Account Director

Department: Ogilvy One

Location: London

Contract type: 12-Month FTC

Full Time/Part time: Full Time

Reporting into: Business Director / Managing Partner

 

About Ogilvy: 

Ogilvy UK has been creating iconic ideas that deliver impact at scale for clients ever since David Ogilvy founded the company in 1948. Ogilvy UK specialises in bringing together brand advertising, customer experience marketing, PR, influence and consulting, all fuelled by Behavioural Science. Our world-class award-winning creative campaigns deliver solutions for clients including Molson Coors (owner of Madrí beer), Valeo Foods UK (owner of Kettle Chips and Rowse Honey), Argos, Mondelēz International, Unilever, TK Maxx and Pernod Ricard.  

In 2023, Ogilvy UK celebrated their 75th anniversary and was the most awarded agency in Europe. Ogilvy is home to the largest influencer marketing practice globally and hosts the world’s biggest festival of behavioural science and creativity, Nudgestock – now in its 12th year. 

 

The Role:

An Account Director is a leader within the team, responsible for directing larger, more complex projects and ensuring they align with both client objectives and agency goals. You’ll act as a trusted partner to mid-level clients, building relationships based on strategic insight and creative excellence.

With a solid understanding of strategy and how it connects to creative development, you’ll guide teams to deliver impactful work that solves client challenges. You’ll also play a key role in mentoring junior team members, setting the standard for collaboration, problem-solving, and accountability.

You’ll need to be a confident and inspiring leader, capable of navigating challenges, anticipating risks, and driving high-quality results.

This role sits within Ogilvy's B2B practice, working on a number of clients across financial services, logistics and professional services. The work spans integrated 360, social media and influence and digital campaigns. 

You'll be part of a close-knit team, supported by a Business Director and Project Director and working alongside strategists, creatives and wider agency functions.

Beyond the work itself, we're looking for someone with a genuine ambition to grow - this is a role for someone who wants to build a long-term career and make their mark, not just pass through. Experience in B2B marketing is a welcome advantage, though not essential - above all, we want someone sharp, hard-working and genuinely curious about the world their clients operate in.

Key Responsibilities: 

• Be the client’s trusted advisor – Build strong partnerships with mid-level clients, acting as a point of escalation and a source of strategic guidance. Know your clients’ businesses, challenges, and expectations inside out, acting as their trusted advisor.
• Be the creative problem-solver – Anticipate challenges and proactively develop solutions. Push for creative excellence while ensuring projects stay on track. 
• Be the strategic leader – Lead the development of strategies that connect client objectives with creative solutions. Ensure all work aligns with the client’s broader business goals.
• Be a driver of creative excellence - Actively participate in creative reviews, offering thoughtful and well-substantiated insights to challenge and enhance our work. Possess a keen understanding of what resonates with audiences and delivers results, applying this knowledge to ensure all creative aligns with strategic objectives and market effectiveness.
• Be commercially focused – Oversee financial management, including fee/scope tracking and profitability. Ensure projects meet financial targets and contribute to the agency’s success.
• Be the team guide – Oversee project execution. Lead cross-functional teams to deliver high-quality work. Provide mentorship and support to junior team members, empowering them and helping them grow and succeed.
• Be a role model – Set the standard for collaboration, accountability, and resilience. Inspire teams to deliver their best work, even in high-pressure situations.
• Be the connector between strategy & delivery - Drive your projects with confidence, ensuring they deliver on client objectives from strategic development to creative execution and production. Lead strategic discussions, questioning and refining strategies to ensure they are robust and aligned with your clients’ goals.
• Be the external face of the agency - Own all client-facing elements, including scopes, presentations, and communications, ensuring alignment with both client and agency goals.
• Be the advocate - Advocate for your account’s needs within the agency, ensuring it receives the resources and attention required to succeed

 

Key Skills:

• A strategic mindset, with the ability to connect client objectives to creative solutions and long-term goals.
• Strong leadership skills to guide teams, inspire collaboration, and set the standard for excellence.
• A creative problem-solver who can anticipate challenges and develop innovative solutions.
• Exceptional organizational skills to manage complex projects and ensure smooth delivery across multiple stakeholders.
• Confident and persuasive communication skills to present ideas, negotiate effectively, and manage client expectations.
• A deep understanding of the creative process and the ability to champion bold, impactful work.
• Resilience and adaptability to thrive in high-pressure situations and deliver outstanding results.
• A relentless focus on advocating for the client’s needs and ensuring their objectives are prioritised.
• A creative problem-solver who thrives on tackling complex challenges and finding innovative solutions.

 

Join our team in the role of Account Director, where you will spearhead impactful creativity and cultivate client relationships on a global scale. Shape campaigns and champion innovation.

 

How we help you Thrive:    

•  25 days annual leave + 1 Volunteer Day 
• Bupa Healthcare
• Enhanced Maternity, Adoption and Shared Parental Leave
• We have a Flexible Working Model with core working hours: 10am – 4pm
• A 1.5:1 Matching Pension Structure
• Wellbeing and Health: Up to £25.00 per month towards physical or online exercise class membership, Unmind membership, LifeWorks tool and annual eye tests and development budgets and Wellbeing incentives and activities throughout the year 
• Season Ticket Loan and Cycle to Work Scheme
• Life Assurance

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.