Business Director (Media)

London, hybrid

This position sits in our Creative & Media service based in London. We combine data, technology, creative content, and paid media to crack brands’ business problems & drive revenue through a variety of digital marketing solutions. Our clients include Just Eat Takeaway, eBay, Pepsico and Meta.

 

JOB PURPOSE

Business Directors at DEPT® lead on all the cross-functional work we deliver for a key client. We expect Business Directors to be experts in truly understanding the clients in their portfolio’s business, challenges, goals, and SWOT, and have established relationships with the most senior levels on the client side in order to push their team outside of the box on driving innovation/strategy. Business Directors represent DEPT® to our clients, adding value to relationships beyond organizational skills, doing a mixture of account management, strategic planning, and serving as the commercial lead on the business.. 

Business Directors are expected to be able to develop, negotiate, and manage scopes of work as well as support in leading new business proposals and pitches. 

Candidates must have experience managing teams (directly and indirectly), complex campaigns, and high-volume retainers for brands and be calm and controlled in high-pressure situations. Equally, experience with delivering commercial success in an agency model is important. We need people who can come up with big ideas as well as lots of little ones that are framed in a solid strategy grounded in insight and ultimately deliver a tangible ROI for our clients. Most importantly, we need a leader who inspires their team and earns the respect of senior clients.

 

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES  

Clients

• Ability to work in partnership with senior clients to develop annual strategies
• Ability to establish themselves as true business partners, thought leaders and innovators at DEPT.
• Responsible for holding recurring meetings with senior leadership on the client side focused on pushing their business forward, macro goals, industry trends/updates, and new opportunities to drive growth. 
• Responsible for being the primary relationship holder for the client within DEPT® 
• Responsible for ensuring client satisfaction by regularly communicating with senior decision-makers 
• Responsible for high client retention and growth
• Ability to be a point of escalation on their accounts and effectively solve issues that arise, whether internally or with clients
• Ability to reach out to clients directly when service issues arise
• Ability to lead new business pitches and proposals alongside leadership and growth team

 

Business knowledge & compliance

• Ability to forecast, reconcile, and monitor client revenue and profitability
• Must have a strong understanding of scope management, inclusive of how to track and manage, escalate scope pacing issues
• Responsible for financial management of client portfolio revenue, including updating relevant internal financial systems accurately and in a timely manner
• Ability to scope projects and retainers within budget and on brief 
• Ability to productize our services within a proposal and SOW
• Ability to initiate conversations with clients around SOW adjustments 
• Ability to author written SOWs, amendments, and other legal adjustments in partnership with contracts team as needed 
• Ability to lead contract negotiations and oversee the implementation of commercial agreements
• Ability to proactively pursue cross-sell & upsell opportunities to drive innovation,  strategy, and organic revenue growth
• Responsible for ensuring teams are operating effectively and efficiently towards clients goals while meeting financial revenue targets on accounts

 

Team participation, development & strategic leadership

• Ability to successfully work with all craft teams to effectively drive strategies and work that leads clients to the next level of their business
• Ability to lead, line-manage, motivate and inspire a team
• Ability to craft strategic responses to briefs and the ability to develop a POV on media, creative content, tech, and data
• Familiarity with DEPT's service offerings & department leads with the ability to participate in conversations for complex projects or new offerings & know who to to bring into the conversation within DEPT
• Responsible for ensuring delivery of work is to the highest possible standard
• Ability to contribute to the creative process by sharing their ideas and experience
• Ability to present work internally and externally to all levels of seniority 
• Responsible for ensuring all teams servicing their client(s)identify core issues, proactively develop plans to mitigate issues from restructuring account teams, have hard conversations both on client and employee side, rally team to overcome challenges, and deliver high client satisfaction (validated via CSAT surveys and regular check-ins)
• Responsible for periodically reviewing team ways of working and identify opportunities for streamlining or improvement 
• Responsible for consistently assessing team/client fit, ensuring we have the right talent matched up to the right clients - based on expertise, communication/working styles
• Responsible for ensuring new team members are properly onboarded to each account, not just with day-to-day knowledge & skills development, but by providing a full deep dive into each client’s business and priorities.
• Ability to determine resolution for any cross-channel issues including performance, tracking, QA issues, etc.
• Ability to resolve any collaborative roadblocks between teams
• Ability to settle miscommunication or interpersonal issues within the group

