Senior Account Manager

About the Role:

The Senior Account Manager is responsible, and accountable, for the effective and efficient day-to-day management of the client’s business at OUAT and is a critical team member in owning and building OUAT’s relationship with the client. The Senior Account Manager has direct responsibility for managing the day-to-day requirements of the account team through the business and back to the client.

The role is about continuously seeking out new opportunities to grow the business through innovation, increasing ‘share of wallet’ ensuring opportunities for all Once Upon a Time’s services are maximised while keeping a tight control on budgeting and forecasting.

It combines organisational discipline, intuition, and assertiveness with outstanding people skills. There is a need to possess operational excellence, exceptional customer management skills and strong negotiation abilities. Experience of crisis management, process and project management skills and reporting are a must.

Key Responsibilities:

Client management & knowledge

• Fully integrated Production knowledge, being able to impart experience onto client and account team.
• Build a robust, mutually-beneficial and respectful business relationship with the client at all levels of their business. Be the ‘face’ of OUAT within the client.
• Respond to client requests in a professional, consultative manner that is responsive, flexible, commercial and of the highest standards.
• Deliver to client what has been promised, when it has been promised, whilst monitoring and measuring client satisfaction.
• To produce reports as required and proactively manage client expectations across all aspects of a campaign and its development.
• Lead client briefs; participate in client brainstorms and other external meetings & presentations.
• Ensure that you respond to all client requests for costs accurately, efficiently, and in a timely manner. Ensure that we are delivering the required margins on the account.
• Be self-motivated and keep abreast of market/ industry trends to ensure you have the knowledge & skills to perform your role effectively.
• Prepare contact reports for any briefs/projects/client meetings and/or calls to ensure written account of communications at all times.
• Provide written record to the client of ANY verbal communications to ensure a record is kept.

People Management

• Build respectful, trusted and friendly relations within internal departments, as well as key external partners.
• Liaise collaboratively with internal teams (managed services, project management, creative services, the studio, production, finance, and senior management) in order to drive effective dissemination of information, briefs and campaign/ promotion needs throughout the business.
• Work closely with the client & OUAT colleagues to ensure that any problems or issues are resolved promptly, providing reassurance by implementing sustainable preventative actions
• Ensure that the CD is immediately made aware of any issues that may negatively affect business/ the OUAT perception by client, so we can collectively decide how to deal with the issue or manage damage limitation/ client expectation.
• Ensure your direct reports and graduates on the account are trained to the highest standard to facilitate their roles.

Creative Development

• Ensure the quality of briefs into the creative department is robust, accurate, well thought-through, insightful and inspiring.
• Manage the client feedback process fairly, intelligently and diplomatically while ensuring daily team huddles take place to review & prioritise workload & any immediate actions.
• Consistently seek out new innovations and market leading technologies that can be presented to the client and drive additional revenue for Bezier.

Process Management (Timelines, Meetings, Finances, Admin, etc)

• Identify best ‘working practice’ and ensure it is implemented with the account teams. Work with colleagues to constantly review business wide processes to deliver cost-effective methods of working.
• Implement process improvement initiatives that aid the operational delivery of projects for clients
• Ensure client approval on all campaign budgets. Always secure purchase order from them BEFORE any costs are incurred by OUAT.
• Ensure the team undertake timely and accurate invoicing and cash management.
• At any time, have a holistic view of all campaigns and jobs in the system for your client.

Professional Development

• Act as sales team representative in the absence of the CD for all departmental meetings that may arise to ensure that all KPI’s set, are met.
• Maintain a positive, professional, can-do attitude at all times while developing & maintaining a working environment where respect, enthusiasm, commitment & involvement are recognized & rewarded, and opposing factors isolated.

Account Development

• Responsible for seeking out new opportunities to drive revenue and increase turnover and profit on the account.
• Provide written reports & info on ad hoc basis as required by the CD.

Key Requirements:

• 5+ years’ marketing/advertising experience.
• Can strongly & effectively manage relationships while delivering projects to the highest standard.
• Self starter, with strong creative management experience required, preferably within agency / production industry.
• Excellent eye for detail. Able to be flexible and remain calm under pressure.
• Proven track record in a similar style of role whether it be client or agency based.
• A strong communicator (verbally and written), and able to work with people at all levels outside and within the organisation.
• Strong time management/prioritisation skills with excellent process and project management skills.
• Able to work to deadlines and budgets.
• Excellent reporting skills.
• Computer literate and familiar with Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
• Knowledge of competitive Marketing Instore landscape, understanding of Digital and AV are desirable.