable; solutions-driven mindset; and industrious
• Highly organised; strong attention to detail; systematic way of working
• Acute sense of responsibility and accountability
• Self-motivated; self-disciplined; self-starter and efficient
• Works independently and collaboratively with key teammates
• Curious and hungry to learn and grow - always willing to try something new and proactively seek new solutions
• Thrive in an ever-changing environment
• A keen eye for detail and a drive for perfection
• The ability to remain calm under pressure
• Deadline awareness and ability to handle all kinds of pressure
• Fearless when it comes to accountability – owning personal and team errors and fixing them to come back stronger
• Genuine passion for clients and client service, motivated by a desire to add value to your clients’ business
• Be willing to get your hands dirty.
• A sense of humour and ability to celebrate the small stuff