Alpha245 is a part of Leo Burnett, a global communication network that generates creative solutions to Client's problem to accelerate business growth. The Agency connects diverse creative minds and works in diverse creative ways for multitude of clients across variety of categories including Beverages, Property, Telecommunication, Financial & Insurance, Retail, Pharmaceutical and more. Our approach is rooted in clarity of purpose, creative connections and open collaboration. Diverse creative minds expand insights, expertise and creativity to disrupt convention and enhance local business solutions. 

The Role of the Associate Account Director

The Associate Account Director helps in overseeing and manage the overall efficiency and revenue growth, development and profitability of multiple accounts. Recognized by staff and Clients as a comprehensive source of marketing expertise, the Associate Account Director is a model for business leadership. Helps provide inspiration and strategic vision for the Account Team with a broad, agency-wide responsibility for ensuring all departments work together to provide a consistent level of agency product and service delivery. Associate Account Directors help identify Client business needs and assist them in developing successful solutions; they are ultimately responsible for delivering satisfaction and value to Clients and delivering revenue growth to the Agency. The Associate Account Director possesses a sufficient level of financial acumen to manage business decisions associated with the account service team.

The Responsibilities of an Associate Account Director

To the Client/s and Brand/s:

• Keep Client’s informed of status of projects and handling their request promptly and thoroughly so that Client’s confidence in Agency’s ability to meet their needs is maintained.
• Establish credibility as a business advisor to senior-level Client’s by demonstrating knowledge of industry, the competition and market and by recommending sound initiatives.
• Anticipate needs and identify trends and needs before the Client recognizes them.
• Establish and build both the professional and personal acceptance of each Client contact, especially those at the senior level.
• Make sound recommendations about involving the Senior Management in efforts designed to strengthen Client relations.
• Conduct agency reviews and ensure that they effectively illustrate Agency’s capabilities and successes in meting Client’s goals.
• Recognize and analyze Client signals that reflect concern about the quality of Agency’s service or product and taking appropriate corrective action.
• Ensure goals, expectations, insights and request are understood and aligned with/by Client.
• Follow up on Client concerns to verify that they have been resolved.
• Ensure execution excellence in delivery to Client.
• Monitor external environment and highlight key issues/crises and work with Senor Management to inform Client of implications and potential actions required.
• Maintain social and regular contact with Client personnel
• Build Client receptivity to innovative advertising and gaining executive level Client acceptance for new assignment proposals.

To the Accounts Management Team/s

Strategic Responsibilities

• Ensure proper training and guidance is given to juniors and look beyond the day-to-day needs of the juniors.
• Work with the Account Director and in a leadership role with executives of Client organizations to establish long-range goals and strategies for their business and increase revenues ensuring that plans reflect sound analysis of Client’s industry, competition, market and trends.
• Ensure that Senior Account Management personnel’s gain a clear understanding of the perspective of senior management in Client organizations.
• Assist Account Director in leading/instigating the strategy development efforts of account teams and determining whether and how to provide additional assistance
• Give specific direction when needed to prevent unproductive efforts but avoiding stifling strategy development through over control.
• Ensure that Senior Account management personnel’s make effective use of Creative, Media and Research personnel when developing strategies.
• Gain Client acceptance of proposed strategies at the executive level and ensure work presented is in accordance with strategy
• Alert Senior Management to any new information that may have an important effect on Client relations.

Financial Responsibilities

• Possess in-depth understanding of financial status of account at all times
• Ensure resourcing within the account is appropriate at all times and ensure clarity of roles and responsibility amongst team members
• Responsible for account profitability or maintaining agreed fee income.
• Create and develop opportunities for growing existing business within the organization
• Analyze Client budgets and agency cost reports to verify that costs are being kept within the Client’s budget and in line with revenues and recognize circumstances that can lead to unfavorable budget variances and taking appropriate action to avoid or offset them.
• Ensure that un-billable expenses are kept minimal and approving only those expenses confirming to Agency’s financial management system.
• Advice Client on ways to use budgeted funds most efficiently.
• Assist account management team to resolve disputes about invoices and taking appropriate action to ensure that invoice problems are not recurrent.

