Business Director

This position sits in our Creative & Media craft. We combine data, technology, creative content, and paid media to crack brands' business problems & drive revenue through innovative digital marketing solutions. We plan, create and execute a variety of world class campaigns, from culture lead, social first content to award-winning integrated creative campaigns that have been built from data lead strategies and insights. Our clients include Just Eat Takeaway, Victoria's Secret, TikTok, The White Company, Meta, Pepsico, EasyJet and many more.

JOB PURPOSE

Business Directors at DEPT lead on all the cross-functional work we deliver for a key client. We expect Business Directors to be experts in truly understanding the clients in their portfolio's business, challenges, goals, and SWOT, and have established relationships with the most senior levels on the client side in order to push their team outside of the box on driving innovation/strategy. Business Directors represent DEPT to our clients, adding value to relationships beyond organizational skills, doing a mixture of account management, strategic planning, and serving as the commercial lead on the business.. 

Business Directors are expected to be able to develop, negotiate, and manage scopes of work as well as support in leading new business proposals and pitches. 

Candidates must have experience managing teams (directly and indirectly), complex campaigns, and high-volume retainers for brands and be calm and controlled in high-pressure situations. Equally, experience with delivering commercial success in an agency model is important. We need people who can come up with big ideas as well as lots of little ones that are framed in a solid strategy grounded in insight and ultimately deliver a tangible ROI for our clients. Most importantly, we need a leader who inspires their team and earns the respect of senior clients.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES  

• Ability to work in partnership with senior clients to develop annual strategies
• Ability to establish themselves as true business partners, thought leaders and innovators at DEPT.
• Responsible for holding recurring meetings with senior leadership on the client side focused on pushing their business forward, macro goals, industry trends/updates, and new opportunities to drive growth. 
• Responsible for being the primary relationship holder for the client within DEPT 
• Responsible for ensuring client satisfaction by regularly communicating with senior decision-makers 
• Responsible for high client retention and growth
• Ability to be a point of escalation on their accounts and effectively solve issues that arise, whether internally or with clients
• Ability to reach out to clients directly when service issues arise
• Ability to lead new business pitches and proposals alongside leadership and growth team

• Forecast, reconcile, and monitor client revenue and profitability
• Must have a strong understanding of scope management, inclusive of how to track and manage, escalate scope pacing issues
• Responsible for financial management of client portfolio revenue, including updating relevant internal financial systems accurately and in a timely manner
• Scope projects and retainers within budget and on brief 
• Productise our services within a proposal and SOW
• Initiate conversations with clients around SOW adjustments 
• Author written SOWs, amendments, and other legal adjustments in partnership with contracts team as needed 
• Lead contract negotiations and oversee the implementation of commercial agreements
• Proactively pursue cross-sell & upsell opportunities to drive innovation,  strategy, and organic revenue growth
• Responsible for ensuring teams are operating effectively and efficiently towards clients goals while meeting financial revenue targets on accounts

• Ability to successfully work with all craft teams to effectively drive strategies and work that leads clients to the next level of their business
• Ability to lead, line-manage, motivate and inspire a team
• Ability to craft strategic responses to briefs and the ability to develop a POV on media, creative content, tech, and data
• Familiarity with DEPT's service offerings & department leads with the ability to participate in conversations for complex projects or new offerings & know who to to bring into the conversation within DEPT
• Responsible for ensuring delivery of work is to the highest possible standard
• Ability to contribute to the creative process by sharing their ideas and experience
• Ability to present work internally and externally to all levels of seniority 
• Responsible for ensuring all teams servicing their client(s)identify core issues, proactively develop plans to mitigate issues from restructuring account teams, have hard conversations both on client and employee side, rally team to overcome challenges, and deliver high client satisfaction (validated via CSAT surveys and regular check-ins)
• Responsible for periodically reviewing team ways of working and identify opportunities for streamlining or improvement 
• Responsible for consistently assessing team/client fit, ensuring we have the right talent matched up to the right clients - based on expertise, communication/working styles
• Responsible for ensuring new team members are properly onboarded to each account, not just with day-to-day knowledge & skills development, but by providing a full deep dive into each client's business and priorities.
• Ability to determine resolution for any cross-channel issues including performance, tracking, QA issues, etc.
• Ability to resolve any collaborative roadblocks between teams
• Ability to settle miscommunication or interpersonal issues within the group

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

• Extensive experience in roles servicing clients in an agency environment 
• Excellent knowledge in delivering complex media channel projects 
• Working in a cross-functional management team 
• Forecasting and reconciling revenue across the business 
• Managing large client and agency teams 
• Experience leading, motivating and coaching teams
• Inspiring and able to create a proactive and energised team culture 
• Strong client relationship management skills, including experience working directly with director and C-level clients on strategy development 
• A solid understanding of the industry and changing client needs 
• Advanced problem-solving skills 
• Excellent presentation skills 
• Ability to react quickly within a fast-paced environment 
• Ability to remain focused under pressure and work under tight deadlines 
• Proficient in working with data 

WE OFFER

• A flexible, hybrid working policy
• The choice of medical healthcare providers (Bupa or Medicash) 
• 25 days holiday plus bank holidays and your birthday off each year
• Company pension scheme 
• EAP scheme
• Ride to work scheme 
• Enhanced family friendly policies
• Buddy Program: You will be paired with a 'Buddy' to help you through your first weeks' at DEPT
• A reputation for doing good. DEPT has been a Certified B Corp since 2021 and named 'Agency of the Year' at both The Lovies and The Webby Awards.
• Awesome clients. Whether big or small, local or global — at DEPT you'll get the opportunity to work with clients of all sizes and across all industries. And we celebrate all of our successes together
• The opportunity for possibility. We want to enable you to do what you do best and help you develop your skills further with training, development and certifications.
• Global annual DEPT Cares Month in which employees come together and donate their skills to support local charities.

WHO ARE WE?

The bigger picture: DEPT is a pioneering technology and marketing services company that creates integrated end-to-end digital experiences for brands such as Google, TikTok, eBay, ASOS, Zoopla, Twitch, Patagonia and many, many more. 

Our team of 4,000+ digital specialists across 30+ locations on five continents deliver pioneering work on a global scale with a boutique culture. We live and breathe our 'big enough to cope, small enough to care' ethos, providing an inclusive, supportive and an exciting place to accelerate your career.   

DEPT is committed to making a positive impact on the planet and since 2021 has been Climate Neutral and B Corporation certified.

At DEPT, we take pride in creating an inclusive workplace where everyone has an equal opportunity to thrive. We actively seek to recruit, develop, nurture, and retain talented individuals from diverse backgrounds, with varying skills and perspectives.

Not sure you meet all qualifications? Apply, and let us decide Research shows that women and members of underrepresented groups tend not to apply for jobs when they think they may not meet every requirement, when in fact they do. We believe in giving everyone a fair chance to shine. 

We also encourage you  to reach out to us and discuss any reasonable adjustments we can make to support you throughout the recruitment process and your time with us.

Want to know more about our dedication to diversity, equity, and inclusion? Check out our efforts here.