Senior Account Director
About Ogilvy
Ogilvy, part of WPP, was founded in 1948 by David Ogilvy. David created a culture that deeply respects and cares about its people and clients. Our mission is to inspire people and brands to make an impact and we are committed to attracting, growing, and retaining the best talent in the industry.
Ogilvy Health UK is made up of healthcare communication specialists across the disciplines of medical education and communications; brain sciences; brand promotion; digital and social; strategic planning; public relations; and creative/design. We believe we are like no other: we blaze new trails; we encourage a culture of creativity and innovation; we challenge, and we change; and we recognise and reward our team.
About WPP
WPP is the trusted growth partner for the world’s leading brands. We unite cutting-edge media intelligence and data solutions, world-class creativity, next-generation production, transformative enterprise solutions and expert strategic counsel in a single company – powered by exceptional talent and our agentic marketing platform, WPP Open, to help our clients navigate change, capture opportunity and deliver transformational growth. For more information, visit WPP.com.
Ogilvy Health is one of the largest global networks in healthcare communications, providing strategic, integrated solutions for many of the biggest names in the pharmaceutical, healthcare, and medical device industries. In the UK, we are a powerhouse of over 170 healthcare communication specialists spanning medical education, advertising, digital, public relations, and market access.
In our Medical Education division, our approach is founded on expertise that combines biomedical science, learning theory, and behaviour change to create truly impactful medical and professional education. We pride ourselves on being ‘Scientifically Grounded, Creatively Driven.’
What we can offer you:
- An Inspiring Culture: An exciting, supportive, and highly creative working environment with committed colleagues, where new thinking is openly encouraged at all levels.
- Multidisciplinary Exposure: The unique opportunity to work across multiple disciplines beyond medical education, including promotional, digital, and market access.
- Unrivalled Growth: Exceptional training and personal/professional development opportunities, powered by the immense depth of expertise within Ogilvy Health and the wider global WPP network.
About the Role
Senior Account Director - 12 month FTC
As a Senior Account Director, your primary focus will be leading client relationships, directing strategic programming, managing and mentoring your team, and driving account profitability and organic growth.
Your key responsibilities will span several core areas:
Strategic Account Direction & Financial Health
- Shape the long-term strategic direction of your accounts, ensuring activities and budgets align with future opportunities.
- Maintain a high-level strategic overview of accounts, proactively advising clients on external market changes and leading strategic planning meetings.
- Oversee account profitability, negotiate financial arrangements with clients, and maintain a constant grasp of the financial status of your accounts.
- Champion quality control, ensuring all team output meets Ogilvy’s exceptionally high standards.
Client & Professional Relations
- Establish yourself as a trusted senior consultant and strategic adviser to clients (often partnering at Marketing Director level).
- Actively participate in the development of the client’s marketing strategy and maintain strong, positive client relationships.
- Build and maintain key relationships with clinical, industry, and NHS opinion leaders to identify new opportunities and monitor market intelligence.
Business Development
- Identify, develop, and execute opportunities to organically grow business within your existing client pool.
- Take an active, responsible role in developing and presenting new business pitches.
People & Team Leadership
- Lead, motivate, and inspire your team to reach their full potential and take ownership of their projects.
- Manage resourcing across your accounts, ensuring staffing levels are appropriate and sustainable.
- Conduct appraisals, set clear development objectives, and identify training opportunities to support your team’s ongoing career progression.
- Participate in recruiting, interviewing, and welcoming new talent to the agency.
What You’ll Need
To be successful in this role, you will be a seasoned Medical Education / Medical Comms agency professional who thrives on combining scientific strategy with creative execution. You should bring:
- Proven Agency Experience: Significant experience directing accounts within a Medical Education or Medical Communications agency environment.
- Strategic & Financial Acumen: A strong track record of managing account profitability, budgeting, and driving organic growth, as well as contributing to new business pitches.
- Client Relationship Skills: Experience acting as a senior-level adviser to healthcare and pharmaceutical clients, with the ability to navigate complex environments and guide marketing strategy.
- People Leadership: Proven ability to lead, mentor, and resource a team, with a genuine passion for developing junior talent and managing staff welfare.
- Industry & Scientific Curiosity: A solid understanding of the healthcare landscape, pharmaceutical guidelines, and opinion leader networks, with a passion for delivering "Scientifically Grounded, Creatively Driven" work.
Benefits & Culture
At Ogilvy Health, you'll be part of a non-hierarchical, eclectic team united by a shared commitment to doing the best work of our lives (its one of our values!). Beyond client work, you'll have opportunities to engage with our vibrant culture and social teams, and contribute to our fantastic DEI initiatives, championing diversity across our agency and industry.
We offer a comprehensive and competitive benefits package, including:
- 25 days annual leave, with the option to purchase up to an extra 5 days per year, plus your birthday off and a paid volunteering day
- Generous enhanced parental leave policies
- A robust pension scheme (up to 17.5% total contributions after probation)
- Choice of Private Medical Cover (Bupa from day one), Dental cover, or a monthly £45 leisure allowance for your health & wellbeing
- A fantastic Employee Assistance Programme (Telus) offering support, advice, and specialist counselling
- Help at Hand: quick, free access to a remote GP, mental health support, physio, or a medical second opinion
- Free 1-2-1 Coaching through Thrive Partners for professional or personal growth
- A comprehensive Learning & Development programme to support your career trajectory
Our ambition is to attract the very best diverse talent to Ogilvy, and to be the employer of choice in the UK. We want everyone to feel welcome when they join us, and once they’re here, for them to want to stay with us, grow their career, and to feel they belong with us.
We are an equal opportunity employer and we’re committed to creating an inclusive, welcoming environment for everyone who wants to work at Ogilvy. For us, diversity, equity and inclusion is integrated into everything that we do. We believe that for creativity to flourish, everything about how we work must have diversity at its core. Your race, colour, ethnic, religion, gender, gender identity, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, have no bearing on our hiring decisions, but we encourage everyone to feel free to express their true selves in an environment we are consistently striving to make as inclusive as possible.
We aim to facilitate an accessible and positive application experience for all candidates. If you require any adjustments from us to support you through the process or expect to require any adjustments to working conditions to be able to best perform in the role, please let us know. We are happy to consider all reasonable adjustments.
If you live with a disability and you would like to take advantage of our offer of a guaranteed interview under the Disability Confident Scheme, please ensure you fill out our voluntary Equal Opportunities Questionnaire when applying.
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