Director

Key responsibilities

Possesses deep understanding of client businesses

• Ability to think and program across a variety of platforms, channels and audiences
• Consistently identifies business problem(s) that clients are looking to solve and ensures they are understood by team
• Maintains an intimate understanding of the clients’ businesses, priorities, pain points and competitive landscape and helps the team do the same
• Stays knowledgeable about markets, sectors and channels in which clients operate; uses internal/external resources to address knowledge gaps for self and team
• Anticipates what’s next; helps clients get ahead of issues and capitalize on new opportunities
• Demonstrates empathy for clients – understands clients’ mindset, challenges (personal, professional, internal and external) and barriers to success and takes appropriate action
• Balances the needs of the client and the needs of the firm with grace and understanding
• Prioritizes growth of self and team regularly
• Helps create climate that encourages excellence, courage and integrity
• Helps develop and align with compelling and inspired vision of possibilities and direction
• Implements and supports initiatives to create positive changes and helps others adapt to change

Assembles, builds and leads integrated teams

• Reflects our understanding of clients’ needs today and our anticipation of their future needs
• Can evolve, promote and protect clients’ interests
• Delivers integrated thinking rooted in insights
• Delineates team roles and manages intra-team conflict
• Holds self and team accountable consistently for performance, compliance and ethical business conduct in accordance with firm values
• Deals directly and effectively with poor team performance via feedback and escalation as necessary
• Facilitates proper expertise against client needs
• Helps identify and mentor future client leaders

Measures, monitors and advances client-agency relationships

• Manages client relationship mapping and development across a portfolio
• Actively listens – asks smart questions, listens to what’s not being said, is willing to have honest, ongoing dialogue about what’s working and what isn’t
• Identifies and acknowledges problems swiftly and directly, offers solutions and course-corrects as needed
• Measures what matters – tracks progress and reports results based on agreed-upon metrics and achievement of business and communications goals
• Manages and monitors client relationships using formal and informal tools and touch points
• Navigates conflicts with other businesses
• Escalates client problems and client opportunities to senior leadership with equal amounts of urgency
• Oversees client budget management and forecasting; proactively addresses changes in scope and delays in client invoice payment
• Creates growth plans for bringing in new capabilities against client needs
• Seeks out new clients and actively participates in full new business process
• May participate in the development and adoption of new products, services, development of IP and thought leadership materials

Delights the client

• Develops consistent “continuous white-boarding” mentality to apply to client businesses and relationships overall
• Works on and implements annual strategies for client engagement, which address internal and external relationships we can leverage on behalf of clients and other meaningful experiences we can create for clients inside and outside the firm
• Ensures clients are benefitting from the firm’s IP, insights, best practices and methodologies