Job description

Ogilvy & Mather is a leader in the industry, focused on building and transforming brands. Employing more than 900 staff across three offices, Ogilvy & Mather remains true to David Ogilvy’s vision; we still see ourselves as a company that does more than ads and have proven that by maintaining our humility and an almost divine discontent at our past successes, we can do more than stay relevant.

For more than 50 years, Ogilvy & Mather South Africa has created iconic advertising for clients such as KFC, VW, SAB, BP, DStv and Kraft, and we continue to live by our founders credo of ‘We sell, or else’.

Ogilvy CPT (PR)  is looking for an account director that should be experienced, broadly capable project and account manager who handles a wide range of assignments, projects and/or clients with a high degree of success and independence. She/he has strong client relationships and is considered a potential company leader.

The account director needs to demonstrate high-level professional knowledge and skills. She/he is able to manage a piece of a large account or a few smaller ones, with little top cover from her/his business director, director and/or managing director, as well as the staff assigned to the business. She/he should have strong project management, budgeting, counselling, programme, people management and business development skills with increased emphasis and demonstrated success in building business and people. She/he has the confidence and support of client contacts and strong relationships with the client organisation.

An account director demonstrates the ability and wherewithal to deliver on our vision, performance requirements and growth projections. An account director has strong relationships with and the confidence of the client.

Other duties include:

Account management: 

• Monitoring account teams standards and deadlines
• Proposals and strategies to be developed and e-mailed to managing partner 24 hours prior presentation to client
• Makes contact with each client at least once a day via telephone, e-mail or sms
• Billings and all required documentation such as PO numbers and supplier invoices are completed by 23rd of every month
• Completes billings by 25th of every month
• Assists finance department with collections by 20th of every month
• Updating the billing sheet by 25th of every month
• Ensures OPR recognizes client birthdays
• Client coffee session to be arranged every second month with client and Managing Partner to be setup by 15th of every second month
• Meeting budget targets and tracking financial progress against each client 5th of every month
• Cost estimates to be managed through the right processes to ensure accurate mark ups and implementation only to commence once approved and PO received
• Tracking billed hours vs retainer /project income every Monday
• One on one team sessions to be held by 7th of every month
• Monthly session to be held 28th of every month with managing partner to discuss clients
• Quarterly client health reports to be completed by 7th of the month of the scheduled board meeting
• Collecting completed timesheets from your teams Monday by 10am

New business participation should include the following from the AD:

• Research
• Attendance at brainstorm sessions
• Assistance with preparation and development
• Attendance at the presentation
• Monitoring the newspapers daily by 10am

Media:  

• One on one media breakfast or lunch to be held by 28th of every month
• Top level media motivations to be drafted 24 hours prior the deadline
• Only ADs to brief external writers, with a comprehensive written brief with 48 hour turnaround time unless client specifically requested otherwise
• Media lobbying and securing additional coverage two per month
• Attendance at all client / media interactions and a media profile to be developed and sent to client 48 hours prior to the meeting
• Assist and alert client to any potential crisis or negative publicity
  

Requirements

Professional skills:

• Adherence to office hours
• Punctuality for meetings both internally and externally
• Understands business trends in the industries to which he/she consults.
• Responsible for overall development of strategies and programmes based on team input.
• Directs development of range of materials developed by account team including client memos, press releases, speeches, articles, brochures, presentation and collateral materials.
• Efficiently and effectively plans and manages large-scale events.
• Develops and guides media relations strategy.
• Applies specialised industry expertise to client work.
• Has established a circle of industry editorial, investment community, professional and/or third-party group contacts.
• Has strong presentation skills and demonstrated ability to play a leadership role in a wide range of presentation settings.
• Anticipates and develops solutions to client needs and problems.
• Provides strong leadership in building effective, productive account teams.
• Makes use of O Village
• Has intimate knowledge of an integration process and has worked on fully integrated campaigns in the past. The compiles and creates a comprehensive PR plan and links into a 360 campaign.

Posted on 19 May 14:57