Account Director, Client Services (Soccer)

THE JOB / Account Director

CLIENT SERVICES / Responsible for leading Octagon’s client business and day-to-day management of client programs.

**The priority location for this role is Atlanta, GA, but the location of this position can be flexible for an Octagon office location located within either the Eastern or Central Time Zone, with priority given to candidates open to hybrid work (3 days week in office) in one of these aforementioned office locations.**

Octagon is looking for a dynamic leader, soccer enthusiast and overall subject matter expert in the world of soccer to help us support the development and execution of our clients’ Major League Soccer, Mexican National Team U.S. Tour and U.S. Soccer partnerships. If you have a passion for brand marketing, developing deep client relationships, possess a strong strategic mentality, love the journey better than the destination and enjoy guiding a team through a fast-paced environment, then this is the position for you!

The right candidate will be a veteran brand marketer, who has strong experience working directly with soccer properties, a good understanding of the retail industry and know how to manage major sports partnerships ideation to execution. You know that building a strong team takes both time and effort, while also knowing how to thrive at being both a coach and mentor. Collaboration and integration are ingrained into your DNA and you understand how to leverage both to create successfully programming. 

To excel in this role, you are a soccer subject matter expert, a confident project manager and good multi-tasker who thinks on your feet, takes initiative, identifies and solves problems independently, finds creative solutions, and keeps programs on track across multiple channels (agency, client, and property).

The responsibilities for this position will require travel to attend client meetings, live event executions and work on the weekends.

THE WORK YOU’LL DO

• Help our client launch, develop and execute their soccer portfolio in the U.S. Market
• Work with senior leaders on the business to help create our client’s go to market strategy for soccer partnerships
• Help lead Octagon’s specialty groups in developing compelling creative campaigns, onsite activation programs and customer hosting events bringing these partnerships to life and most importantly exceeds our clients’ expectations
• Management of a multi-million-dollar partnership activation budget
• Create thoughtful POVs, insights and reporting that will advise smart marketing plans and real-time campaign improvements
• Serve as an advisor and consultant to key decision-making clients
• Develop strong, trusted relationships with agency partners, properties, media and content partners
• Lead, coach and mentor a diverse set of teammates who may be geographically dispersed
• Help Octagon meet its key financial goals and grow its business with our client
• Serve as one of the agency’s key subject matter experts in the world of soccer

THE BIGGER TEAM YOU’LL JOIN

Recognized as one of the “Best Places to Work in Sports”, Octagon is the global sports, entertainment, and experiential marketing arm of the Interpublic Group.

We take pride in being Playmakers – finding insightful, bold ways to create play in our work, our lives, and in the world. We believe in the power of play to create big ideas and unlock potential for our clients and talent.

We can put ourselves in the shoes of fans because we ARE fans – of sports, entertainment, and culture at large. This expertise allows us to continually evolve the fan experience across sports and entertainment alongside some of the biggest brands and talent in the world.

The world needs play more than ever. Are you a Playmaker?

WHO WE’RE LOOKING FOR

• Minimum 5 years of proven experience within the soccer industry developing strong integrated brand marketing campaigns and compelling onsite activation programs
• Strong understanding of the regional and global soccer landscape
• Experience developing robust marketing campaigns for a retail specific brand and/or client
• Proven soccer subject matter expertise, having played a leadership role in the oversight and execution of major integrated soccer marketing campaigns
• Experience leading large teams on complex projects
• Proficient communication skills (spoken and written)
• Strategic, collaborative approach to solving problems with ideas – build relationships and influence a range of teams
• Successful at encouraging positive agency and client relationships