All Careers

Account Director (12-month Mat cover)

VML

Department: Client Services

Location: London, United Kingdom

Requisition ID: 8705

Who We Are:

At VML, we are a beacon of innovation and growth in an ever-evolving world. Our heritage is built upon a century of combined expertise, where creativity meets technology, and diverse perspectives ignite inspiration. With the merger of VMLY&R and Wunderman Thompson, we have forged a new path as a growth partner that is part creative agency, part consultancy, and part technology powerhouse. 

Our global family now encompasses over 30,000 employees across 150+ offices in 64 markets, each contributing to a culture that values connection, belonging, and the power of differences.  Our expertise spans the entire customer journey, offering deep insights in communications, commerce, consultancy, CRM, CX, data, production, and technology. We deliver end-to-end solutions that result in revolutionary work. 

Location: Hybrid working: Sea Containers office, London, SE1, and working from home. 

The Role

This role presents a unique chance to engage in one of the latest global client-agency relationships in the UK, offering an immersive experience with the client's business. We need an experienced, button-down, and diligent client handler who is used to working on fast-paced accounts and comfortable working with restrictive market products.

Key Responsibilities

Orchestration

  • Demonstrate ability to lead different types of teams to get the best output
  • Project management skills to manage multiple projects with tight timing
  • Collaborate with VML's global markets. 
  • Lead the creation of the right casting and process for different projects, always starting with ‘What do we need to do to get to the best possible work?’
  • Actively manages conflict and solves problems to resolve issues quickly
  • Understand different specialist skills and how to build teams around them
  • Create a supportive environment for their direct reports, troubleshooting, coaching, and mentoring them, empowering and guiding them at the same time

Leadership

  • Demonstrate a clear understanding of client business strategy and marketing model and the communications necessary to deliver against them
  • Understand the Business Director’s strategic agenda for the account and help them deliver this across all the projects that they orchestrate and the relationships they own.

Relationships

  • Build client relationships to ensure the best outcomes for both the agency and the client
  • Create mutual respect and trust, so when necessary, they can have tough conversations about timings, budgets, etc.
  • Actively manages conflict and solves problems to resolve issues quickly
  • Demonstrate a clear understanding of client business strategy and marketing model and the communications necessary to deliver against them
  • Identify and create opportunities for client and agency growth

Commercial

  • Maintain a significant commercial understanding of the brand and category
  • Lead resource planning at the project level – allocating resources, giving the entire team visibility, and leading by example
  • Has a tight grip on resource planning and the numbers on the account
  • Ensure the client is actively managed on the billing requirements of the account

Operational

  • Lead teams to get to the very best results – creatively and commercially
  • Actively looks for different ways to approach a task to get results quicker
  • Build mutually beneficial relationships with partners and specialisms
  • Demonstrate a good mix of new and established skill

About you:

  • Work collaboratively – recognizes the value and responsibility of working in a team and seeks to maintain and build effective internal and external relationships.
  • Think innovatively – Look beyond the obvious to develop highly engaging ideas and campaigns.
  • Work effectively through job and organizational changes.
  • You strive to achieve excellence in everything that they do.
  • Demonstrate ‘passion’ – approaches all tasks wholeheartedly and enthusiastically.
  • Show initiative and a ‘can-do’ attitude.
  • Highly motivated and a self-starter.
  • Recognizes the need for management support when necessary.
  • Constantly looks for and learns from new information or experiences.
  • Deal constructively with frustration and stress, maintaining a professional and positive manner.
  • Is direct and honest in dealing with others and treats everyone with respect and fairness.

#LI-Hybrid

At VML, we are committed to fostering an all-inclusive work environment that is both rewarding and career-forward. Our Inclusion, Equity & Belonging initiatives, alongside the VML Foundation, reflect our dedication to giving back and making a positive impact in our communities and beyond. Our people are the heartbeat of our organization—creators, doers, innovators, makers, and thinkers—who drive not just marketing, but meaningful experiences that resonate in every action and interaction. 

VML is a WPP Agency. For more information, please visit our website, and follow VML on our social channels via Instagram, LinkedIn, and X. 

When you click "Submit Application", this will send any information you add below to VML. Before you do this, we think it's a good idea to read through our Recruitment Privacy Policy. California residents should read our California Recruitment Privacy Notice. This explains what we do with your personal data when you apply for a role with us, and, how you can update the information you have provided us with or how to remove it.

When you click "Submit Application", this will send any information you add below to VML. Before you do this, we think it's a good idea to read through our Recruitment Privacy Policy. California residents should read our California Recruitment Privacy Notice. This explains what we do with your personal data when you apply for a role with us, and, how you can update the information you have provided us with or how to remove it.