Group Account Director

About the Job

This is a full-time position located in Sydney CBD, with flexible working from home options. As a Group Account Director at Zeno, you will drive business development and provide senior counsel for account teams. You will be supporting the Managing Director and Senior Account Directors across all operational aspects of this fast-growing business. You will have a nose for new business, a strategic mind, strong financial acumen, and a flair for creative thinking.

You will be working with a team of bright and enthusiastic communicators and a client portfolio comprising professional and financial services, technology, FMCG and some of the world’s most innovative and fast-growing companies.

B2B and strong corporate comms experience is essential, with capability to manage campaigns encompassing employee engagement, C-suite executive profiling and issues management. You will also be confident in driving purpose, sustainability, and social impact programs.

You will need to able to devise and execute integrated data-led communications programs that support clients in achieving their commercial and reputational objectives. A day in the life could include developing an RFP, managing team training and mentoring, reconciling account budgets, and managing servicing levels, running media training workshops, trouble-shooting client queries and a whole lot more.

We are looking for a Group Account Director who will be a team player and who likes to get things done without drama or ego interfering! Please note that at least eight years’ agency experience is essential – with a minimum of two years in Australian agency. Strong local market and cultural knowledge is required.

• Being an effective client strategist who is fully empowered to fulfil and execute your role, and able to lead, support and inspire your teams.
• Strategically managing key relationships with client leads at local, regional, or global level, and growing client revenues
• Assisting the Managing Director to achieve team vision, strategy and business objectives and cascade to wider team, ensuring enhanced collaboration of the agency’s various communities together.
• Providing strategic trusted counsel to clients, while leading and mentoring your team
• Day-to-day responsibility over a portfolio of clients, including budget responsibility, strategy, and planning, and managing delivery and execution.
• Reviewing client KPIs to ensure accounts leads deliver KPIs on time and on budget.
• Contributing to the overall positive culture in the office
• Being a passionate people advocate and developer of future talent.
• Being a positive role model in leadership values and behavior's 
• Having fun – and helping others enjoy their work too!

• Support the Managing Director and wider team to deliver high levels of client satisfaction.
• Lead and deliver best practice at all touch points of client service.
• Ensure delivery of the high-quality solutions within budget scoped and timeframe agreed.
• Lead the strategic development of project and long-term campaigns for clients.
• Act as an ambassador for integration and be able to upsell any service in the agency.
• Be a trust advisor to senior client's contacts.

• Be an effective client strategist fully empowered to fulfil and execute your role, and able to support and inspire the team.
• Develop relationships with key contacts across the Zeno global network.
• Be a strong people advocate and developer of future talent.
• Identify, shape, attract and develop talent across all levels.
• Retain and develop talent through mentoring, motivational feedback, and learning opportunities.
• Make decisions whilst considering the needs of the whole agency.
• Manage teams to maximize performance and productivity.
• Be a positive role model and a real team player. Get involved - with no task too big or small.

• Marketing, New Business and Networking
• Lead business development with a focus on brands with purpose and values that align with Zeno’s philosophy.
• Bring capability to deliver end-to-end new business, from pipeline to pitch-and-win.
• Undertake proactive and reactive new business strategies to ensure year-on-year growth.
• Participate in and contribute to internal training offering and industry opportunities.
• Network amongst client groups and relevant industry peers
• Stay up to date with emerging technologies and trends and demonstrate expert understanding of how they integrate into communication marketing programs.
• Review and approve new business and new projects budgets before submission to client.

• Establish achievable revenue growth targets annually. Manage servicing levels of accounts by scoping and resourcing work appropriately.
• Ensure forecasts are accurate and aligned with monthly resourcing requests: ensure budget allocations are accurately split across the agency per the resourcing plan; alert the Managing Director to any changes to scope or budget as they occur.
• Ensure the team follows Zeno’s financial policies and procedures and that your responsibilities in this area are diligently adhered to.
• Ensure work completed aligns with budgets; identify and address potential for scope creep. Ensure client is aware of any discrepancies in expected deliverable an available budget; work with client to reprioritize work or expand budget as needed.

Our Culture, Perks and Values  

Awards and client win aside, it is our culture that really sets us apart from other agencies. We are fiercely protective and supportive of our people, who are our greatest assets. We invest heavily in training and career development, and we also work hard to ensure that work does not take over your life. We set clear boundaries and have many benefits in place to support your wellbeing.

Benefits for full time employees include: 

Flexible Working

•    Flexible work from home options (with phone and internet allowance)  

•    Finish at 4pm on Friday's year round  

•    Finish at 1pm every Friday before a public holiday  

•    Change of Scene Week - $1000 towards accommodation costs for you to work from a different location every year   

•    Stopover Holiday Extension Three nights’ accommodation paid if you are visiting a city with a Zeno office 

•    Aussies Abroad anniversary trip with flights and accommodation to visit another Zeno APAC office 

Leave

•     Anniversary leave day off  

•     Birthday leave day off  

•    Annual Zeno Day of Play – a day off to have fun 

•     Bonus Christmas leave between Christmas and new year  

Training  

•    Zeno Fearless University - internal training modules  

•     Zeno Internal Training sessions - with regional and global leaders  

•     External Training opportunities  

Wellbeing 

•     Self-Care Days (when you need to take a day to yourself, no doctor’s note needed) 

•     Headspace subscription  

•     Employee Assistance Program counselling services