JOB TITLE: SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER

 

Reports to: Director of Account Services

Hi from Yellow Duck Marketing!

We are a niche marketing agency, headquartered in Charlotte, specializing in branding, marketing research, web design, messaging, community outreach and marketing strategies. We serve a wide range of clients––large and small––with a wingspan from the Carolinas to Washington and clients from California to Massachusetts specifically focused on real estate, nonprofits and municipal work that help shape our communities we call home and beyond.

Our responsive and passionate team delivers integrated and inspired marketing solutions for our clients who we strive to turn into raving fans.  You’ll also find that the Ducks believe in doing good and having fun—if you value the same, you’ll thrive here. We encourage giving back to the community and engage in volunteering both in our time and pro bono work for some amazing organizations each year. The Duck Pond is an open, collaborative, and creative agency environment tucked between the Plaza Midwood and Chantilly neighborhoods, and we are continuing to grow!

 

About This Position

The Senior Account Manager works with clients to interpret their needs, identify opportunities, gather baseline information, make strategic recommendations for scope of work and then see the work through to fruition. The position serves as a responsive and detail-oriented resource and project leader for the client and members of the team. This role requires previous experience in a fast-paced agency environment ideally managing branding, graphic design, PR and digital advertising campaigns and projects from inception to completion, with excellent problem solving and stellar organizational and communication skills.

 

Core Functions

Client Service/Communications: You’ll be a key touch-point to support clients working solo, as well as in collaboration with the Senior members of the team to develop strategies and marketing plans (some of this you will do on your own) and nurture and grow client relationships, demonstrate genuine enthusiasm for the partnership and mission, and manage expectations.

Project Planning: You can look at a well-researched and well-written strategy or brief and work to turn it into a comprehensive execution plan that includes tasks, timelines, and talent and guide the team’s efforts to complete the project. You can distill information from a client meeting or request into a clear, concise and easy-to-understand creative brief that will guide the team in successfully achieving goal outcomes. You manage both internal team and client expectations with timely, thoughtful, and proactive communications around project timelines and deliverables.

Resource Management: You will manage the necessary tasks, timelines, team and budget to see a project through to completion – accomplished according to schedule and profitability.

 

The successful candidate will:

  • Be someone who can bring ideas to the table and enjoys thinking up new ways to support their client
  • Ideally have a background in real estate marketing, municipal, tourism or nonprofit work, or a strong interest in learning.
  • Enjoy leading meetings and able to lead conversations with confidence with both internal and external partners.
  • Have solid experience working with branding and creative designers.
  • Love to manage projects (both big and small) from initial conversations and ideation through the active work stage, presenting our ideas and deliverables, and completion.

 

What you will do:

  • Manage the planning and execution of design, branding, PR and integrated campaigns.
  • Develop well-organized creative briefs that effectively communicate the desired deliverables to the internal team.
  • Proactively and clearly communicate with both clients and internal team members.
  • Confidently lead project meetings (internal and external) to achieve goal outcomes and keep projects and meeting participants on task.
  • Ensure the production of monthly client status reports.
  • Assign the proper team members to projects.
  • Analyze time spent on projects and utilization goals to determine pricing/efficiency.
  • Manage the execution of project scopes, participate in the evaluation, and help define the best team makeup for assigned projects – identifying, vetting, selecting, and managing outside contractors and vendors to complete work when necessary.
  • Oversee tasks and timelines to assure delivery of milestones.
  • Assess project risks on an ongoing basis, escalate issues as needed.
  • Monitor out-of-scope requests, initiate additional estimates and approvals.
  • Assist in contract and proposal creation to make sure they address client needs and outcomes at an executional level.

 

What You Know

  • Excellent communication skills, including the ability to facilitate meetings, lead presentations and manage communications in a responsive, friendly and professional manner.
  • Understanding of the tools, processes and personnel required to take a project from the first draft of a proposal to a finished solution.
  • Ability to prioritize your work based on client and agency dynamics.
  • Ability to manage multiple projects, teams and timelines simultaneously.
  • Ability to thoroughly take notes in client and public meetings to document every detail.
  • Ability to gracefully and tactfully say “yes” as well as “no” and defend your answer in a way that adds value to the team and client.
  • A competency and knowledge of current digital and social frameworks, platforms, tools, products, etc.

 

Who You Are

You are highly organized with a strategic mindset and you have a healthy mix of these qualities:

  • You derive satisfaction from managing teams toward pre-planned goals.
  • You have a real estate, tourism, nonprofit or municipal-related background and an interest in, and aptitude for, producing creative marketing solutions.
  • You ask great questions and are curious.
  • You’re self-motivated.
  • You are agile and can adjust gears to go with the flow as needed.
  • You are detailed-oriented and balance a hint of perfectionism with the grace to speak positively as you encourage resources to deliver great work.
  • You think on the fly and can articulate your ideas in real time, and with clarity.
  • You like being an integral part of a team.
  • You are a great communicator and are able to influence people to get on board with your ideas.

 

Education and Training:

  • Bachelor’s degree in marketing or communications
  • Minimum 5 years’ experience as an account manager at a marketing or advertising agency setting required
  • Experience managing graphic design or website projects is a must
  • Experience managing digital campaigns or public relations a plus
  • 5 years’ experience required
  • Expertise in Microsoft Office (Power Point and Excel)
  • Adobe InDesign experience a plus but not needed

 

Working Conditions

Working conditions are normal for an office environment. Work may require occasional evening work or occasional weekend work. Work may require very occasional overnight travel. This job is Full-Time status with 40 hours a week and a minimum of 2 days in the office expected per week.

 

Benefits

After the first full month of employment, we offer health benefits with a 90% employer contribution to health insurance through Aetna and discounted vision, dental and other insurance types. Employer provides short-term disability coverage. We provide (tax-free) cell and internet reimbursement and a dollar-for-dollar match on up to 3% of your salary into a SIMPLE IRA at Fidelity (we will be converting to a 401K next year). Professional growth and improvement opportunities, as well as physical/mental health wellness programs such as a quarterly mental health day are also included.

Interested parties should send a cover letter, resume and salary requirements to careers@yellowduckmarketing.com.

To see our company values, visit our Careers page.