About Us
Initiative unlocks business growth for the world’s most ambitious brands. We believe in the power of media to reshape our industry and orchestrate a brand’s entire consumer experience, by balancing both what unites people and what makes them different.
When brands unite people in culture, they build Fame, and when brands connect individuals to their unique journeys, they build customer Flow.
Media responsibility is at the forefront of everything we do, whether it’s creating media plans that reflect the diversity of our communities, promote brand safety, and foster sustainability.
Our agency celebrates diversity in an inclusive environment where all of our 6,000+ strong talent across 90+ markets feel seen, heard, and valued. Our vision is to create not only a better media company, but also a better media industry, and maybe even a better world.
Role Description
The Group Director is a senior leadership role, managing across an integrated team (Business Leadership, Strategy, Design and Partnerships). As a member of management, you exemplify our behaviors, drive quality work and motivate your fully integrated team by creating a positive and collaborative environment. You work in partnership and collaboration with the discipline leads and across the SBUs, to ensure comprehensive, business-appropriate solutions for clients.
You are the day-to-day leader and driver for the client and the internal team. Your daily insights will keep your CEO – and your full Initiative team - ahead of the game, with your category expertise, status updates and proactive guidance. You are the authority on the client business to the agency and an authority on Initiative and the SBUs to the clients. You translate the client’s challenges and opportunities, both internally and externally, and lead the development of solutions that achieve the goals. The Group Director manages the profitability of your group of accounts and has strong commercial acumen skills.
Key Responsibilities
Client
- Day to day client leader and advisor
- Actively lead the team to deliver brilliant work and flawless execution, ensuring positive client satisfaction scores
- Leadership and authoring of all client proposals, recommendations, and points of view
- Ensure all client reporting, budget management, authorization and billing needs are met in a timely and accurate fashion
- Responsible for ensuring a positive relationship between clients and Strategy, Design, Partnerships and SBU leads on your group of accounts
- Astute listener and learning to drive the right solutions
- Agitator / driver to push clients to innovate rather than stagnate
- Ready to professionally push back where necessary to effectively manage client expectations, agency resources and deadlines
- Deepen relationships and craft collaborative partnership with clients’ partners agencies
- Contribute to client QBR meetings
Internal
- Participate in all client briefings, clearly articulate client needs and objectives to the integrated Strategy, Communications Design and Partnership leads
- Apply a client lens to all areas of Initiative product, ensuring solutions developed are business-appropriate and meet agreed-upon KPIs
- Regularly educate your team and Initiative leadership on your clients’ business, culture and industry
- Involve leadership in key client engagements
- Partner with discipline leaders to stay informed and aware of new developments internally and externally
- Promote an open working environment where opinions, views and ideas can be shared
- Develop your client advice and management team through performance management and giving consistent feedback
- Partner with the discipline leaders (e.g., Strategy, Communications Design, Partnerships, Analytics) and Leadership, to provide team members with well-rounded performance goals, evaluations and career paths
Commercial
- Ensure over delivery of all agreed-upon performance KPI’s
- Actively track and manage team staffing and resource allocation
- Regularly update Leadership on utilization, profitability, fees, and scope of work compliance
- Seek out opportunities to grow existing business and drive organic growth across group of accounts, through Initiative’s services as well as those of Mediabrands’ and IPG partner agencies
- Ensure all annual financial goals/targets are met across Initiative and Mediabrands SBU’s
New Business
- Participate in new business when require
Desired Skills & Experience
- Proven ability to develop and maintain strong professional relationships with clients, colleagues