Account Director

Account Director Client Leadership Team Overview: The Client Leadership Team at Open Partners is the heartbeat of our agency - driving strategic vision, integration and performance through close, high-impact relationships. We blend Media, Creative and Data into cohesive, growth-oriented roadmaps and set the tone for Smarter, Faster, Better across everything we do. This is a privileged team of top-tier talent with drive and ambition who partner with clients to drive true business value and define and demonstrate what Agency of Next means. Role Purpose The Client Partner / (Account Director) is a central leadership role within the Client Leadership track, responsible for owning client relationships, leading strategy, and driving commercial growth. You are the day-to-day senior voice of Open Partners for your clients, shaping their marketing and business direction with consultancy-grade clarity, foresight, and influence. You will lead integrated strategy across media, data and creative, deepen senior client relationships (including decision-makers and emerging Champions), and own the commercial performance of your portfolio. Client Partners are expected to set the standard for how OP shows up: strategic, commercially-minded, relationship-led and relentlessly committed to excellence. This role is pivotal in defining the future of OP and demonstrating what Agency of Next means in practice - through transformational thinking, integrated planning, and meaningful growth impact. Role Responsibilities 1. Integrated Strategic Leadership Lead the development and deployment of Effectiveness Roadmaps, RISE strategies, Annual Plans and Business Reviews, ensuring alignment with client priorities and OP’s consultancy vision. Own the creation and delivery of strategic narratives that integrate media, data and creative into a unified story that drives business outcomes. Proactively identify strategic opportunities and risks; bring clear, structured recommendations to influence long-term direction. Lead client meetings with confidence, clarity and consultancy authority, setting the tone for cross-discipline collaboration and strategic integration. Brief and partner with the Client Delivery Centre of Excellence to ensure output quality, alignment and operational excellence. Shape how cross-functional teams collaborate and maintain standards across portfolios. Leads a high-performing client team by setting strategic direction, ensuring clarity of roles and expectations, and creating the conditions for integrated excellence 2. Commercial Acumen & Growth Own commercial performance for your client portfolio - including revenue, margin, forecasting and contract management. Identify and convert upsell, cross-sell and expansion opportunities based on strategic needs and growth levers. Maintain ≥95% forecasting accuracy and ensure all scopes and commercials are aligned to roadmaps and strategic plans. Partner with Principals on multi-year contracts or renegotiations; ensure commercial conversations are grounded in strategic value and demonstrable impact. Understand client business models deeply, connecting OP’s work to commercial KPIs, financial outcomes, and long-term value creation. 3) Relationship & Influence Mastery Build deep, trusted relationships across all levels, acting as a true partner and advisor. Develop and maintain client Champions who advocate for OP within their organisation and influence senior stakeholders. Spend meaningful physical time with clients through onsite sessions, immersion days, planning meetings and workshops to deepen understanding, strengthen trust, and accelerate impact. Demonstrate exceptional communication and influence: guide clients through ambiguity, challenge constructively, and align stakeholders around strategic direction. Lead or support senior conversations, ensuring OP shows up with consultancy-grade presence, empathy and authority. Represent OP with professionalism and credibility, consistently strengthening our reputation and values in every interaction. 4) Consultative Problem Solving Use structured thinking, foresight and analytical rigour to solve complex marketing, commercial and organisational challenges. Prioritise initiatives and solutions based on business impact; turn insight into action with clear sequencing and decision pathways. Lead hypothesis creation, testing and experimentation plans that deepen learning and accelerate growth. Help clients navigate change, uncertainty and transformation, bringing clarity, confidence and next-step options. Contribute to OP’s collective intelligence by sharing perspectives, thought leadership, and strategic frameworks. Help define how AI, automation and agent-based systems should be applied for clients and internally. 5. Media, Data & Creative Fluency Demonstrate strong integrated knowledge across media, creative and data disciplines, ensuring all recommendations ladder into business outcomes. Act as the single source of truth for the client narrative, synthesising specialist input into a coherent, compelling story. Ensure all work across disciplines is aligned, integrated and consistent with the strategic direction of the account. Provide structured feedback to Delivery and specialist teams that improves the quality, coherence and impact of outputs. Bring perspectives on innovation, market shifts and best practice to elevate integrated thinking across teams. Your KPIs / Outputs Client Satisfaction: NPS > 9 with senior client champions Commercial Performance: Revenue delivery to plan; ≥95% forecasting accuracy; margin aligned to target. Strategic Leadership: 100% delivery of RISE, Effectiveness Roadmaps, KAPs and Business Reviews. Growth: Quarterly identification of qualified growth opportunities; measurable revenue uplift within portfolio. Relationship Depth: Multiple documented Champions; influence evidenced in client decisions. Delivery Excellence: Strong partnership with Client Delivery; integrated output standards maintained. Agency of Next: Leadership in shaping AI/automation/agent vision and OP-wide ways of working. Role Details Reports to: Senior Partner Location: Hybrid Hours / Days: 37.5 hours, over 5 days per week. Contract basis: Permanent. Skills & Experience required: Must Have App experience - ASO and ASA Proven experience in a client-facing strategic or consultancy environment. Advanced strategic and analytical capability; able to turn insight into integrated recommendations. Demonstrated relationship-building and influencing skills across seniority levels. Strong commercial grounding (forecasting, budgeting, fees, value creation). Excellent communication and narrative-building skills; confident presenting to senior stakeholders. A high standard of professional excellence and personal accountability. Desirable Experience working across media, creative and data disciplines. Exposure to growth strategy, marketing transformation or commercial modelling. Experience leading integrated planning or cross-functional projects. Experience preparing or presenting to C-suite audiences. Expectations for all Open Partners Employees: Follow our Employee Handbook Live by our values Smarter - Aim high, train hard, embrace next Faster - Learn fast, adapt fast, act fast Better - Think, say and do what’s best Department Client Role Client Partner Locations Manchester, London, Bristol Remote status Hybrid About Open Partners Open Partners was founded in 2017 to be The Agency of Next . Designed to be constantly focussed on the future, we think ahead for our clients, quickly pivoting them to new areas of opportunity as they arise. Delivering marketing transformations for over 50 clients, Open Partners’ integrated Media, Data and Creative capabilities drive more accountable and effective returns for international performance advertisers. We strive to always be smarter, faster, and better - all the while upholding the very highest standards of commercial and operational integrity.