Job Description

The Account Director (AD) holds a key position in an account, usually having a minimum of 6 years of relevant client account experience. They will demonstrate a high degree of knowledge of client account/relationship management and will deploy their skills in the daily management of the account.





Their ultimate focus is to ensure the account runs efficiently and that clients experience highly professional, technically proficient, knowledgeable and value-focused service while delivering the project within budget, timelines and margin targets.





With a view to delivering the best experience for each client, the AD embodies and regularly demonstrates all the skills required of a successful manager: listening and questioning, collaboration, accountability, and transparency.


These four pillars underpin how the AD approaches each interaction, both externally and internally, to develop and support their team:

Listening and questioning

o Understanding the importance of clients' broader business challenges, needs and intended outcomes, in order to
suggest solutions that are rooted in business needs and drive ROI

Collaboration

o Believing in the strength of multiple perspectives and skillsets to arrive at a solution; supporting the team with where and how to bring in different skillsets from within the Red Nucleus team to shape approaches that deliver on our clients' unique challenges within agreed timelines, budgets and other potential constraints

Accountability

o Accountable teams finish what they start and understand the steps required to complete a project; the AD actively supports and guides the team with the Group Account Director (GAD) where appropriate, and defines clear objectives for each role, ensuring team members are empowered within their roles to take ownership of their product and deliver tasks successfully

Transparency

o Transparency is key to building trust; the AD ensures clients feel in safe hands with the Red Nucleus team and that they always have clear expectations and alignment on what we are delivering, why, and when

Mindset

Passionate about people and clients and understanding their attitudes/mindsets in order to ensure the successful delivery of projects Is motivated by and comfortable with communicating with different personality types and all levels of client seniority and adapts their style appropriately to fit discussions The team's success is their success - believes in teamwork, supports as necessary and provides guidance where appropriate Client focused - can demonstrate the ability to satisfy client needs and those of internal stakeholders and team members,and shows a willingness to work together to build trust Solutions and results focused - seeks to understand challenges to ensure solutions are relevant and develops clear objectives and plans to deliver on time and budget Keen interest in education, healthcare and digital transformation - these are the building blocks of our solutions Resilient and flexible - is able to keep functioning effectively when under pressure and maintain self-control in the face of challenging situations; can adapt to the situation at hand and keeps calm handling several tasks at once whilst keeping things in perspective.

The AD job role will consist of the following areas of business:

1. Project oversight and empowering others



The AD will provide support on key strategic accounts and is responsible for the implementation of deliverables that support key strategic objectives. The AD will also be responsible for managing challenges, stakeholders and milestones for these accounts. There are two types of accounts an AD may work on:

Larger, strategic accounts.

The AD will work closely and collaboratively with the GAD to understand the strategi direction of the account and the deliverables that will be developed to meet the objectives set. The AD assumes a leading day-to-day role conducting the following activities:


o Supporting the development and execution of the account plans to ensure the strategic direction and objectives are clear and understood by the rest of the team and that tasks are delegated appropriately to ensure timely delivery.


o Assessing the resource requirements for projects and mapping these through the resourcing channel (Kantata) as requested.


o Working collaboratively with all account team members to ensure projects are delivered on time and on budget.


o Helping to direct the approach, cadence of communication and input into the deliverables to ensure everything is aligned to agreed client briefs, budgets and to ultimately deliver value


o Ensuring regular check-ins with the GAD to be apprised of any important information on the development of deliverables that could impact future projects and revenue streams


o Supporting with identifying organic growth opportunities in the account and working with the GAD to shape the approach needed to respond to these opportunities

Accounts which do not warrant a hands-on GAD

. he GAD takes more of a 'back seat' role within these accounts and allows the AD to work with clients to understand the needs, strategic direction and objectives for a project, thereby establishing their own relationships. The GAD and Client Services Director (CSD) will provide guidance as required to the account team to assist them in doing this

Project processes to drive quality

The AD drives the Red Nucleus project process, ensuring that a project is delivered on time and on budget to the quality standards expected to drive the company's success. This includes:



o Driving the use of the established project process to ensure high-quality work (e.g. the creation of briefs for writers and design teams, editorial reviews, fact checks, design reviews)


o The development and use of systems, e.g. Kantata, to organise, plan and keep track of information and project progress


o Verification of information at regular status meetings - thinking about the big picture and the end-user experience and asking 'Why?' to check the deliverables meet the client's objectives


o Reviewing and ensuring the quality of end deliverables


o Carefully supporting with and preparing materials for meetings, presentations, client delivery, at regular kick-off, status and team meetings

Empowering others

The AD empowers team members on the account and can convey confidence in each member's ability to be successful, especially at challenging new tasks. They delegate responsibility and authority where appropriate, and allow team members freedom to decide how they will accomplish their goals and resolve issues.


