Account Director - Two Rivers Marketing

Company Location: Two Rivers Marketing - Des Moines, IA
Position Type: Hybrid or Remote
Position Schedule: Full Time
Education Level: 4 Year Degree

WHO WE'RE LOOKING FOR

The Account Director is the primary strategic leader and business owner for their assigned client engagements. This role is responsible for translating complex client business objectives into high-impact, integrated marketing strategies, ensuring strong brand stewardship, and driving consistent account growth. The Account Director serves as the senior relationship manager, focusing on executive and mid-level counsel, conflict resolution, and overall financial performance.

WHAT OUR ACCOUNT DIRECTOR WILL DO ONCE THEY'RE HERE

• Develops ongoing strategic recommendations that solve business objectives for their clients, above and beyond contracted client engagement.
• Serves as primary business owner for both client and internal account teams for all elements relative to their clients.
• Maintains deep understanding of their clients, their competitors, their target audience profiles and their industry/segment.
• Demonstrates deep understanding of the client's organizational structure and operations.
• Ensures that team is successful with execution of entire client engagement.
• Ensures alignment of creative and client strategy .
• Manages assigned client services team members.
• Ensures that client signs contracts and SOWs/work authorizations prior to initiation of agency work.
• Manages out-of-scope requests at program/campaign level.
• Manages client budgets and financial metrics.
• Ensures accurate and thorough ongoing revenue forecast for their clients.
• Manages existing client revenue goals and projections.
• Manages client/agency performance review.
• Completes timesheet daily.
• Other relevant duties to the position as assigned.

Key Areas of Impact

Strategic Leadership and Brand Stewardship

• Own the client relationship at senior and mid-levels (VP, CMO, and Director/Manager), providing ongoing, strategic counsel that extends beyond contracted scope to solve core business challenges.
• Establish and maintain deep expertise in the client's business, competitive landscape, and target audience profiles to inform all marketing initiatives.
• Lead and collaborate with Integrated Marketing teams to finalize overall strategy, program recommendations, and all integrated deliverables, ensuring complete alignment with the client's goals.
• Provide strategic and creative judgment and guide internal teams to ensure the excellence of projects from strategy through execution.

Account Management and Financial Oversight

• In partnership with the Program Director, function as the central business owner for all account financials, including managing client budgets, ensuring accurate revenue forecasting, and driving existing client revenue goals.
• Proactively identify and qualify organic growth opportunities, partnering with leadership to develop and pitch strategic proposals and SOWs (Statements of Work) that expand agency partnerships.
• Own client conflict resolution (negotiation and dispute management) and lead the overall client/agency performance review process.
• Field and address problems raised by Client Services team members, guiding them smoothly through project implementation.

Team Leadership and Development

• Manage, mentor, and develop assigned client services associates, overseeing their growth plans, managing their utilization and realization metrics, and conducting performance appraisals.
• Cultivate strong working relationships across the agency (Program Management, Integrated Marketing) to ensure seamless project delivery.

Admin

• Performs 1:1s with direct reports
• Leads performance appraisal process for direct reports
• Reviews and participates in performance appraisal process for assigned client services team members
• Identifies internal initiatives aligned with agency's strategic plan
• Approves assigned client services team members' timesheets

Essential Skills and Qualities

• Financial Stewardship: Mastery of program/campaign financial management, analysis, and managing client financial metrics.
• Crucial Conversations & Negotiation: Skilled in successful negotiations, conflict resolution, and securing client commitments (e.g., contracts, SOWs).
• Leadership & Empathy: Proven ability to lead integrated teams, navigate ambiguity, and foster a high-performance culture among direct reports.
• Sound Judgment: Demonstrated ability to apply creative thinking and a long-term view when providing strategic counsel and making account decisions.

WHAT OUR ACCOUNT DIRECTOR WILL NEED TO SUCCEED

• College degree in marketing, communications, journalism or related field
• 10 years of progressive account management experience within a marketing/advertising agency environment
• Proven success in growing business within respective clients and managing and successfully developing direct reports
• Mastery in developing and presenting complex client proposals, SOWs and integrated marketing plans
• Skilled in providing strong brand stewardship for clients throughout the relationship
• Aptitude in Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint
• Thorough knowledge of agency capabilities/offerings 

Professionally, we're big enough to give you the opportunity to work with global B2B brands and move up in the ranks in a stable, growing company. Culturally, 2RM does things differently than typical shops. As an employee-owned agency, we put our associates first. Our commitment to work/life balance is like none other. At 2RM, you don't feel owned by your job. Like we always say, you won't live here. You'll thrive here. Our values drive how we work and who we hire. You will see these values ingrained in how we support our customers and work with team members in the work environment we've created.

This job description reflects the general duties of the job but is not a detailed description of all duties which may be inherent to the position. Reasonably related additional duties may be assigned to the individual Associate. 

VGM Group, Inc. provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.