Account Director

CLYDE is a fast-paced, integrated communications and public affairs agency committed to delivering innovative, strategic, and visually compelling communications solutions for our diverse portfolio of clients. We work with clients who want to make a difference by moving the world forward – helping them do it through earned, owned, and paid media programs, creative solutions, and smarter, informed strategies. We are passionate about pushing the boundaries of design while staying grounded in strategy, brand integrity, and results. 

We are seeking a talented and dynamic Account Director to join our growing team and bring our Values to life. The Account Director should have 6-8 years of communications or public affairs experience at a communications agency, think tank, in-house, Capitol Hill, or other government agency. 

As an Account Director at CLYDE, you will be at the forefront of shaping and executing fully integrated campaigns that build upon both marketing and communications tactics to make a tangible impact for our clients. With your experience and expertise, you’ll excel at the intersection of these two disciplines, bringing the right tools, insights, and strategies together to meet our clients’ goals and move the needle. You will lead and support diverse teams to craft and implement creative strategies designed to reach and engage key audiences—ranging from consumers to thought leaders and opinion elites.

You will work directly with clients, proactively identifying ideas and solutions for their challenges while building and nurturing strong, long-term relationships while serving as a strategic advisor to guide them through complex challenges. Your leadership will extend to supervising and mentoring 1-3 team members, helping them grow professionally while also ensuring they deliver the highest quality work. Your deep understanding of industry trends will inform your approach to driving innovation, while your business development acumen will play a critical role in expanding CLYDE’s portfolio and winning new business.

In this role, you’ll be instrumental in helping shape the direction of the firm, supporting the agency’s goals, and ensuring that your team continues to grow and evolve in alignment with client and market needs. 

Our Core Values:

• Be Better Than We Were Yesterday
• Our Clients’ Success Defines Ours
• Be The Blueprint
• Creativity is Our Idea of Fun
• We Want to Go Far, So We Go Together

What you will be doing:

• Play a critical role on client teams, building relationships with clients, serving as a go-to resource for clients, and providing strategic communications advice and direction to achieve client goals
• Collaborate closely with client and internal teams to develop sophisticated and creative integrated communications campaigns—and be confident in shifting strategies to address emerging trends, threats, and opportunities
• Ensure client outcomes are achieved
• Ensure all client deadlines are met and the quality of work is high while also remaining on budget
• Oversee financial aspects of the client work, including SOW development, monthly reporting, monthly billing, client profitability, and team member utilization
• Confident standing up new client accounts, including developing the resources and tools needed to execute against SOW and achieve client goals
• Present clearly and persuasively to clients
• Direct business development process for potential clients
• Manage one or more direct reports and guide their professional development
• Support CLYDE initiatives

Our Core Competencies:

• Client Service
• Communications
• Critical/Strategic Thinking
• Professional Development
• Leadership

Position Expectations:

• Ensures direct reports are adhering to firm policies and procedures
• Taps own network to find business development connections
• Works respectfully with colleagues to resolve differences and maintain work relationships
• Makes recommendations to advance CLYDE's mission and vision
• Exercises a strong sense of EQ with internal team members and external clients and vendors
• Builds positive relationships with internal team members, across functions, and can inspire, lead, and motivate teams
• Holds a fierce commitment to, and respect for, a diverse and inclusive workplace
• Presents comfortably to groups of any size
• Makes clear assignments, team members understand direction
• Fluency in contemporary digital channel channel strategies and analytics
• Has excellent writing skills; master of AP style
• Is able to communicate around sensitive/challenging client issues
• Sees risks/threats before clients do, and can sensitively raise them to clients with proposed solutions
• Makes recommendations on how to grow CLYDE beyond client work

Qualifications/Required Skills:

6-8 years of integrated communications experience. This leadership role helps shape and execute strategies for CLYDE clients. Supports account teams or major projects, implementing creative and contemporary communications strategies to advance our clients’ goals through their target audiences. 

• Direct supervisor for 1-3 team members.
• Supervises regular client calls, finding opportunities for junior team members to speak and stepping in as needed.
• Plays a critical role in account management and moving deliverables forward. Develops working relationships with clients, and actively identifies opportunities to solve client problems and proactively advance ideas, including beyond those for which the client has asked. Strongly collaborative with other team members and departments in bringing these opportunities to life.
• Plays a support role to the overall client lead on business operations, including resourcing and budget stewardship.
• Supports the business development process by understanding outcomes over outputs, and moving from tactical execution to strategic development. 
• Guides the professional development of members on the account team. 
• Strongly focused on self-guided development. Particularly oriented towards relevant industry/client trends and continuously works to understand contemporary communications strategies and activations.
• Has a strong understanding of client onboarding materials and can set up accounts effectively, delegating to team members their roles and putting account, finance, and activations in place.

The salary range for this position is $88,300 - $127,200.