Company description Machine_ is a creative solutions agency represented across Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban, and is home to over 75 adventurous minds. At Machine_ we don’t believe that intuition and gut feel are enough. That’s why everything we do starts with an insight. Our team of experts uses these insights to create impactful and accountable solutions that touch consumers at every point in their connected world. Machine_ is part of Publicis Groupe, one of the fastest-growing global networks. Machine’s mantra, Never Afraid, underpins our values of; doing the right thing, being curious, solution orientated and at its core ‘giving a s**t!’. Living this mantra daily helps grow our Clients’ businesses and these are the values we look for when recruiting new talent. The right personality is just as important as the right experience. We’re here to work hard and have fun while doing it. Overview The Role   We’re looking for a passionate Account Director to join our team, working from our Cape Town office. As an Account Director, you should be someone who views marketing and advertising as a career and not a job, driven by an innate entrepreneurial spirit. You are passionate about brands, strategy and memorable campaigns, while building long-lasted and trusted relationships with your client to ensure continual business growth both for the agency and the client brand. We are looking for someone with an entrepreneurial, growth mindset – always looking to understand what keeps your clients up at night to proactively propose creative solutions and build their business. We are looking for someone who is passionate about brands from various sectors, no matter how big or how small, with the ability to flex across multiple clients. You should be comfortable and proficient with varied communication scales, from ATL and BTL to digital and content marketing, with equal gusto across all. You will be reporting into the Business Lead (positioned in Cape Town) across multiple clients and disciplines. You need to be able to hit the ground running from day 1, considering yourself to be a self-starter with a passionate drive for excellence. If you are curious, driven and hungry for ownership, then this role is for you! Responsibilities The Account Director will be responsible for: Management of TTL campaigns and communication on a day-to-day basis (experience on ATL – TV, OOH, Radio - and print production is preferable as well as digital campaign experience) across multiple client portfolios. Management of digital Content Marketing (editorial) content for multiple client portfolios Management of client expectations and service delivery by being a focal and trusted point for day-to-day interaction. Assisting your line manager / Business Lead in driving organic business growth within your portfolio as well as flexing into areas of new business / client wins that are acquired over time. Qualifications Marketing qualification essential, ideally educated to a Diploma level 4 - 6 years’ experience in Account Management in Communication/ Advertising Industry Seamless managing the expectations of multiple stakeholders (internally and externally) to deliver according to brief, strategy and to the highest standard You must have experience running jobs, projects, and campaigns from start to finish with minor senior support. You should have the drive to take ownership, and develop your portfolio Experience driving out the production of high-quality printed material is critical ATL, TV and print production is preferred Experience in digital is preferrable Experience on Chase is preferred Additional information Specific Responsibilities: Master the clients’ business and relationships to be a true and valued client partner, being indispensable to their business, ensuring longevity and partnership Flex across multiple Clients and multiple communication disciplines Ensuring that you empower yourself with full knowledge and understanding of your client brands and with the technicalities of the deliverables so that you have smart and productive conversations Implement and drive efficient and effective processes that allow for consistent tracking and powerful conversations Full ownership of your accounts, taking accountability for all work presented and delivered Empower yourself to set up new Clients quickly and effectively Support your Business Lead in driving and meeting all financial targets Empower your seniors with the correct information to ensure that they correctly support you and the Client Have tough and honest conversations with your clients to enable your team to deliver excellence and you create trust through positive outcomes Have confident presentation skills with the ability to sell work effectively Be a strategic partner to your clients, enabling you to guide and drive better work, better business conversations, and build business Maintain the integrity of the creative strategy and work throughout the campaign Exceptional management of Client expectations Can manage all kinds of personalities and always strive to get the best out of each individual Have an excellent knowledge understanding of the Client, the agency, the strategy, and the process to deliver efficiently and to the highest quality Communicate with excellence, maturity and intent when writing or speaking Keep abreast of what is happening in the market (broad communication trends and Client competitor work) to add additional value to your client’s business Continuously have bigger business conversations with senior Clients to understand what’s keeping them up at night in order to proactively propose creative solutions Be prepared to work long hours as and when is necessary in order to deliver according to the deadline and to support the broader team Join in the agency culture to build strong relationships across the business Personal Profile The successful new candidate will be passionate about the advertising and communications industry, highly motivated with excellent communication and problem-solving skills. The following attributes are also essential: An acute sense of responsibility and accountability, not afraid to own your mistakes Efficient, do more upfront to ensure that everything is smooth down-the-line Curious, always asking questions Saying when you don’t understand and ensuring that you gain understanding as quickly as possible – a hunger for knowledge Solution orientated, understanding the problems to drive the right solutions Proactive Obsessed with the finances on your accounts Highly organised Multi-tasker Easily self-manage A team player Enjoy working under pressure Working independently and collaboratively with key team members Hungry to learn and grow and always willing to try something new Thrive in an ever-changing environment A passion for storytelling An OCD for detail and a drive for perfection A strong desire to manage expectations and build trust both internally and externally Deadline awareness and ability to handle all kinds of pressure Taking initiative and ownership of your projects – never be a paper-pusher! Cool, calm, and optimistic Enjoying the thrill of a challenge Motivated by a desire to add value to Client Be entrepreneurial A sense of humour Celebrate the small stuff