Dubai, UAE

Senior Account Director

At AKQA (part of WPP), we believe in the imaginative application of art and science to create a better future. With an entrepreneurial and collaborative approach, we design adaptive ideas, services and experiences that capture the imagination, delivering impressive returns for our clients.

This role is a dual role with both account leadership and new business being at the heart of The Senior Account Director holds a senior client leadership role within AKQA. You will be responsible and accountable to the General Manager and indirectly the AKQA MENA management team for client relationships and new business development. 

As a Senior Account Director in MENA, you will be responsible for building valuable long term client relationships by working with senior clients who understand the broader strategic opportunities of AKQA’s offering to their business. Your role focuses on providing strategic direction for each of your accounts and delivering imagination and innovation for the client’s business in partnership with the wider team. Your role will be particularly essential in navigating and building strong client relations with clients in the Kingdom, through work that resonates both locally as well as for audiences globally.

You will work closely with a growing, meritocratic team of talented individuals based both locally and across the MENA region. There will be the opportunity to learn and grow within a creative and technically advanced environment, with access to ongoing personal and professional development. At AKQA, we’re committed to your growth, as well as your wellbeing.

ROLE REQUIREMENTS

• Builds and maintains a deep and mutually beneficial client relationship; challenges clients; identifies opportunities, educates them, learns from them, understands key business issues and regularly plans and facilitates quarterly review sessions.
• Manager escalated client / project issues - acts as an escalation point for client and project related issues.
• Builds good relationships with team members, ensuring the team has a high level of morale.
• Identifies key business opportunities and ensures the full breadth and depth of AKQA resources are presented.
• Leadership and management of multi-disciplinary resources as and when they are engaged in client activity (project management, strategy, technology and creative).
• Conducts company performance reviews, sets SMART objectives and reviews regularly.
• Monthly financial tasks - complete monthly financial tasks such as revenue recognition and forecasting in a timely and accurate fashion.
• Ensures compliance with all internal account and project tracking procedures .
• Ensures client projects/activity is processed/billed in a timely and accurate manner.
• Regularly and consistently maintains reporting documents to manage clients and projects efficiently and professionally; forecasting, resourcing, status reporting and invoicing.
• Meets and exceeds revenue targets.
• High quality of project deliverables meets deadlines and works within estimations.
• Ensures projects are delivered in a timely and professional manner taking responsibility and accountability for all internal resources and costs used on client work.
• Ensures direct reports are meeting utilisation and billability targets, completing timesheets accurately.
• Fluent in English, both spoken and written. Fluency in spoken Arabic required.
• Previous experience in Saudi Arabia and/or the MENA region required.

 QUALITIES AND CHARACTERISTICS

• Extensive account management experience at a leading digital agency, professional services firm or similar organisation.
• Successful track record of building exceptional client relationships; necessary capability, presence and professionalism to inspire confidence and credibility with clients and colleagues.
• Experience in new business development, creating connections and responding to regional RFPs. 
• Understanding and experience of web/internet and marketing; experience in business strategy, information design, creative design and web technology (what we sell), as well as broad understanding of marketing/advertising elements of campaigns, annual plans, strategic goals and brand awareness.
• A passion for innovation and business strategy.
• Ability to build successful ‘trusted advisor’ relationships with key senior client contacts.

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