Account Director

A BOLDSCIENCE Account Director (AD) is a client service powerhouse. They have a wealth of experience in the Medical Communications industry. They have managed large accounts and have experience working across various deliverables. An AD does not specialise in one area; they have a breadth of expertise that they can draw on to ensure that BOLD clients receive the highest quality standard. This includes client management, project & financial management, organic growth, and scientific knowledge. An AD quickly becomes a trusted partner to their clients and assumes day-to-day contact, offering the highest level of strategic guidance and counsel.

A BOLDSCIENCE AD is egoless, leads by example, and is all about the team. Collaboration is one of their key strengths. They take the time to give clear briefs, always stopping to listen to establish realistic timeframes and answer any questions. They pride themselves on people management and their ability to line manage, coach, and mentor their team to success. They love people management and take pride in developing and upskilling the team around them.

DAY TO DAY RESPONSIBILITIES: 

At BOLDSCIENCE, ADs apply high levels of scientific and industry expertise to act as a strategic partner to clients. Some typical activities include:

Client Management:

• Develops a strong working and trusted relationship with the client, quickly becoming their day-to-day contact and ensuring client satisfaction is maintained
• Demonstrates a strong scientific understanding of the client’s business and therapeutic areas
• Provides onsite support for initiatives where required
• Drives client strategy, oversees projects, and helps to solve business issues as they arise
• Provides strategic guidance to the team to enable successful project execution and identify potential issues as they arise
• Uses strength of client relationship to secure agency business and ensure client satisfaction
• Supports in developing and implementing the client strategy in partnership with the scientific lead. This may include franchise/brand/medical/publication strategies as appropriate
• Provides strategic and operational direction to account teams
• Has a good understanding of competitor activity and market context
• Works with senior leaders to ensure the client receives appropriate strategic, creative, and digital planning

Project Management:

• Effectively drives projects and directs tasks to the team as appropriate. Leads by example and is always happy to have a hands-on approach to support their team
• Has a robust understanding of our internal processes, workflows, and resourcing; clear on what level is required to complete each task
• Provides strategic guidance to the team to enable successful project execution and foresees any potential issues
• Reviews content and provides sign-off on work partnering with the scientific lead
• Holds regular team meetings to ensure that everyone is up to date, clear on actions, and can ask any questions

Financial Management:

• Takes responsibility for financial planning, revenue forecasting, WIP reporting, and timely invoicing
• Works with senior management to ensure adequate resourcing for accounts
• Delivers projects as agreed within clients’ financials and timelines. Ensures ongoing transparency with clients on the financial health of account, including recovery of out-of-scope items and any project scope changes
• Builds strong relationships with the Finance team, providing accurate and timely information when needed
• Ensures that timesheets for yourself and team are completed in a timely manner

Business Development:

• Drives organic growth across their accounts and identifies opportunities across the wider team with support from senior team members
• Supports senior team members on new pitches and attends F2F pitch presentations when required
• With assistance from senior team members, generates ideas & proposals for new projects
• Leads on proposals for small pitches and annual client planning and organic growth on their account

People Management:

• Manages direct reports effectively by providing constructive and actionable feedback
• Provide regular feedback to the team throughout the course of projects
• Mentors junior-level team members and adopts a coaching approach to ensure that they are supported
• Effectively directs, delegates, and oversees activities of junior colleagues, ensuring that excellent quality is maintained
• Develops and mentors mid-level staff to instil best practice

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS: 

• Extensive experience working within the Medical Communications industry
• Has been in a client-facing role, leading and actioning projects within a fast-paced agency environment
• Experience working across multiple small accounts with competing priorities
• Worked across a range of therapy areas and project deliverables
• Excellent project management skills and is confident with account financials, including budgets and forecasting
• People-focused approach with experience managing teams and collaborating effectively with wider business units such as scientific and creative
• Has a high level of scientific knowledge
• Thorough understanding of pharma regulations and best practices
• Bachelor’s degree preferred in science, pharmacology, or medicine