 

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

• Extensive experience in roles servicing clients in an agency environment
• Experience managing large clients, AOR,s and agency teams
• Experience managing complex campaigns and retainers
• Experience in leading a high-volume, multi-service retainer(s) for brands/clients
• Experience working on a global brand
• Confident with both brand and conversion/direct-response campaigns
• Experience leading, motivating, and coaching teams of 10+ people
• Experience inspiring, and able to create a proactive and energized team culture
• Must have strong delegation skills with the ability to coordinate activities between multiple projects without directly managing them
• Ability to communicate complex messages to a variety of audiences 
• Ability to view the big picture, beyond your immediate role or department, and align projects with company strategy, values & goals
• Ability to solve problems through collecting relevant information for assessment, understanding solutions & consequences in order to choose a course of action
• Ability to connect each project to the business world, thinking through effectiveness, efficiency, and consistency within all interdisciplinary projects
• Strong client relationship management skills, including experience working directly with directors, VPs, and C-level clients on strategy development
• Excellent project management skills, able to find the most efficient ways of working
• Excellent organizational skills and high attention to detail
• Excellent written and verbal English communication skills; excellent presentation skills
• Advanced problem-solving skills
• Excellent time management skills
• Ability to react quickly within a fast-paced environment
• Ability to remain focused under pressure and work under tight deadlines
• Proficient in working with data

 

WE OFFER

• A flexible, hybrid working policy
• The choice of medical healthcare providers (Bupa or Medicash) 
• 25 days holiday plus bank holidays and your birthday off each year
• Company pension scheme 
• EAP scheme
• Ride to work scheme 
• Enhanced family friendly policies
• Buddy Program: You will be paired with a ‘Buddy’ to help you through your first weeks’ at DEPT®
• A reputation for doing good. DEPT® has been a Certified B Corp® since 2021 and named ‘Agency of the Year’ at both The Lovies and The Webby Awards.
• Awesome clients. Whether big or small, local or global — at DEPT® you’ll get the opportunity to work with clients of all sizes and across all industries. And we celebrate all of our successes together!
• The opportunity for possibility. We want to enable you to do what you do best and help you develop your skills further with training, development and certifications.
• Global annual DEPT® Cares Month in which employees come together and donate their skills to support local charities.

 

WHO ARE WE? 

We are pioneers at heart. What does that mean? We are always looking forward, thinking of what we can create tomorrow that does not exist today. We were born digital and we are a new model of agency, with a deep skillset in tech and marketing. That’s why we hire curious, self-driven, talented people who never stop innovating. 

Our culture is big enough to cope and small enough to care. Meaning, that with people across 30+ countries, we’re big enough to provide you with the best tools, global opportunities, and benefits that help you thrive. While acting small by investing in you, your growth, your team, and giving you the autonomy to solve our clients problems, no matter where you are in the world.

DEPT® is committed to making a positive impact on the planet and since 2021 has been Climate Neutral and B Corporation certified.

 

DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION 

At DEPT®, we take pride in creating an inclusive workplace where everyone has an equal opportunity to thrive. We actively seek to recruit, develop, nurture, and retain talented individuals from diverse backgrounds, with varying skills and perspectives.

Not sure you meet all qualifications? Apply, and let us decide! Research shows that women and members of underrepresented groups tend not to apply for jobs when they think they may not meet every requirement, when in fact they do. We believe in giving everyone a fair chance to shine.

We also encourage you to reach out to us and discuss any reasonable adjustments we can make to support you throughout the recruitment process and your time with us.

Want to know more about our dedication to diversity, equity, and inclusion? Check out our efforts here.