Management Role

• Ensure staff ownership and responsibility for projects for all members of the team
• Collaborate in identifying near term opportunities/tactical program for gaining new assignments, ensuring that account teams have effective plans and resources for achieving them and monitor progress to ensure plans are carried out effectively according to quality standards.
• Organize annual internal review and Client appraisal work with Senior Management to implement outcomes.
• Aid in new business pitches by recommending analysis that reflect through thought, develop plans  and techniques for pursuing new business, develop business presentations that emphasizes the Agency’s strengths leading to building Agency’s reputation
• Ensure team understanding of Client personalities profiles
• Periodically reassess Client relations and, to the extent needed, reach agreement with Account Management team on specific objectives and plans for strengthening them and ensure all members of the team have a clear understanding of priorities for enhancing Client relationship.
• Lead and motivate team to fulfill their potential and assume responsibility appropriate to their position
• Identify the training and developmental needs of account team to make their assignments effective learning and motivational experience.
• Recruit and select personnel with the right skills, experience, and dedication and performs to the level needed to meet Client’s goals/expectations.
• Able to handle problems independently while recognizing solutions that require the attention of higher management.
• Participate in meetings with accounts team to review performance, to discuss common problems and to develop improvement plans and measurement.  Ensure good work is recognized and appropriately rewarded.  However, poor performance is not tolerated and that action is taken to improve work below standards.
• Review effectiveness of presentations and client meetings and assist account personnel in identifying specific ways to increase effectiveness
• Ensure that account team members understand and follow established procedures for gaining assistance of other departs so that unproductive conflicts are minimized and steps are taken to prevent recurrence.

To the other departments & suppliers/contractors

Creative Department

• Create an environment in which the creative team is motivated to deliver innovation concepts and executions.
• Generate enthusiasm and commitment among all creative personnel who work on the account to ensure that excellent advertising is produced
• Ensure that Creative receive assignments that clearly describe the Client’s need and the Agency’s planned approach, and that they get the information required to complete their assignments effectively.
• Distinguish between ‘formula’ advertising and advertising that is both effective and effective for improved efficiency.
• Collaborate with Creative to reach agreement on procedures for interdepartmental projects that will meet product and service standards efficiently and minimize unproductive conflicts.

Media Department

• Discuss and brainstorm with media when developing sound media strategies for campaigns
• Check and ensure all media schedules are in order
• Ensure all media deadlines are met
• Develops and / or contributes to effective media strategies through thinking in terms of creating competitive advantage.
• Propose new initiatives / share learnings.
• Collaborate with Media to reach agreement on procedures for interdepartmental projects that will meet product and service standards efficiently and minimize unproductive conflicts.

 Traffic Department

• Negotiate and agree on realistic deadlines
• Preempt Traffic when there are many briefs and tight deadlines to ensure resources are planned and allocated.
• Ensure best solution driven outcome is arrived when encountering problems.
• Collaborate with Account Management Team and traffic to identify ways to use Agency and outside resources efficiently and minimize costs without jeopardizing the quality of product and service.
• Collaborate with Traffic to reach agreement on procedures for interdepartmental projects that will meet product and service standards efficiently and minimize unproductive conflicts

Personality: Self-driven, results-oriented with a positive outlook and a clear focus on effective and efficient project delivery. A natural forward planner who critically assesses own performance, professional integrity and interpersonal standards. Mature, credible, and comfortable in dealing with creative and technical teams internal and external. Reliable, tolerant, and determined. An empathetic communicator, able to see things from the other person's point of view. Well presented and professional. Keen for new experience, responsible and accountable. Able to get on with others and be a team-player.

Specific Job Skills: Able to communicate and motivate via written media. Possess strong principles in project management, organization, digital marketing and technical production. Appreciates need for excellence in technical production, project management, quality of production of technology and media.

Computer skills: Additional skills in digital multimedia (editing, file handling) and internet technology (e-mail, web browser) is required to facilitate better access to information, research and communication tools and methods.

Literacy and Numeracy: Able to articulate creative strategy and rationales. Must be a competent in evaluating and communicating briefs, creative execution methods and project objectives for use in client proposals and presentations.

Business and Selling Skills: Must be able to engage in face-to-face and telephone communication. Able to demonstrate passion for creativity, craft and execution to heighten the quality and effectiveness of the department and agency output.

Management Ability : Must have strong leadership and have people skills to facilitate highest output of design of projects and campaigns.