Account Director

With 50 years of data-driven direct marketing experience, IWCO Direct offers the services, resources, and expertise our clients need to power successful, omni-channel marketing campaigns. With locations in Chanhassen, MN, Little Falls, MN, Hamburg, PA and Warminster, PA, IWCO Direct is an equal opportunity employer valuing safety, integrity, innovation, engagement, perseverance, diversity and teamwork.

Our growing Marketing Services team is seeking an experienced account/client services professional to serve in the position of Account Director. The primary role of the Account Director is to support Group Account Directors, Strategists, and the Sales team in developing and implementing direct response marketing strategies. This will include managing client communication and deliverables as well as direct or indirect supervision of assigned Account Services team members . Responsibilities, as outlined below, will require regular communication with IWCO Direct clients and internal stakeholders including: Creative, Sales, Production and Finance/Business Services.

Responsibilities:

• Strategic Planning and Leadership
  • Become an expert on each of assigned clients’ company, products, industry, offers, messaging and brand guidelines, etc.
  • Brings new ideas, insightful thinking and proactive planning to clients on a regular basis
  • Obtains full understanding of client requirements and expectations and ensures client alignment on agency process, pricing, deliverables and agency limitations
  • Provides input on and assists the Group Account Director and Strategists in the development of strategic marketing communication plans
  • Frequently develops pitch and presentation materials and “sells” ideas and recommendations to clients
  • Build and maintain positive relationships with client contacts through daily interactions as a main representative of IWCO Direct
  • Actively participate in development of campaigns from ideation through to client approval and performance analysis in a leading role
  • Develops creative briefs and any reference materials needed to give strong direction to the internal team in order to complete deliverables

• Team Management
  • Provides ongoing oversight, coaching and mentorship to members of the account service team
  • Delegates tasks to ensure team growth and opportunities
    
• Project Management
  • Oversee development and routing of all deliverables as assigned
  • Ensure all creative concepts satisfy creative brief requirements, strategy objectives, client brand requirements and graphic standards
  • As necessary, reviews creative materials and provide detailed proofing to ensure it matches the requirements outlined on estimate, matrix, or other reference documents
  • Oversees routing of deliverables to clients for approval as necessary
  • Manage multiple projects simultaneously
    
• Revenue Management
  • Create, or oversee preparation of client estimates and project timelines
  • Deliver quality materials on-time, on-strategy and on-budget; monitor project labor vs. budget on ongoing basis, revising scope documents or escalating concerns as appropriate
    
• Communication and Administrative
  • Arrange conference calls and meetings including invite management, booking conference rooms, etc. as necessary
  • Lead status calls (internal or with client) on regular basis
  • Ensure meeting notes are consistently captured and communicated them to internal team and/or client by a member of the account team
  • Periodically assist in special projects as requested by supervisor, or extended team

Minimum Experience/Education Requirements:

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent combination of education and experience in related discipline
• 8-10 years as an Account Manager, Account Director, Account Supervisor, or Management Supervisor in a marketing/advertising agency environment or equivalent experience
• 3 years managing direct response marketing campaigns; direct mail experience preferred with demonstrated understanding of print and direct mail production terminology and processes
• Experience managing data and understanding of targeting, modeling and segmentation approaches is preferred
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, with proficiency in keeping expectations of internal team members and clients tightly aligned
• Excellent problem-solving, collaboration and negotiation skills
• Experience successfully presenting and “selling in” strategic recommendations (both conceptual and tactical in nature) to clients at all organizational levels from Coordinator to CMO
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and balance changing client and company needs with a high level of autonomy
• Demonstrated success in supervising or leading agency teams in profitable engagements with highly satisfied clients
• Experience managing key agency metrics such as revenue forecasting, revenue recovery, client retention and team utilization
• Intermediate skill level and comfort with MS Office Suite software (Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint)
• Ability to learn proprietary software
• Ability and willingness to travel, up to 30%
• Pre-employment physical, drug screen, and background check required

Required

Preferred

Required