Group Director, Client Advice and Management

Business Overview 

IPG Mediabrands is the media and marketing solutions division of Interpublic Group (NYSE: IPG). IPG Mediabrands manages over $47 billion in marketing investment globally on behalf of its clients across its full-service agency networks UM, Initiative and Mediahub and through its award-winning specialty business units Healix, Kinesso, MAGNA, Mediabrands Content Studio, Orion Holdings, Rapport, and the IPG Media Lab. IPG Mediabrands clients include many of the world’s most recognizable and iconic brands from a broad portfolio of industry sectors including automotive, personal finance, consumer product goods (CPG), pharma, health and wellness, entertainment, financial services, energy, toys and gaming, direct to consumer and e-commerce, retail, hospitality, food and beverage, fashion and beauty. The company employs more than 18,000 diverse marketing communication professionals in more than 130 countries. Learn more at www.ipgmediabrands.com. 

Position Overview

The Group Director, Client Advice and Management is a senior leadership role, managing across an integrated team (Client Advice and Management, Strategy, Communications Design and Partnerships). As a member of management, you exemplify our behaviours, drive quality work, and motivate your full integrated team by creating a positive and collaborative environment. You work in partnership and collaboration with the discipline leads and across the SBUs, to ensure comprehensive, business-appropriate solutions for clients.

You are the day-to-day leader and driver for the client and the internal team. Your daily insights will keep your Managing Director – and your full Initiative team - ahead of the game, with your category expertise, status updates and proactive guidance. You are the authority on the client business to the agency and an authority on Initiative and the SBUs to the clients. You translate the clients’ challenges and opportunities, both internally and externally, and lead the development of solutions that achieve the goals. The Group Director manages the profitability of your group of accounts and has strong commercial acumen skills.

Responsibilities

• Day to day client leader and advisor; motivate clients to innovate
• Actively lead the team to deliver brilliant work and flawless execution, ensuring positive client satisfaction scores
• Leadership and authoring of all client proposals, recommendations and points of view
• Ensure all client reporting, budget management, authorization and billing needs are met in a timely an accurate fashion
• Responsible for ensuring a positive relationship between clients and Strategy, Design, Partnerships and SBU leads on your group of accounts; clearly articulate client needs and objectives to the integrated strategy, Communications Design and Partnership leads
• Ready to professionally push back where necessary to effectively manage client expectations, agency resources and deadlines
• Deepen relationships and craft collaborative partnership with clients’ partners agencies
• Apply a client lens to all areas of Initiative product, ensuring solutions developed are business-appropriate and meet agreed-upon KPIs
• Regularly educate your team, your Group Director and Initiative leadership on your clients’ business, culture and industry
• Involve leadership and Group Director in key client engagements
• Partner with the discipline leaders (e.g., Strategy, Communications Design, Partnerships, Analytics) and your Group Director, to provide team members with well-rounded performance goals, evaluations and career paths

Required Skills and Experience

• Proven ability to develop and maintain strong professional relationships with clients, colleagues and vendors
• Ability to drive projects from conception to completion; project management experience
• Background in consulting, marketing, advertising or integrated communications
• Strong leader, presenter and packager of opportunities
• Strong commercial acumen
• Initiative does not require candidates to have a college degree

Desired Skills and Experience

• 10+ years in integrated planning role in media, publisher / vendor, or communications discipline (digital, content)
• 6+ years’ experience in leading, managing and developing a multi-dimensional staff

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