Account Director - (Brand Campaigns) - Permanent

VCCP is the global challenger network for challenger brands. With more than 1,500 people across 13 offices in North America, EMEA and APAC, we challenge convention to create value for the world’s most ambitious organisations.

Our founding belief is It Only Works If It All Works. That’s why we bring specialists from every discipline - strategy, AI, data, media, digital, experience, branding, creativity, production, PR, CX, CRM, employee engagement and beyond - into one fully integrated challenger network.

We were founded on the principles of simplicity, collaboration and un-preciousness, and we’ve grown by staying true to them. Today, our clients include some of the world’s most recognisable and progressive brands, such as Virgin Media O2, Barclays, Cadbury, Compare the Market, Domino’s, White Claw, easyJet, Primark and Co-op. 

VCCP has topped the AAR’s annual new business ranking in 13 of the last 14 years and holds multiple Agency of the Year titles. Across every company and every capability, we share the same ambition: to challenge ourselves, challenge our clients and challenge the industry for the better.

We are looking for a Perm Account Director, with multi-channel campaign experience from an advertising agency background.  

The Role:

Working with Business Directors and Managing Partners, you work on a variety of projects across the account. A deep understanding and proven track record of working on brilliant and innovative multi-channel campaigns is a must for this role – we partner with our clients to champion and push the best creative work. This role requires you to be comfortable working on projects without a set playbook or way of working and be willing to find creative solutions to make campaigns for a range of budgets. You’ll work closely with various senior leaders across VCCP to make interesting and innovative work.

Responsibilities:

Creative

The creative aspirations across the VCCP Partnership are very high. The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate creative judgement, be able to work with a creative department, keep the CD abreast of account activity, and be able to ensure that work is legally sound. They should also be capable of preparing inspiring creative briefings and ignition sessions, as well as being prepared to take responsibility for their creative work.

Strategic:

The VCCP Partnership is famous for its strategic thinking. The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate a good understanding of marketing principles and integration. They will have a good awareness of current business news, issues, and societal insights, as well as have a good understanding of client business and of the end customer. They will be able to deliver competitive reviews and analysis and be prepared to assist planning to aid in the betterment of the end product.

Client Management:

The successful candidate will have the ability to run accounts smoothly, effectively and efficiently. They will also be able to maintain good relationships with clients. The candidate will need to have excellent attention to detail and organisational skills. They will also be competent at forward planning and making sure they are on the front foot at all times with the client.

Communication:

 Account Directors have excellent communication skills, both internally and with the client. They are born presenters; they have professionalism and presence with their clients and are clear and concise in all spoken and written communications. They capture all client feedback and disseminate the relevant information, and have a clear understanding of who to involve on projects and when to involve them.

Commercial and financial:

• VCCP ADs are the lead strategic adviser to their client(s) and the ‘go-to’ person for helping them with their business issues. You will report directly to the Business Director/Managing Partner, but share the responsibility for managing the account.
• You will lead your account team to develop proactive and responsive strategic proposals that drive demonstrable value for your clients.
• You will identify and develop relationships with key budget-holding clients across their business at all levels, seeking opportunities and developing plans for business growth within your accounts.
• You will develop and nurture relationships with people in partner agencies.
• You will be accountable for client revenue targets on your account – in terms of forecasts, the buck stops with you – you need to take responsibility for them, anticipating and reacting rapidly to changes in your client's businesses which impact revenue.
• You will take the lead in client negotiations with procurement and marketing contacts to agree on agency fees and retainers.

Account And Project Organisation

• VCCP ADs are encouraged to work with their account team as they would their own mini agency and should be comfortable with the entrepreneurial atmosphere this creates.
• With the above in mind, VCCP ADs lead and motivate the account teams to deliver first-class account management, ensuring projects delivered are of a high standard, on time, and on budget.
• You will ensure compliance with VCCP company reporting and legal procedures as well as the management of the client account in accordance with any contractual agreements.
• You will ensure your team(s) are adhering to account billing processes, maintaining a sense of urgency in timely and accurate invoicing in line with, or ahead of, your forecast sessions with your Business Director and MD.

Delivering Challenger Agency Product

• You will proactively develop, implement, and share new ways to improve the quality of work within the agency – living up to the agency’s founding principles and challenger philosophy.
• You will head up and take responsibility for the agency’s strategic and creative response to briefs, helping to evaluate in terms of quality and budget, and benchmarking against objectives/KPIs set.
• You will work with your team to develop brilliant and inspiring briefs that help to deliver the very best strategic and creative work.
• You will oversee the formal evaluation of completed campaigns and the sharing of results – it is important that you make sure learnings are shared across the agency as well as within your team.
• You will take leadership in reviewing creative work in an objective and constructive manner, working closely with the creative teams to deliver the best product possible in the pursuit of work that populates culture.

 

 

VCCP DE&I STATEMENT

We believe that DE&I is about creating a strong culture of inclusion within our agency, where everyone can thrive and be their authentic self. VCCP is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of gender, age, disability, religion, belief, sexual orientation, marital status, or ethnicity. If you require any adjustments during the application or interview process, please let us know via joinus@vccp.com.

 

CRIMINAL RECORDS INFORMATION

As part of our onboarding process, you will be required to complete a Criminal Records Declaration regarding any unspent convictions. For roles in finance, HR, Legal, IT or senior management, we may be required to verify your declaration with a basic DBS check, as well as an Adverse Finance and ID check.