Account Director

Objectives

The Account Director is a leader responsible for the comprehensive health and growth of their client accounts. This role is the primary strategic partner to the client and a key mentor to the account teams.

Duties And Responsibilities

• Serve as the main strategic partner to clients, guiding strategic communications to align with their best interests.
• Has clear understanding of client’s competitive market, therapeutic area, and strengths/weaknesses of the product(s) and pulls understanding through enhanced tactical execution and planning.
• Lead and advise the account teams on developing and presenting new business proposals, including the incorporation of innovative solutions.
• Oversee the overall health of the client relationship, frequently meeting to discuss project direction and strategic goals.
• Identify and secure opportunities to expand agency business within and across existing accounts.
• Review and approve all project briefs and content, ultimately ensuring all creative and scientific output is on strategy, on message, and exceeds client expectations.
• Lead the forecasting process for all assigned accounts, ensuring profitability and controlling costs.
• Accountable for the creation and management of annual client budgets.
• Manage the financial health of the account, monitoring revenue, write-offs, and other concessions to ensure profitability.
• Independently develops financial reports and processes when needed; has the ability to reach account financial goal(s) set by senior management; provides clear, frequent, and timely updates to BU leadership/senior Client Services, including trends in metrics (ie, forecasting, billability, resource management, etc).
• Actively identify and follow up on organic growth and new business leads as time permits.
• Comfortably challenges clients to ensure successful project and strategic outcomes; coaches team to adapt as well to ensure successful partnership.
• Manage, develop, and train the account team, ensuring high-quality output and staffing efficiencies.
• Provide clear direction and mentorship to junior Client Services team members.
• Ensure the team follows all agency processes and collaborates effectively across departments.
• Demonstrate the ability to use strategic thinking and sound judgement to coach the team through difficult and challenging situations.
• Collaborate with other account directors to maintain a consistent approach across all teams where possible.
• Conduct annual performance reviews and identify developmental opportunities for team members.
• Maintain a deep understanding of the client's strategic business plans and the science behind their products to provide informed direction.
• Possess a strong working knowledge of management platforms and provide direction to account teams (i.e., Datavision, PubStrat, Veeva, etc).

Qualification Requirements

• Education: Bachelor’s degree (minimum), preferably in health sciences, marketing, or communications field; an advanced degree (PharmD, BSN, PhD, MS, MBA) is a plus.
• Experience: 7-10+ years of pharmaceutical and/or medical communications agency experience.
• Skills: Extensive experience with estimating costs, developing budgets, and managing project finances. In-depth knowledge of the pharmaceutical and agency industries. Prior supervisory experience and the ability to mentor and motivate a team. A thorough understanding of communications planning, branding, and scientific messaging. Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to monitor competitor and industry developments. Superior oral and written communication skills, with excellent presentation and interpersonal abilities. Significant experience with and knowledge of digital projects. Analytical mind-set with great problem-solving abilities. Proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Ability to travel at least 1-2 times per quarter to meet with clients.