o Expresses confidence in the ability of others to be successful and to take on aspects of the account under their guidance as required


o Gives people latitude to make decisions in their own sphere of work


o Encourages team members to identify problems, make recommendations for solutions or resolve on their own; avoids prescribing a solution


o Is available to discuss others' challenges, solicit their potential solutions, and provide guidance on the best course(s) of action

2. Team leadership

Team staffing, career progression and training

o The AD will work with the GAD to review the capacity and skillset needs across the account o Once agreement is reached with the Director of Operations for open headcount, the AD will work with the GAD to support the recruitment, selection and onboarding process for key junior roles



o From a training and development perspective, the AD is responsible for helping to shape objectives for the progression of junior account team members. This includes active and consistent discussions and effective coaching to ensure individuals are clear on their next steps


o The AD provides frequent, actionable feedback to junior account team members in real time



The AD will support the GAD in developing the team through the management of performance by:


o Reviewing and monitoring account team members' progress and performance through informal methods (observations during daily tasks)


o Providing specific performance feedback, both positive and corrective, as soon as possible after an event


o Discussing any performance issues with the GAD, so that the GAD can speak with team members about what is expected of them and when

Team management

The AD will support the GAD to manage team performance through promoting effective team communication and fostering good teamwork.



The AD should reinforce that information is passed on to others by:


o Ensuring that others involved in a project are kept informed about developments and plans through weekly status meetings and by sharing ideas and information that are useful to drive enhanced project development


o Using multiple channels or means to communicate important messages as needed/most appropriate (e.g. face-to-face conversations, meetings, email); whilst being mindful of team members' preferred means of communication and using them whenever possible/appropriate/efficient


o Keeping the GAD informed about progress and problems to avoid unnecessary challenges arising



The AD should support groups of individuals with diverse skillsets to achieve common goals through teamwork.


o Providing opportunities for people to learn to work together as a team, ensuring that all team members are treated fairly and recognising and encouraging the behaviours that contribute to teamwork


o Encouraging the active participation of everyone in a team environment and promoting cooperation with other teams and departments to drive collaboration to produce innovative ideas

3. Strategic thinking



The AD should understand the importance of thinking strategically when approaching the day-to-day aspects of the role. The AD needs to ask the strategic questions, with the support of the GAD, to ensure they have the knowledge to make informed decisions on an account. It may be important to clarify a situation, seek the right information from appropriate sources, and then use it as a foundation to make appropriate project and strategic recommendations to benefit Red Nucleus and clients.



The AD should work with the GAD to:


o Identify the specific information needed to clarify a situation or to make a decision


o Get complete and accurate information by checking multiple sources and consulting knowledgeable people


o Develop questions to skillfully probe to get at the facts, even if others are reluctant to provide full, detailed information


o Question others to assess whether they have thought through a plan of action or are confident in solving a problem or tackling a situation

4. Business acumen

Finance

The AD should understand the principles of business acumen; this will include an understanding of the financial metrics and levers that will drive the success of the business. They should be:



o Aware of the project and deliverable budgets and the impact these have on the forecast and revenue for the year


o Aware of the revenue targets for the year on their accounts and how these break down by month and quarter, supporting the GAD to monitor the monthly revenue agreed for the account to ensure that the agreed target can be met


o Able to monitor profit margins on projects by reviewing the hours completed versus those budgeted, and discuss these with the GAD, and if they fall outside the defined level then review these and set out a plan of action


o Approving weekly timesheets with the support of other account team members to ensure the entered time is an accurate reflection and applied to the right deliverables; when these do not align to expectations they should discuss the situation with the appropriate individual


o Completing their own timesheets on a weekly basis, setting an example to the rest of the team

New business

The AD may often be required to play a role in delivering new business opportunities - both organic and formal RFP/pitch opportunities.



o Working alongside Sales & Marketing and the GAD to support on these opportunities, depending on the situation and circumstance


o Working alongside Account Managers (AMs) to grow a book of business, identifying and pursuing profitable business opportunities that align with Red Nucleus team capabilities and resources


o The AD encourages and supports entrepreneurial behaviour in others so that innovative solutions can be recommended; constructive feedback is given in response to ideas and approaches so that these innovative solutions can be provided to support the needs of existing and potential clients


o The AD supports on the delivery of proposals by having a clear understanding of how to position Red Nucleus offerings and recommendations, and confidently delivers them in face-to-face or virtual settings

Red Nucleus offerings

The AD should:


o Have a comprehensive understanding of life sciences commercial and medical functions on an affiliate, regional and global level


o Be able to gain an understanding of competitive products and services within the marketplace and how Red Nucleus compares to competitors


o Understand industry and market trends that affect our clients, and therefore, Red Nucleus offerings

5. Core KPIs

Targets to be set on an annual basis and reviewed with the AD at the time intervals outlined.



o Revenue and margin targets on strategic accounts as established with the GAD (assessed quarterly)


o Client satisfaction based on client satisfaction surveys (assessed quarterly)


o Setting up and monitoring of projects in Kantata, ensuring all templates and timelines are in place and that tasks are marked completed in a timely manner







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